Your Mealworms will eat the oat or wheat bran or uncooked oatmeal bedding. We sell the bedding material used by us to grow our Superworms and Mealworms. See the Mealworms page for information. Additionally, they need a source of moisture and eat raw potato, carrot, apple, celery, melon rinds. We also feed a little high-protein chicken mash (not more than 20% of the bedding volume) to fatten them and increase their protein content.

Birdfeeding.org doesn't recommend putting out table scraps. Not because bread or other human food is necessarily bad for the birds, but because scattered on the ground it can attract unwanted visitors such as rodents. The birds and your neighbors will be happier if you offer bird seed and suet.

Yes, on orders that we hand deliver, or entrust to our local courier partner. We don't recommend chocolate and fruit in orders shipped out of Province during seasonal extremes. [top]

While the high pathogenic Asian H5N1 strain of avian flu is presently not a threat to the U.S. public, DU encourages people to follow the standard precautions offered for protecting themselves against wildlife related diseases when handling harvested animals. According to the National Wildlife Health Center, "Persons handling wild birds should follow routine hand washing and safe food preparation practices.

Yes. The standard recommendation for ensuring that any wild game is safely cooked is to cook all types of meat thoroughly to at least 155-165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill disease organisms, parasites and viruses such as avian flu. It's not uncommon to see dead ducks or geese while in the field. Do not assume that any form of bird flu killed the ducks or geese, because these birds can die from many other causes.

While currently there are unconfirmed reports of people being infected with H5N1 from dead wild birds, exposure to domestic and wild birds potentially infected with H5N1 should be avoided. The only documented cases of transmission to humans are from poultry; these cases include both highly pathogenic and low pathogenic strains of avian influenza. the present time, close contact with infected domestic poultry has been the primary way that people have become infected with the HPAI H5N1 virus.

Yes. The standard recommendation for ensuring that any wild game is safely cooked is to cook all types of meat thoroughly to at least 70-75 degrees Celsius (155-165 degrees Fahrenheit) to kill disease organisms, parasites and viruses such as avian flu. It's not uncommon to see dead ducks or geese while in the field. Do not assume that any form of bird flu killed the ducks or geese, because these birds can die from many other causes.

Most avian influenza viruses have been isolated from wild waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans) and shorebirds (wading birds), gulls, and terns. With rare exceptions, the thousands of flu isolates found in wild birds have been low pathogenic avian influenza and have rarely caused signs of illness. The occurrence of avian influenza in wild ducks in North America reaches its height in late summer and early fall. At other times of the year, infection rates are usually less than 1 percent.

The H5N1 HPAI virus is not present in the United States at this time. Therefore, wild birds, including Canada Geese, turkeys, and song birds, pose little risk to you or your pets. Keeping cats and dogs indoors, unless being walked on a leash or otherwise confined, is best for their safety, regardless of risk of infection with the virus. Cats and dogs allowed to roam outdoors are exposed to many dangers, including automobile injuries, animal bites, poisoning, and other infectious diseases.

No one may have in his/her possession any native wild species of bird without special federal and state permits. No one may tamper with or destroy any occupied nest of a native wild species. Such a nest may be destroyed only when not in use after the breeding season. No one may kill any native species except a properly licensed hunter during an authorized hunting season.

The RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA (Scotland) and USPCA (Northern Ireland) are the national charities that help and advise on sick and injured birds and animals. The RSPB does not run bird hospitals or a rescue service.

LPAI in wild birds is usually not detected since signs are mild. Signs may include or respiratory distress, intestinal distress and lethargy. For information on AI in Maryland poultry and humans, please consult the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) (www.mda.state.md.us) and the Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DHMH) - (www.dhmh.state.md.us and www.edcp.org).

If the avian influenza virus (H5N1) is present in a wild bird, it may be possible for a human to get the disease. However, there have been no known cases of humans getting avian influenza from wild birds. As of January 2006, avian influenza has not been identified in any wild or domestic bird in the United States. The following websites provide guidelines for hunters and others who may come in contact with wild birds:

Yes! It is still safe to hunt and eat game. However, hunters are always encouraged to wear gloves when skinning and preparing any game meat (this includes birds and mammals) and to cook meat thoroughly before serving it.

Tube wild bird feeders are very popular with most backyard wild birds. They provide some of the most productive bird watching hours. Goldfinches will use thistle seed feeders. Most backyard songbirds will be happy to use your standard tube bird feeders that are filled with sunflowers or seed mixes. They come in a great variety of styles and prices.

USGS and FWS, in collaboration with State of Alaska biologists have been strategically sampling migratory birds for H5N1 in the Pacific Flyway for several months. These efforts complement a series of ongoing avian influenza studies being conducted by the USDA and its university partners in Alaska, where birds that regularly migrate between Asia and North America are known to congregate and to nest. The U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S.

There are several ways to spread the virus from one geographical region to another: transporting the birds (and their feathers) to different poultry farms, the trafficking of captured wild birds and the involuntary transporting of soil on shoe soles and vehicle tires. Each of these ways of spreading the infection plays a certain part in the epidemic, but until now all cases were triggered by domestic and farm poultry transport.