breeding silkies.. need help

[dodolah]

hello all...
Please help me in this matter.
The silkworms that I bought a week ago have outgrown my chameleon's ability to swallow.
Some of them has the length of 4.5" and extremely fat too!

there is no longer any option than to let them turn into cocoons..
and perhaps, some of them will breed...
My question is what are the things I need to breed silkies?
I literally have nothing set up for them beside the pod that i got from coastal.

Please help! It just a matter of day be4 lots of my silkies turn into cocoons.
Pictures will be help too.

Thanks

 

[lonomac]

If you have any toilet paper rolls, or paper towel rolls, soap boxes etc. Basically any cardboard small area that they can crawl into, drop in their area and they will make cocoons.

 

[Chameleonboy]

If there is alot of them ?

If there is put them in a shoebox with toilet paper rolls and let them cacoon

Ater they cacoon you have to wait about 3 to 6 weeks

Not all of them will hatch

when you have time check out this website and you will learn evrtyghin you need to know http://hubpages.com/hub/Silkworms

 

[dodolah]

how do you know that your silkies ready to turn into a cocoon?
I just guess from the size..
Is there a better way to make sure?

thx

 

[lele]

Some of them has the length of 4.5"

ummm...you might want to check that again - silkworms don't get that long Are you talking hornworms? Green or white? If your chameleon is an adult he should not have a problem, he might it hang out of his mouth for a bit before swallowing it, but if he is younger, yes he may have trouble with late instar (that is the stage between molting).

Regardless, both will wander and stop eating when it is time to spin, the difference is silkworms spins a cocoon and hornworms are earth pupators. here are two articles for you to read. Hornworms, Silkworms
You don't have to read the whole thing, you can skip to the pupation section. Don't fret, it's not rocket science and your cham can be fed the moths.

Ater they cacoon you have to wait about 3 to 6 weeks

to clarify, it is much closer to 3 weeks. I have never had a silkie go more than about 3.5 before eclosing. Some can get "stuck" and die in the cocoon and "surgery" needs to be done, but it is not for everyone, I am sure most people don't even notice or chalk it up to being a dud

lele