Birds & Small Pets Birds & Small Pets

What birds
 eat by nature

What birds
 eat by nature

Dried insects for the feeding station in the garden, insects in jars and tins for hedgehogs and small pets, live and frozen feeder animals for insectivores. With temperature protection where it is needed.

Dried insects for the garden, preserves for hedgehogs and small pets, live and frozen feeder animals for insectivores.

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Bird at a garden feeding station with dried insects 🐦 For garden & aviary
Four forms Four forms

Dried, preserved, live or frozen?

Which form suits you?

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Dried Insects Dried InsectsFor the garden feeding station – keeps for years Preserved Insects Preserved InsectsIn jars and tins, also as hedgehog food Live Insects Live InsectsFor insectivores, rearing and aviaries Frozen Insects Frozen InsectsA store for insectivores, removable in portions
4.8 950+ reviews EU productionlab-tested Temperature protectionHeat pack, cool pad or dry ice Dry goods Mon–Frilive Mon–Wed, frozen Mon–Thu
All products All products

Food for birds & small pets

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DryDispatch Mon–Fri, no delivery date needed· Shipping €5.49 · free from €75
LiveOrdered by Monday 07:00: dispatched this week· Shipping €5.49 · free from €75
FrozenOrdered by 12:00: dispatched the same day (Mon–Thu)· Express €24.99 · free from €450
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Decision helper Decision helper

Which food for which occasion?

Food by occasion for which occasion?

At the bird table, during the breeding season, for the hedgehog or for insectivores – every situation has its form.

Every feeding situation has its form.

All year round in the garden

Dried Insects

For the bird table, from autumn into the breeding season

Dried insects are the most straightforward form: they keep well, store without refrigeration and can be ordered without a delivery date. You can offer them dry or soak them briefly in water – soaked, fledglings take them more easily and they also provide fluid.

  • Shelf lifeMonths
  • StorageStore cupboard
  • HandlingDry or soaked
  • Ideal forBird table, breeding season
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For hedgehogs & small pets

Preserved Insects

Ready-portioned in a jar or tin

Whole insects in a jar and insect purée in a tin. Resealable, easy to dose and storable without refrigeration – practical for small quantities and for hedgehogs that take soft food.

  • Shelf lifeMonths
  • StorageStore cupboard
  • Handlingfeed in portions
  • Ideal forHedgehogs, small rodents
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Rearing & aviary

Live Insects

The highest acceptance among insectivores

Live feeder animals are accepted most reliably and are the first choice for softbills, rearing and aviary birds. They need a cool, dark place and should be fed within a few days. Dispatch Mon–Wed with a heat pack or cool pad depending on the season.

  • Shelf lifeDays to weeks
  • StorageCool and dark
  • HandlingFeed promptly
  • Ideal forRearing, aviary
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Build up a store

Frozen Insects

Take out portions, store for a long time

Frozen feeder animals are individually removable and keep for a long time – sensible if you feed insectivores regularly. They need space in the freezer. Shipping is by express in a polystyrene box with dry ice and must be accepted on the first delivery attempt.

  • Shelf lifeMonths
  • StorageFreezer
  • HandlingThaw, feed in portions
  • Ideal forRegular feeding
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Still unsure?

For feeding in the garden, dried insects are the simplest way in – no refrigeration, no delivery date. Preserved insects are the choice for hedgehogs and small quantities. Live and frozen pay off if you feed insectivores regularly.

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Shipping

This is how the food reaches you safely

This is how the food reaches you safely

Three shipping routes, because dry, live and frozen goods have to be transported differently. Costs and free-shipping thresholds are always shown – they differ considerably.

Dried & preserved insects

Shipping method DHL Standard
Cost €5.49
Free from €75
Dispatch days Mon–Fri

  • No temperature protection needed

    Dried insects, jars and tins are robust. They go out as a normal parcel – without a heat pack, without a cool pad and without a fixed delivery date.

  • Dispatch Mon–Fri

    Unlike live and frozen goods, there is no dispatch window and no order deadline you have to watch out for.

  • Store in a dry, dark place

    Unopened, dried insects keep for months. Jars and tins are resealable and can be used up in portions.

Live Insects

Shipping method DHL Standard, 1–3 working days
Cost €5.49
Free from €75
Dispatch days Mon–Wed

  • Temperature protection in the parcel

    In winter we add a heat pack, in hot weather a cool pad – to suit the season.

  • Dispatch Mon–Wed

    The order deadline is Monday 07:00. Mealworms, soldier fly larvae and wax moths can still go out up to Wednesday 10:00.

  • Weather comes before speed

    In extreme temperatures we deliberately postpone dispatch rather than sending the animals on their way.

  • Not to a parcel locker

    We do not ship live animals to parcel lockers – the temperature there cannot be controlled.

Frozen Insects

Shipping method Go! Overnight, 1 working day
Cost €24.99
Free from €450
Dispatch days Mon–Thu

  • Polystyrene box with dry ice

    Frozen goods travel insulated and chilled, so the cold chain holds all the way to your door.

