Goliath worms

[AReptile]

I was at work today and not needed to do much outside so I was bored out of my mind in the office so I went on youtube today watching bearded dragon/ chameleon videos. I came across a video of this guy feeding his bearded dragon a goliath worm... this thing was HUGE. My question is that are these worms a good choice of feeder for adult chameleons/dragons? And are they related to silkworms because they kinda look like them I think. Except they are ridiculously big

 

[Ellron]

They are great feeders and you can order them from one of our sponsors, Great Lakes Hornworm.
Do not ever feed a wild caught one, as the natural diet is toxic.
Not related to silkies I don't think, lemme look it up real quickly.

*EDIT
Silkworms Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Bombycidae
Genus: Bombyx
Species: B. mori

Hornworms Scientific Classification

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Manduca
Species: M. quinquemaculata
Differences are red, looks like the difference it cut off at Family. So slightly related I guess.

 

[AReptile]

That is very good news thank you. I have been looking for an alternate feeder for my chameleon from crickets so this definitely helps for when she is an adult. Providing she gets big enough to take on these monsters lmao. I know the dragon cantake one down though. Problem for me is that I mentioned dubia roaches to my parents and my parents told me NO absolutely not. So im stuck with crickets and i hate them . Dont think they would say no to these worms though.

 

[Ellron]

Worms are awesome!
They come in self contained cups with food and they're great.
You can get tiny ones at Great Lakes Hornworms. Check out the website!

 

[AReptile]

So are they hornworms or goliath worms? I'm confused now lol. The container in the video said goliath worms on them and were supposedly from mulberry farms.

 

[Ellron]

Mullberry farms and Great Lake Hornworms both sell Hornworms/Goliath Worms.

They are the same thing.
Google Search for Hornworm
Google Search for Goliath Worm
Great Lakes Hornworm

 

[morpheon]

Over where i live, Goliath and hornworms are the same thing.

 

[dodolah]

Goliath worms are just another name for hornworms (manduca sexta).

BTW, you don't have to wait until your chameleons become an adult before feeding him hornworms.
You can feed the young hornworms to your chameleons. Just make sure they are size appropriate.

it's a great addition to your chameleon's diet repertoire. It is much sturdier than silkworms and more water content.
So, if your chameleon is slightly dehydrated, these feeders can be used as hydration aid.

 

[AReptile]

Do the goliath worms eat carrots and romaine? those are my staple gutload for the most part.

 

[dodolah]

Do the goliath worms eat carrots and romaine? those are my staple gutload for the most part.

I would imagine they probably will when they have nothing else to eat.
But, I am not sure if that is enough to make them pupate.

As far as gutloading goes, I recommend adding more kinds of vegetables than just those two. Kale, collard greens, and dandelions are one of the healthiest gutload you can get from your local market. It certainly beats lettuce nutrition wise.

 

[Lovereps]

They grow very quickly

Unlike many other common feeders, the Hornworms/Goliath worms grow to mammoth proportions in a matter of a couple of weeks.
You wouldn't want to buy a larger quantity than you would use in week or two, unless you have other pets who would eat them--such as Bearded Dragons.

 

[AReptile]

Unlike many other common feeders, the Hornworms/Goliath worms grow to mammoth proportions in a matter of a couple of weeks.
You wouldn't want to buy a larger quantity than you would use in week or two, unless you have other pets who would eat them--such as Bearded Dragons.

I do have a bearded dragon which was why I wanted to get them because of their large size. I didn't realize that I could get them much smaller than that though so I'm thinking about getting some for both of my lizards.

 

[Lovereps]

I bought a couple of hornworn cups

When they were smaller, the chams got them.
When they grew too large, the beardies went nuts over them!
Of course, my beardies are quite enthusiastic about any bugs they get
What I like about the hornworms is, they're easier to keep alive than the silkworms.