Mmm... Meal worms

Over the last week or so I've been trying to introduce Ava's gecko Cookie to a variety of foods. He is used to eating only crickets every day however it's good for him to have a little variety in his diet. One such "food" that is supposed to be a delicious treat for geckos is the humble meal worm. But do you think I can get Cookie to eat a single one?

I've tried serving the meal worms up with his usual crickets, I've tried giving him nothing but meal worms, I've tried hand feeding him meal worms, I've tried coating the meal worms in vitamin powder in the hope that he'll recognise the smell/taste and eat them thinking they're crickets... So far none of it has worked. 

While Cookie isn't interested in the meal worms one bit there is one little person in our family who is: Lola!

Back in November last year we attended the Bay Area Science Festival Discovery Day at AT&T Park in San Francisco. One of the first stands that we came across when we arrived at the fair was offering samples of a strange treat. When she saw what the sample was Ava wouldn't go anywhere near it, but Lola, hearing the word "caramel" in the title, was more than happy to grab a sample. She crunched down on it, swallowed it happily and then asked for more. I thought it best that she know what she had just eaten: a meal worm. She didn't care what it was. It tasted good and she wanted more. So she went back for seconds. And then thirds. 

Caramel meal worm

Mmm... crunchy