  • Delivery by 2 p.m.

    Go! General Overnight delivers within one working day by 2 p.m. There is no Saturday delivery.

  • Dispatch Mon–Thu

    Ordered by 12:00, the consignment usually goes out the same day.

  • Accept on the first attempt

    The consignment must be accepted on the first delivery attempt – otherwise the cold chain is broken. So plan the delivery for a day when someone is there.

Collection in person in Bremen by arrangement
Tracking by email after dispatch

Problems with your parcel? Write to us at info@entosus.de – we'll take care of it.

Long-lasting or fresh

Which suits you better?

Which suits you better?

Dried and preserved are the low-maintenance side, live and frozen the fresh one. Both have their place – here are the differences, including the inconvenient ones.

Dried & preserved

Low-maintenance

For the feeding station in the garden, for hedgehogs and for anyone who wants to feed without a cold chain.

  • Storable without refrigeration

    A space in the store cupboard is enough – no freezer, no cool cellar, no keeping of live animals.

  • Can be ordered at any time

    No dispatch window, no order deadline and no obligation to accept the parcel on the first attempt.

  • Can be dosed in portions

    Jars and tins are resealable, dried insects can be measured out. Nothing spoils if you feed less for a while.

  • Usable all year round

    From winter feeding at the bird table to the breeding season in spring – the same pack.

Things to consider

  • Insectivores do not always take dried insects straight away – soaked, it usually works better.
  • Without movement, the stimulus that gets fussy animals eating is missing.

Live & frozen

For insectivores

For aviary birds, rearing and all animals that respond to movement and fresh food.

  • The highest acceptance

    Insectivores take live prey most reliably. Even fussy animals usually start with it.

  • Movement invites them to strike

    Live insects trigger natural pecking behaviour – which helps especially with animals that eat poorly.

  • Brings moisture with it

    Insects consist largely of water. Live and frozen, they bring that fluid with them; dried, you have to soak them for it.

  • Frozen, individually removable

    From the freezer you take out only the portion you need – the rest keeps for months.

Things to consider

  • Live feeder animals need a cool, dark and escape-proof place until feeding.
  • Frozen goods need freezer space, and express shipping costs €24.99 – free only from €450.

As a rule of thumb: for the feeding station in the garden and for hedgehogs, the long-lasting side is entirely sufficient. Anyone keeping insectivores in an aviary or rearing fledglings will usually not get around live or frozen food – many keepers combine both.

Frequently asked questions Frequently asked questions

All about insect food

All about insect food

Do all birds take insects?

No. Insects are above all food for softbills such as tits, robins, blackbirds, wrens and starlings. Pure seed eaters such as finches and sparrows mainly take them during the breeding season – that is when they too feed animal protein to their young.

The same applies in the aviary: insectivorous species need insects permanently, seed-eating species only occasionally.

Should I feed only in winter or all year round?

Expert opinion is divided on this. What is undisputed is that fledglings need animal protein during the breeding season – seeds alone are not enough for rearing. If you feed all year round, you should clean the feeding station regularly and not leave food residues lying around.

Do I have to soak dried insects?

Not necessarily – offered dry they work well. Soaking is particularly worthwhile during the breeding season and for fledglings: soaked insects are softer and also provide fluid. In that case only soak as much as will be eaten straight away, and do not leave anything standing.

Which food is right for hedgehogs?

Insect purée and whole insects from the jar or tin are suitable for hedgehogs. Always put a shallow dish of water alongside as well – never milk, as hedgehogs cannot digest lactose.

When do I have to order and what does shipping cost?

Dried and preserved insects go out Monday to Friday, with no order deadline. Shipping €5.49, free from an order value of €75.

Live insects ordered by Monday 07:00 go out in the same week – mealworms, soldier fly larvae and wax moths up to Wednesday 10:00. Shipping by DHL Standard in 1–3 working days for €5.49, free from €75.

Frozen insects run separately: dispatch Monday to Thursday, orders placed by 12:00 usually go out the same day. They travel in a polystyrene box with dry ice via Go! General Overnight and cost €24.99, free from €450.

On request you can also collect in person in Bremen (please arrange an appointment in advance).

Do the live insects really arrive alive?

We do a great deal to ensure that: every parcel gets a heat pack in winter and a cool pad at higher temperatures. We only dispatch live goods Monday to Wednesday and not to parcel lockers. In extreme temperatures we deliberately postpone dispatch – it matters more to us that the goods arrive alive. If there is a problem with your parcel after all, write to us at info@entosus.de.

How do I store live and frozen feeder animals?

Live: store mealworms and wax moth larvae cool, but crickets and locusts warm, dry and well ventilated. Do not seal anything airtight, otherwise the animals sweat. Feed within a few days.

Frozen: straight into the freezer after delivery. The goods should not thaw and be refrozen – which is why the parcel must be accepted on the first delivery attempt. For feeding you take out only the portion needed; the frozen goods are individually removable for that reason. Let thawed feeder animals come up to room temperature, do not heat them, and feed them the same day.