silkworm info please!

[amanda509]

so im thinking of getting into silkworms, but im a little hesitant because they constantly need to eat that mulberry stuff. i dont wanna be ordering chow every week or so...and the mulberry trees in my area have dropped all their leaves already. i also dont know how to make the setup so they dont drown in their own poo, i saw someone had made some sort of lifted screen in their enclosure so the poo falls down...how can i make one? about how long from hatching till they turn to moths? do the eggs have to be put in the fridge, or on petri dishes? if so, how long? soo many questions! educate me

 

[mcbdz]

I fixing to get my first batch but, not going to attempt really raising until spring. Here are a few link.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/silkworm-best-practices-chow-95738/
also utube has several video's on their care and raising that may help.

 

[Lathelia]

I got my first silkworms couple of weeks ago, so I don't know much yet
I think it takes somewhere between 1-2month for them to start spinning cocoons, and then another 2 weeks to become a moth.
I don't feed them leaves, but chow. I believe that's much easier, cause you feed them only once per day.
They require more work then other feeders, but are very healthy and chams go crazy for them. So if you have the time, I would say go for it!http://www.silkwormstore.co.uk/guide-to-raising-silkworms.html

 

[Miss Lily]

I created false floors in the bottom of cricket tubs (thoroughly washed and dried first). I bought some plastic canvas from a craft shop and cut it into sizes that will wedge across inside of the tub creating a false floor. The 'count' of the plastic canvas means how may holes per inch - 10hpi means 10 holes and 18hpi means 18, and so on. The smaller the number, the larger the holes. I use small holes to start with and move them up to a bigger sized canvas once the poop no longer falls through it. Here's a pic so you can see what I've done:

 

[Nrupaw]

so im thinking of getting into silkworms, but im a little hesitant because they constantly need to eat that mulberry stuff. i dont wanna be ordering show every week or so...and the mulberry trees in my area have dropped all their leaves already. i also dont know how to make the setup so they dont drown in their own poo, i saw someone had made some sort of lifted screen in their enclosure so the poo falls down...how can i make one? about how long from hatching till they turn to moths? do the eggs have to be put in the fridge, or on petri dishes? if so, how long? soo many questions! educate me

I made a short blog about how I keep my silkworms. Now i don't breed them so can't tell you much about moth stage.

My setup is like like Miss Lily's

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/nrupaw/716-silkworm-enclosure.html


p.s. if you get silkworms, try to feed them off to your Cham fast. they have no immune system so after a couple weeks, mine seem to die off fast. I'd rather loose them to my Chameleon than to infection or something
Good Luck!

 

[Miss Lily]

The key to keeping them alive is to touch them as little as possible and keep them clean! I have separate tweezers that I use for my silkworms and I sterilise them with boiling water after each tub. I also use cocktail sticks/toothpicks when they are really tiny and just dispose of each one after use.

 

[sandrachameleon]

so im thinking of getting into silkworms, but im a little hesitant because they constantly need to eat that mulberry stuff. i dont wanna be ordering chow every week or so...and the mulberry trees in my area have dropped all their leaves already.

In addition to the chow, they will also eat other things - dandelion leaves, grape vine leaves, thin shaved carrot, etc. But its best if they eat 50% mulberry based food. So buy the chow powder, and make up only as much as you need each week or so. I just put some in a bowl, add in boiling water (I make tea daily, so Im boiling water anyways) and stir. Takes only a couple of minutes.


Here are some links to some useful silkworm info:

SilkWorms 101
http://www.chameleonnews.com/05FebCaruthers.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/what-...05/#post241334
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juLU3...e=channel_page
https://www.chameleonforums.com/those...kworkms-31456/
http://www.wormspit.com/bombyxsilkworms.htm
​

 

[nimmitz]

Does it need to be plastic netting or is it okay to use metal too?

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[Kate]

Does it need to be plastic netting or is it okay to use metal too?

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I use the plastic that comes with worms. They are very fragile and soft bodied. I would be afraid metal would damage them.

 

[Kate]

so im thinking of getting into silkworms, but im a little hesitant because they constantly need to eat that mulberry stuff. i dont wanna be ordering chow every week or so...and the mulberry trees in my area have dropped all their leaves already. i also dont know how to make the setup so they dont drown in their own poo, i saw someone had made some sort of lifted screen in their enclosure so the poo falls down...how can i make one? about how long from hatching till they turn to moths? do the eggs have to be put in the fridge, or on petri dishes? if so, how long? soo many questions! educate me

They won't drown in their poo, it quite dry and it falls through the mesh as above. It is quite fascinating watching them change. I bought med ones and Popeye went off them and I was left with about 14 of them. They grew quite large. They then started to spin silk and I put an empty cardboard toilet roll holder in the box. A few of them went inside and changed into cocoons. Several weeks later they hatched into moths. All they want to do is mate. I put paper towel in an empty cricket box with moths. I now have in excess of 700 eggs which are in a Rubbermaid box in the bottom of fridge waiting to decide what to do with them.

 

[nimmitz]

You can always mail them to me

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[Kate]

You can always mail them to me

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Wish I could.LOL