I just ordered 250 butterworms!How do I breed them??

[reptileguy112]

Hey, I am trying butterworms for my cham.I ordered 250 online for $10.99.Is that a good deal?Should I feed her about four a day? 2 in morning and 2 and about 4pm?How do I breed them?I know they turn into chilean moths and that it is hard to breed them

 

[reptileguy112]

Crap, I just totally had a brain fart....I ordered wax worms.

 

[nick barta]

Left at room temperature wax worms will pupate and hatch into moths.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[jamjam]

thought waxworms werent great for chameleons and should be very limited

 

[vgaines]

I have never been able to keep a cup of 25 alive for very long. 250 is a lot of wax worms. From what I understand waxworms should only be used as a treat because they are really high in fat. I'm not sure about the nutritional value of the moths tho. Good luck and keep us updated on how things go.

Virginia

 

[laurie]

Be happy it is wax worms. Butter worms are sterilized before they get is this country. They are classed as a major pest.

 

[vgaines]

Be happy it is wax worms. Butter worms are sterilized before they get is this country. They are classed as a major pest.

Plus Butter worms smell funny...lol It might just be me but its hard to get that weird smell off of your hands even after you wash them...

 

[absolutbill]

You can put the wax worms into a tupperware container with bedding (oatmeal works nicely, with some honey mixed into it), and a top with the plastic cut out and screen glued in for ventilation. Also, wad up some balls of wax paper and put inside the container. The waxworms will pupate and then turn into moths which you can use as feeders. I don't think the nutritional value is great, but they burn up quite a bit of fat turning from worms to moths, and flying prey is always a nice change for your chams. The wax worms are good as a treat, very sparingly, maybe to get them used to hand feeding, or as a reward for climbing onto your hand.

 

[reptileguy112]

They are from a breeder on ebay so even if they were butterworms I dont think they would be radiated anyways.Can I feed like one or two a day in combo with crickets?

 

[Carlton]

thought waxworms werent great for chameleons and should be very limited

They form part of a varied diet. They are fatty so shouldn't be the primary feeder, but they are not bad overall. Sometimes they get picky bored eaters going again.

 

[pigglett79]

They are from a breeder on ebay so even if they were butterworms I dont think they would be radiated anyways.Can I feed like one or two a day in combo with crickets?

All butter worms are imported from Chile and radiated on their way out. Those who sell them are whole selling not breeding them.

Feeding wax worms occasionally is fine. 2 a day could be too much if given over a long period of time.

 

[reptileguy112]

I only feed one every couple days

 

[kinyonga]

When waxworms hatch they are tiny and it's difficult to keep them in a container in such a way that the humidity won't build up and kill them. Only good thing about that is that if they escape from the container they won't likely infest your house because they usually just dry out and die.