Raising Silkworm eggs and sustaining a constant supply

[Kaianuanu]

I am wondering about trying to create steady supply of silkworms for a single 3-4 month old panther. I'm wanting to do this from purchased eggs and artificial food. So I'm wondering:

-how much will it cost me (per month or week) to create a steady supply silkworms sized for a 3-4 month old male panther? What about for an adult male panther?

-How big of a silkworm would a chameleon this age eat, and how long does it take to grow them to this size from an egg? How long to grow them to nearly full grown for a full grown panther?

-How many broods would I have to have growing at a time to have a steady supply, both for him at this age and when full grown?

-What quantities of silkworm food and eggs would I be buying monthly for a panter of this age, what about about for him as an adult?

 

[nightanole]

Hear is your problem.
If (and i say if) you get the eggs friged to your door you can keep them unactivated for years, and just take them out as needed. If you just buy silk eggs then they will hatch in 2 weeks (all 200 of them) and you can not refrigerate.

Once out they can take from 2 weeks to 3 months to hatch.
Once hatched you can have a full grown worm in 3 weeks, maybe less with unlimited food and high heat.

a 3-4 month old can eat a half grown 2week ish worm. I kept my 3/4" worms at 70f with 1 day a week at 80 to slow them down. at that growth rate you can feed them to the 4 month old from week 2 to week 4.

My record for keeping silks alive was 2 months before cocooning.

As for food. If you buy the powdered, its about a buck per full grown worm if you only buy 1-2 pounds shipped.

 

[SMCNARY]

I am wondering about trying to create steady supply of silkworms for a single 3-4 month old panther. I'm wanting to do this from purchased eggs and artificial food. So I'm wondering:

-how much will it cost me (per month or week) to create a steady supply silkworms sized for a 3-4 month old male panther? What about for an adult male panther?

-How big of a silkworm would a chameleon this age eat, and how long does it take to grow them to this size from an egg? How long to grow them to nearly full grown for a full grown panther?

-How many broods would I have to have growing at a time to have a steady supply, both for him at this age and when full grown?

-What quantities of silkworm food and eggs would I be buying monthly for a panter of this age, what about about for him as an adult?[/QUOT
I suggest you look at pigglett79 page and read her silkworm care and breeding giude,I also think you should start out with about 100 small silks to see if you can keep them alive before you dive in!!! It can be costly and difficult to do until you have some practice and even then things happen. Several of us have recently lost entire batches of silks due to a virus ( I lost 400 plus in 3 days ) hope this helps

 

[Kate]

If I were you I would buy a small amount of small worms between 15-20. A small amount of powdered chow and check if your Cham likes them! I had around 300 hatch at the same time and my babies wouldn't touch them. My big boy will eat between 3-5 of the big ones. Believe me it's not the cost so much as the work involved. I had to take them to work when they hatched to feed them twice a day. I work 12 hr shifts!

 

[freakythechameleon]

If I were you I would buy a small amount of small worms between 15-20. A small amount of powdered chow and check if your Cham likes them! I had around 300 hatch at the same time and my babies wouldn't touch them. My big boy will eat between 3-5 of the big ones. Believe me it's not the cost so much as the work involved. I had to take them to work when they hatched to feed them twice a day. I work 12 hr shifts!

It's sooo true. I have been raising silk worms and they are little eating and pooping machines that require attention. But watching my cham eat a nice, juicy, nutritious silkworm makes it all worth it.

 

[Kate]

It's sooo true. I have been raising silk worms and they are little eating and pooping machines that require attention. But watching my cham eat a nice, juicy, nutritious silkworm makes it all worth it.

I would have given Popeye a stern talking to if he had refused this lot Lol. But the babies just look at them. I am going to keep a few cocoons and hope for eggs, but just not so many!