Silkworm question

[Kostas]

I finally found where i can get silkworms locally and i bought some for my carpet, he seems to love it. I was wondering how often i can give it to him, so i dont spoil him and he only eats worms. He eats great everything i give it to him.
I have this question cuz i got 50 silkies and they grow fast and carpets aint that big lol, and i dont want him to choke on em.
Another question kinda offtopic who ever haves success with handfeeding can you give me couple tips how to do it, every time i even stick my hand inside the cage he just moves away from my hand no matter what, cuz he knows eventually ill just put the feeder on the branch or in the cup for him so he doesnt even try.
Thank you

 

[Cameron B]

If you're serious about silkworms and enjoy using them, they can be used almost as a staple. They are relatively healthy. That said, it would be a good idea to mix in some insects every few days with chitin.

For me, I usually purchase 200 or so silks at a time and use them as a staple. I'll mix in hornworms every now and again, and twice weekly I will give one superworm per day. You'll need smaller supers for something like a carpet if you went this route, or, you could just give a day or two a week with crickets and achieve the same.

To keep the size of the silkworms smaller, avoid getting a pod if you can. This contains a ton of food and will make the worms huge really quick. Instead, get just the worms, and place them in a rubbermaid with some food every other day. This will keep them from growing too large too fast. Coastalsilkworms.com sells a great little silkworm kit for everything you would need to keep them going.

Silks are great for hydration as well. You'll have a happy chameleon for sure if you can make it work!

 

[Kostas]

If you're serious about silkworms and enjoy using them, they can be used almost as a staple. They are relatively healthy. That said, it would be a good idea to mix in some insects every few days with chitin.

For me, I usually purchase 200 or so silks at a time and use them as a staple. I'll mix in hornworms every now and again, and twice weekly I will give one superworm per day. You'll need smaller supers for something like a carpet if you went this route, or, you could just give a day or two a week with crickets and achieve the same.

To keep the size of the silkworms smaller, avoid getting a pod if you can. This contains a ton of food and will make the worms huge really quick. Instead, get just the worms, and place them in a rubbermaid with some food every other day. This will keep them from growing too large too fast. Coastalsilkworms.com sells a great little silkworm kit for everything you would need to keep them going.

Silks are great for hydration as well. You'll have a happy chameleon for sure if you can make it work!

well silks that i found are rather expensive 50 for 12buks dunno or its regular price but i wanted to give him variety so price dont matter usually, unless im flat broke lol. i would eventually breed them and yeah i got a pod and within 2 days i found twice the size i bought lol. Now im kinda scared bout feeding large ones to him but i gave him one today and he does chew them down before swallowing.
And thank you for letting me know they can be used as staple cuz he seems to enjoy em way more then crickets, i do give him mealworms from time to time too, just so he doesnt get bored with same food all the time.

 

[Cameron B]

You can get 100 silks from Coastal for $10.98. Coastal is located in Jacksonville, so this should be very doable for you.

 

[Kostas]

You can get 100 silks from Coastal for $10.98. Coastal is located in Jacksonville, so this should be very doable for you.

Oh thats great didnt know where they were located lol. Thank you for heads up on that one.

 

[Kate]

Let a few of them get large, they will cocoon , moth and then lay eggs and you have gone full circle. You will need around 10 to make sure you have both sexes.