hornworms

[skinind1522]

I just got my hornworm pod in today and i was wondering if there is anything i need to do in order to feed them to my cham. also i was wondering what temps i need to keep them at and if they like sunlight or what? i am new to feeding them, so i do not know too much about them.

 

[chameleon97]

all i can say is feed them a variety of veggies and keep them warm.
i too am a hornworm noob

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Your pod hopefully came with chow in it...that is all they need for food. I always make sure I dump out their feces daily to help keep the container clean. Also, the warmer you keepthem the faster they will grow. They will grow FAST...up to 3 times their size a day if kept very warm. Good luck, all of ours LOVE them!

Lisa

 

[Rocky]

Your pod hopefully came with chow in it...that is all they need for food. I always make sure I dump out their feces daily to help keep the container clean. Also, the warmer you keepthem the faster they will grow. They will grow FAST...up to 3 times their size a day if kept very warm. Good luck, all of ours LOVE them!

Lisa

woah are you serious? 3 times their size, is that every day?

what temps do you keep them? also, does that make them pupate faster? if so what temps are recomended to keep them at a healthy temp but not make them pupate to fasat.

 

[summoner12]

I just got my hornworm pod in today and i was wondering if there is anything i need to do in order to feed them to my cham. also i was wondering what temps i need to keep them at and if they like sunlight or what? i am new to feeding them, so i do not know too much about them.

There isn't much to do when your feeding them off. If the worms have been feeding on the chow in the cup only, just feed off one at a time. As far as temps go, this depends on how fast you want them to grow. If you want to keep them close to the same size they are now, at purchase, keep them cool. If you want nice HUGE fat worms keep them warmer. In the summer time I could take a cup of smalls and have them full grown in about a week when kept around 85-90*. I have been keeping some smaller ones in my incubator around 82*, they grew a little faster than the cup I had at room temp 67-73*. You should not keep them in the sun or they might over heat. they don't mind light, they live in the wild under the sun feeding on tomato plants and other things.

A warning though. Do NOT feed one to your cham and walk away. Hornworms are aggressive worms with pinchers that can hurt your cham. Make sure to feed the appropriate size worm to your cham.

Here is a pic of Lenny, one of my Melleri having a worm grab hold of his lip. He wasn't harmed by the worm... but until it let go lenny couldn't get it down the hatch. I tried to help Lenny once but when he felt my finger on his lip he bit down....... it wasn't in aggression so it just felt like a reallllllyyyy good pinch.

You can see the worms rear feet are holding onto his lower left lip. It just took him a couple of minutes to pry it loose with his tongue.

 

[skinind1522]

i just wanted to say thank you for the help also one more question its probably dumb. but why to they put the food for the worms on top is it to keep it clean or is that the way the worms feed

 

[ciafardo 4]

to keep the chow from bein contaminated by their feces

 

[summoner12]

i just wanted to say thank you for the help also one more question its probably dumb. but why to they put the food for the worms on top is it to keep it clean or is that the way the worms feed

To keep the food clean is one part of it... remove the lid and dump the frass. I've heard they prefer to eat in that orientation as well.

 

[nick barta]

The cup is placed with the lid down, and the food up. Be sure to not place it on a flat surface or the hornworms will get no air. Iput mine on wire shelves, or you can put pencils between the lid and the counter. let some pupate and you will hatch BIG moths!

CHEERS!!!

Nick Barta

 

[summoner12]

The cup is placed with the lid down, and the food up. Be sure to not place it on a flat surface or the hornworms will get no air. Iput mine on wire shelves, or you can put pencils between the lid and the counter. let some pupate and you will hatch BIG moths!

CHEERS!!!

Nick Barta

Pen or pencil is a great tip, I used this method at first. I then started keeping cups that I was ready to feed off on top of my Dubia cage it has screen cover. There is plenty of air for them that way.

 

[blackbetty]

OKay.. So I was told I should have gotten 18. 10 arrives, 3 dead. Since then I have lost 3 more. They are turning a dark color and going limp. NOt sure why. Was I supposed to keep the airholes on the bottom? I just assumed it was shipped this way for easier packing even though the lid was opened upon arrival. I thought if I just left in there, everything would be cool. The food has hardened.These things dont come with instructions. LOL.

 

[Shaner]

I would call where you got them and complain or ask for a refund or to resend you some. I would not be happy if I was supposed to get 18 and 10 were alive and 3 more just died.

 

[blackbetty]

He said he would include some extras in the next shipment. I didn tknow I was to get 18.. I thought it was $10 for 10 until he told me there shoulda been 18. I didnt look at the description,Just assumed 10 arrives, 3 dead, and now 3 more.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Zeke,

As has been mentioned, temperature seems to do a pretty good job at regulating hornworm growth. I have one of those little refrigerators set at about 45F and I usually put the hornworms in there overnight or maybe even 24hrs at a time. I haven't tried multiple days in a row of refrigeration but it might be safe too. I then give them a day to warm-up and eat and then back into the frig. With this method, I've been able to get a cup of medium-sized worms to last 3-4 weeks while also feeding them off to my chameleons. Without refrigeration mediums would have been huge and ready to pupate in a week or two. Using this method, I like hornworms a lot more than I used to and it is almost mandatory if you have smaller species that can't handle the big worms .

 

[Ricardo]

Hi there!

Where do u get your worms from?

 

[jukeboxpunk]

question

My cham is 5 months old. What size horn worm should I buy?

 

[summoner12]

My cham is 5 months old. What size horn worm should I buy?

if you don't need them right away I would buy smalls now and feed them off as they grow

 

[blackbetty]

I got mine from georgiabugs.com per recommendation. Save is really nice and easy going..In fact I THOUGHT i saw him as a member on here? But yea, Im down to 2 and I just got them on Wednesday.

 

[nick barta]

If the hornworms sit in their feces (cup with lid up) they will die. If they are not big and getting black, it sounds like a low temperature, possibly during shipping. If they are big (4 inches)and getting black, they may be going to pupate. Dave is a good vendor, and I'd let him add what you have lost to your next order. Hornworms only eat Mullbery leaves or the Chow in the cup.

CHEERS!!!

Nick Barta

 

[blackbetty]

If the hornworms sit in their feces (cup with lid up) they will die. If they are not big and getting black, it sounds like a low temperature, possibly during shipping. If they are big (4 inches)and getting black, they may be going to pupate. Dave is a good vendor, and I'd let him add what you have lost to your next order. Hornworms only eat Mullbery leaves or the Chow in the cup.

CHEERS!!!

Nick Barta

the cup came with the lid down but it was opened and there were hornworms everywhere. I only received 10, 7 alive. 3 were squished.. then I lost 2 more found under the chow block and another today just curled up, like deflated and dark.. My first time with these... So yea, Betty got one yesterday, one today and Leo got one today..and I got 2 left for otmorrow.. I didnt know about the feces thing..Ill be better prepared next time and know to leave the cup upside down. Thanks guys and Yea, Im going back to Dave for more so no worries. He's very helpful and cooperative. Like I said, I thought I was supposed to get 10 as thats how many arrived..didnt know any different until he told me that I shoulda gotten 18.. so very honest.. I respect that.