Silkworms

[ThisNewCham]

Hey guys
So searching through the forums, the only thing I consistantly find about silkworms are that they are good for dehydrated chams. I feed my veiled cham (Male) crickets and silk worms, and I'm just wondering what makes silkworms good, and what do they offer?

My cham loves the silkies, 10 seconds and they're gone!

 

[Tygerr]

If you read these articles, The Fire of Life and A Bug's Nutrition, you'll get a better sense of what all the various types of feeder insects have to offer, and how their nutritional content differs in relation to one another.

The main reason silkworms are recommended is because they have a very high water content (probably because their diet consists purely of water-rich mulberry leaves). Silkworms have a relatively low fat content, and decent protein content. They also have a good calcium to phosphorous ratio.

They're certainly a good staple feeder, but just like any feeder (even the good staples), they should not be used exclusively. Lots of silkworms can cause runny urates/feces. You also need to provide feeders that offer a bit more 'roughage', like crickets or roaches. And since silkworms only eat mulberry leaves or chow, if you want to provide other nutrients to your cham via gutloading you'll need to use other insects to do so.

 

[ThisNewCham]

Thanks Ty!

He only gets at most 1 silk a day right now, as they are $1 each where I get them. His urates have become a bit more liquidy, but he still gets 8 crickets a day as well.

 

[lbesok]

Thanks Ty!

He only gets at most 1 silk a day right now, as they are $1 each where I get them. His urates have become a bit more liquidy, but he still gets 8 crickets a day as well.

$1 each sounds like too much ;(. Then again IDK what the market is like in Canada. We get 100 here for $8.

 

[JoshCrane1]

wow for that price i would start breeding them and selling them yourself.lol

 

[Tygerr]

I agree with that. Rather try breed your own. They're actually not that difficult to breed - you'l be surprised at how many eggs you end up with.

Read these links:
- http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=56
- http://www.wormspit.com/domestic.htm
- https://www.chameleonforums.com/silkworms-101-a-7906/

 

[ThisNewCham]

Geez, I'll probably start breeding!!

Thanks guys, very helpful!

...and yes, $1 each is really expensive!