Large horn worms-what to do?

B

Barb

Member
I have some really big horn worms. My chameleon didn't go for them as much as I thought he would. Can he still eat them or would they be too large. He is a male veiled 1 yr. old in February. The worms are almost or are full grown. What can I do with them if he can't eat them?
Thanks
 
My guess is that very large hornworms are too big. Hornworms get huge fast and could be a choking hazard.
 
If he wasn't interested in the hornworms, odds are he will love them as moths. Google how to raise them into moths but it is surprisingly easy and most adult chameleons just trip over themselves to eat the moths.

I let my worms get full grown and then I put them in a tupperware with moist soil. After about 2-3 days they will change into what will look like a hard cocoon, and will stay there for about 2-3 weeks. Afterwards they will emerge as moths, which you can feed off before they stretch out their wings. I have 5 waiting to emerge right now, I know my Meller's will love them.
 
Thanks for the info. I tried looking it up, but didn't really find much info. What kind of soil do you use? Would coconut coir be okay? How deep does it have to be? Can I keep the container in the bottom of the chams cage?
 
Thank you for the link. Very informative and easy to follow. Now, I don't really want to raise hornworms. So, can I put the moths in the chams cage and let him eat them as he pleases until they are gone or dead?
 
You might be able to try that. the only thing I can think of that might be an issue is the light cycle. The pupae go in to diapause on short day cycles of 12 hours or less. I know from experience. However; if the worms are kept on a long day cycle of 14+ hours a day until they pupate, you might be able to get away with the pupae on a 12 hour cycle in the chameleon cage. It will take 3-4 weeks for the moths to hatch. And I assume that the chameleon cage has enough misting going on to keep the soil the pupae are in moist.
 
I mean, I would grow them as described in your instruction link. But, once they turned into moths, can I then just put them in with the Cham to eat. I don't really want eggs. If they were to lay some before eaten, then I will collect them. Otherwise, I would let them live in the chams cage until they die or get eaten.
 
I will try that then. Thanks. Hopefully I can get the worms to do their thing. They are quite pretty and kinda cute. I would hate to just throw them away or kill them.:D
 
If my hubby figures out I'm going to try and raise these worms into moths, well, that might just put him over the edge:eek: Thankfully men don't pay close attention most of the time:D
 
Barb said:
If my hubby figures out I'm going to try and raise these worms into moths, well, that might just put him over the edge:eek: Thankfully men don't pay close attention most of the time:D
Click to expand...

LOL no kidding. Its bad enough I have 2 chameleons, breed horn worms, silk worms and roaches.....but now I am working on a frog vivarium. I also have a mini frig dedicated to our worms and food etc. The frig used to be for beer while we are gaming. But it was taken over. hahahah
 
pigglett79 said:
I also have a mini frig dedicated to our worms and food etc. The frig used to be for beer while we are gaming. But it was taken over.
Click to expand...

Lol LOVE this and sadly have actually thought about this conversion too. or maybe just get another fridge!
 
Ab093 said:
Haha yeah I think thats whats coming for me. 2 very important things...
Click to expand...

One reason that this is actually a good idea is that many feeders don't want to go below 50 degrees and you can set a mini frig to the warmer setting and maintain that.....and the second frig is nice and cold for the beers leaving you with minimal game interruptions.
 
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