silk worms

[yahyah]

I have a question about feeding my approx 6month old veiled silk worms. So far he has eatin crickets, mealworms, wax worms, and super worms. I want to give silk worms a try, and think it wll be fun for my daughter as well. but the question is can he eat them once they turn into moths?

 

[icegecko]

Absolutely. My Panther loves silkworm moths. There are only two downsides to feeding off the moths: 1) They are very cute 2) They hold no nutritional value.

They make for a fun snack for your cham as they beat their wings rapidly and move around alot, but cannot fly (perect for you and your cham). The silkworms are one of the best staple feeders out there, but the moths do not eat so lack the same level of nutrition. Have fun and make sure you keep everything sterile! Silkworms have no immune system and if bacteria gets in you will have one nasty mess.

 

[yahyah]

Thanks! So its best to stick wththe worms and use the moths for egg laying or the occational fun treat?

 

[carol5208]

sure, my cham loves them too!!! He never passes up a silk moth.

 

[icegecko]

YahYah, that's a good plan. Some silkworm egg batches take longer to hatch out- I do not know the specifics of that unfortunately. Silkworms should definitely became one of your staple foods. I see you are feeding wax worms- these should be occasional treats as they are very high in fat. Use silks as a staple instead. They are healthier than mealworms/superworms as well.

All in all, you can't go wrong with silkworms! Get them small as they grow fast and give them a constant supply of mulberry leaves or silkworm chow. You can switch silks raised on chow to leaves, but not leaves to chow. Just something to keep in mind...

 

[Silkyslim]

Another thing to thing on is that Silkies have no immune system so maintaining a sterile habitat for them is vital. Which I really suck at, so I just buy the self contained habitat cups and it works well for me for the most part, I still lose some but have a better success rate than buying in bulk. I guess that means I'm dirty?

Anyways whats with the lack of big silkies for sale around here? Anyone know where I can score some fatties? Samson been eating these smaller ones 2-3 at a time and it's not very cost effective.

 

[armyrec1]

Silkworms are awesome, and they are extremely easy to hatch from eggs. Keep them properly fed as little worms, and you will not believe how fast they grow!!

 

[yahyah]

Thanks everyone. I ordered mine yesterday. As for the Wax worms, the reptile store i went to a few weeks ago told me the same so I stopped the wax and have been sticking to crickets, meal worms and super worms, which is why I wanted to add the silks.

 

[bechsgaard]

I would say, put 2 moths in her cage once a week half an hour before you feed. They do not have much nutrition, but the chameleons get good exersize trying to catch them. Horn worm moths are the best if you want to give them exersize though. for adult males i would say hornworm moths. Silkworm moths for adult females or any chameleon 6 months or older