Hornworm question

[Anisa.corp]

so I have some horn worms and they are huge and for some reason they try and BITE me eventide I pick them up with tweezers and now I think one of them is turning into a moth what should I do? I obviously can't give them to my chameleon because they are biting right?

 

[Haley Hendrix]

You can give them to him or her just feed to out of your hand or cup feeding so they don’t have the chance to bite. You can also feed chameleon that moth they like flying bugs.

 

[Anisa.corp]

You can give them to him or her just feed to out of your hand or cup feeding so they don’t have the chance to bite. You can also feed chameleon that moth they like flying bugs.

But what should I do to even make the hornworm a moth?

 

[Mrjamwin]

But what should I do to even make the hornworm a moth?

Put it in a container with some fresh dirt and cover it and let it pupate. It may take over a month for that to happen and once the emerge as a moth. Feed it to your Cham.

 

[Beman]

If they are now that large I would not feed them at all. Chameleons can gag on feeders that are too large. Hornworms also get a thicker skin as they get to their larger size. So it makes it harder for a cham to squish them. ALSO if they bite you imagine how it would feel for him to be bitten. Due to this and their mandibles being so large as they get larger I do not recommend feeding off large ones. Risk of bite to the mouth and then mouth rot is higher.

 

[Anisa.corp]

If they are now that large I would not feed them at all. Chameleons can gag on feeders that are too large. Hornworms also get a thicker skin as they get to their larger size. So it makes it harder for a cham to squish them. ALSO if they bite you imagine how it would feel for him to be bitten. Due to this and their mandibles being so large as they get larger I do not recommend feeding off large ones. Risk of bite to the mouth and then mouth rot is higher.

If I were to hatch them into moths or whatever you would like to call it would it be ok for him the eat the moths or would they also be to big?

 

[Beman]

If I were to hatch them into moths or whatever you would like to call it would it be ok for him the eat the moths or would they also be to big?

Yep he can eat them. They are a larger moth but they are squishy lol If you post a pic of them we can tell you how close they are to needing something like coco fiber to dig into and pupate.

 

[Anisa.corp]

Yep he can eat them. They are a larger moth but they are squishy lol If you post a pic of them we can tell you how close they are to needing something like coco fiber to dig into and pupate.

They are kind of scary when they are this big lol

 

[Beman]

They are kind of scary when they are this big lol

Yeah so see the one on the right in that pic. It is ready to be put in with soil... And the other two are quite large now. They should be ready soon to move over to soil. I just use an extra critter keeper I have.

 

[Anisa.corp]

Yeah so see the one on the right in that pic. It is ready to be put in with soil... And the other two are quite large now. They should be ready soon to move over to soil. I just use an extra critter keeper I have.

What kind of soil could I like dig up some dirt from my yard or is it special soil

 

[Beman]

What kind of soil could I like dig up some dirt from my yard or is it special soil

I would not use stuff from the yard if you want to feed them off. The soil may carry mites or pests. I just use the loose coconut substrate... This is the one I get.
https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-eco-e...MInrK-6v-d6wIVCdbACh1jTwAxEAQYASABEgI2RPD_BwE

 

[bbyoda]

Yeah so see the one on the right in that pic. It is ready to be put in with soil... And the other two are quite large now. They should be ready soon to move over to soil. I just use an extra critter keeper I have.

This thread actually inspired me to try this today. Thanks, OP @Anisa.corp. My understanding is that they get paler, have a thin black line down their back, and move less. Does that sound right to you @Beman? It also seems they excrete something as a part of the initial pupation stages, which explains why the frass gets so gross and slimy once they're this big.

 

[Beman]

This thread actually inspired me to try this today. Thanks, OP @Anisa.corp. My understanding is that they get paler, have a thin black line down their back, and move less. Does that sound right to you @Beman? It also seems they excrete something as a part of the initial pupation stages, which explains why the frass gets so gross and slimy once they're this big.

I have only done it once. I am not sure about the black line. But looking at them like with the picture that the OP posted. You can clearly tell the one that is now not wanting to eat and is starting the pupating process. The get bloated looking and much less active.