Let there be silk moths!!

[ferretinmyshoes]

How the heck do you get them to spin in the first place?! I've had 5 huge silks with big pulsing veins in a tub with toilet paper roles and wadded up paper towels for the last 4 weeks and nothing! They're making me mad... Does it take that long? Is there something I'm missing? Is there something to trigger it?

 

[Whatcamo]

I noticed as soon as I bumped the temps of mine up to about 85-86 for a couple days they started spinning like crazy maybe that's it not really sure but if they are pulsing like crazy they should spin anytime try manually putting them in the paper towel rolls

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I shoved them in there so many times, they just sit in there and eat like couch potatoes. I raised the temps, they ate more but still didnt do anything. Turns out 3 died over night. Just noticed that when I went to feed them this morning. I have defective silks.

 

[Whatcamo]

Was there food in with them when they died? When they are at the last stage they need it 24/7

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Yeah I've been feeding them several times a day. When I see the food is gone I give them more. They keep eating it all but just sit there getting fat!

 

[shaunaroxanne]

Yeah I've been feeding them several times a day. When I see the food is gone I give them more. They keep eating it all but just sit there getting fat!

That happened to me at first as well. They can't run out of food at all at that stage, so give them more than they need, and they do much better when they are toasty warm. They will get smaller and a darker "yellowish" right before they spin.

 

[Whatcamo]

Yeah I've been feeding them several times a day. When I see the food is gone I give them more. They keep eating it all but just sit there getting fat!

What are you keeping them in? What's their temp?
Post a pick of them if you could

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

It's a short tupperware 7"x5" with a few paper towel rolls (one cut in half and re-taped so it's just small diameter) and some wadded up toilet paper under those. I clean out any frass daily and replace toilet paper if it's dirty. Temps are usually mid 70s, right now 79. I put a heating pad under the end on one side and they stayed far away from it.

 

[Whatcamo]

Huh weird I found they spun in the cavities of egg crate before they'd spin in the paper towel rolls so maybe they are thinking the rolls are cramping their style haha but who knows because I had and others have had success with the rolls so? Maybe they are defective i can always hook you up with some cocoons then you can at-least have some fun with some moths