WickAndArtoo Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 My little Artoo seems to love to try and catch grasshoppers... So far I have kept him from them, however I am just curious what everyone's stance is on this?! I let Wick our Aussie eat flies he catches... So is this weird or bad ? Anyone here let them eat their non stinging catches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 My dogs don't eat bugs. They tried a couple of stinkbugs, but I guess they are as disagreeably flavored to dogs as their nasty smell indicates. Bugs contain protein. Don't humans eat crickets and grasshoppers, etc. - particularly once they have been coated with chocolate? [Obviously chocolate is not good for dogs.] I may learn something here, but I would say that grasshoppers, crickets and other similar bugs should be OK for dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Not good for them to eat too many cicadas. We had a bumper crop of them last year and dogs were getting sick. The hard shells were irritating their intestinal tract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 There are a number of people, including some chefs, advocating for more consumption of bugs. Many are excellent sources of high quality protein that could provide sustainable food sources for people. For people in developed countries the biggest obstacle is the ick factor, but I suspect it'll be a necessity before long that we have to consider alternate food sources. http://www.popsci.com/rise-incredible-edible-insect There's at least one company that makes dog treats using crickets as it's protein source: http://petyapetproducts.com/ I'd be willing to try them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 I have actually looked into human consumption of bugs before, usually they are cooked... But idk if that would be a concern for dogs since they are able to eat raw meat without being cooked... I am assuming since Artoo was a stray he probably ate any and all grasshoppers he found before we got him with no ill effects?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Not good for them to eat too many cicadas. We had a bumper crop of them last year and dogs were getting sick. The hard shells were irritating their intestinal tract. That makes sense... I wonder about the morning cicadas that emerge soft from the ground... Also probably too much of anything might make them sick. The wings and legs do pose a problem... Were they chewing them up a lot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 My dogs don't eat bugs. They tried a couple of stinkbugs, but I guess they are as disagreeably flavored to dogs as their nasty smell indicates. Bugs contain protein. Don't humans eat crickets and grasshoppers, etc. - particularly once they have been coated with chocolate? [Obviously chocolate is not good for dogs.] I may learn something here, but I would say that grasshoppers, crickets and other similar bugs should be OK for dogs. Haha yes wick has tried those before and decided they are more fun to toss with a paw than eat... He spat them out the couple times so fast I laughed... The first time he was scared of it for a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 There are a number of people, including some chefs, advocating for more consumption of bugs. Many are excellent sources of high quality protein that could provide sustainable food sources for people. For people in developed countries the biggest obstacle is the ick factor, but I suspect it'll be a necessity before long that we have to consider alternate food sources. http://www.popsci.com/rise-incredible-edible-insect There's at least one company that makes dog treats using crickets as it's protein source: http://petyapetproducts.com/ I'd be willing to try them. I hear they are quite tasty! But then again I would try just about anything not to mention I would love it if we could find a more sustainable food resource... I have a feeling that won't catch on quite as well as some would like however. I seriously considered trying a cicada recipe when we were in Nebraska... They were HUGE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 I would be far more worried about the development of OCD behaviors than of the small chance of eating one that is toxic (in the USA anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 I would be far more worried about the development of OCD behaviors than of the small chance of eating one that is toxic (in the USA anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 I would be far more worried about the development of OCD behaviors than of the small chance of eating one that is toxic (in the USA anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Mine have eaten Lubbers before and had no reaction. For those that don't know, Lubbers are those giant yellow grasshoppers that are supposedly poisonous. Maybe they are to birds or in larger amounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Re: cicadas. We had a total invasion. They were everywhere. They were all over the ground and flying in the air and all over the trees. Some dogs got really sick. It was even in the paper not to let animals eat too many. But that is very abnormal. I think it was a 17 year event or something. I've been here 40 years and that is the first time I have ever seen that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 My first dog, from when I was a little kid, who was a complete bitsa, loved to eat ants. He would find a line of ants in the garden, and lay down facing the line with his paws in front of him so the ants had to climb over his paws to continue on their way. And he would let them climb on his paws and then lick them up. He would do this for hours. Admittedly, even he did not attack the bulldog ants we have here in Australia, but the small black garden ants were his prey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 My first dog, from when I was a little kid, who was a complete bitsa, loved to eat ants. He would find a line of ants in the garden, and lay down facing the line with his paws in front of him so the ants had to climb over his paws to continue on their way. And he would let them climb on his paws and then lick them up. He would do this for hours. Admittedly, even he did not attack the bulldog ants we have here in Australia, but the small black garden ants were his prey! This is so funny! He sounds like he was a goofy boy what is a bitsa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 I would be far more worried about the development of OCD behaviors than of the small chance of eating one that is toxic (in the USA anyway). Haha yeah I can see that being bad if it became obsessive! I probably wouldn't purposely let the BCdo it because he does completely focus on things like that so it might endanger him (ie he has a hard time hearing me or listening when he sees something of interest). I am more curious about incidents I can't prevent for him... Like should I try to get him to spit it out or just call it up as a loss and let him eat it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 Mine have eaten Lubbers before and had no reaction. For those that don't know, Lubbers are those giant yellow grasshoppers that are supposedly poisonous. Maybe they are to birds or in larger amounts. Are you in America? We are in GAand some of the grasshoppers are 3-4 inches!! They look like birds :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 Florida. Those yellow and black/brown ones are Lubbers. And yes, they do get to be 3-4 inches. Nasty mess to step on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 Florida. Those yellow and black/brown ones are Lubbers. And yes, they do get to be 3-4 inches. Nasty mess to step on. Haha yeah... Luckily I haven't experienced that yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 WickAndArtoo - it might be Aussie slang "bitsa this and bitsa that". I think (I had just turned 5 when we got him) his mother was a lab cross something, his father was unknown. He was maybe a foot tall fully grown, a bit longer than he was tall, fairly fine build, smooth coat, flop eared, black and tan colouring. Personally, if I had to guess now I would say lab cross jack russell cross something else for the colouring, maybe kelpie, but he could have had almost anything in him. And yes, he was definitely a character, big dog attitude in little dog body, loving and loyal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 WickAndArtoo - it might be Aussie slang "bitsa this and bitsa that". I think (I had just turned 5 when we got him) his mother was a lab cross something, his father was unknown. He was maybe a foot tall fully grown, a bit longer than he was tall, fairly fine build, smooth coat, flop eared, black and tan colouring. Personally, if I had to guess now I would say lab cross jack russell cross something else for the colouring, maybe kelpie, but he could have had almost anything in him. And yes, he was definitely a character, big dog attitude in little dog body, loving and loyal. Cuuutee we have a Black and Tan too. Maybe all of them are silly haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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