Silkworms Care

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Unless you have more reptiles to feed em of to I wouldn't get more than say 100 ... U know... Because if your cham doesn't want to eat em a lot you'll have my 'problem' and chow is not cheap.

I have 2 veilds, I'll probably feed them until they get too big and pupate the remainder. And already developed an overpopulation issue with Dubias, waxworms and mealworms. And that's so just so far! I am up to 16 hawkmoths and a ton of tiny itty-bitty hornworms. I just recently got my superworms into beetles, but I pupated 100 figuring to lose quite a few. Of course not a single casualty, so I will have way too many of them soon too! I wish I could collect chameleons like I collect bugs.

 

[Remkon]

I have 2 veilds, I'll probably feed them until they get too big and pupate the remainder. And already developed an overpopulation issue with Dubias, waxworms and mealworms. And that's so just so far! I am up to 16 hawkmoths and a ton of tiny itty-bitty hornworms. I just recently got my superworms into beetles, but I pupated 100 figuring to lose quite a few. Of course not a single casualty, so I will have way too many of them soon too! I wish I could collect chameleons like I collect bugs.

Yea bugs are easy...
Problem with dubia is that my chams don't really like em all that much while my colony keeps growing.
Silkworms the same, chams only want 1 every once in a while but silkies don't care, they grow anyways.

I'm hoping my superworms will pupate soon, I separated 12 to get into beetle, the rest I will leave together and feed off, I bought 1 kilo so I have plenty to go around.
I also have waxworms/moths but did not see a lot of mating there like you would with silkies...
and a species of fruit beetle that are all still larvae.
Crickets I just keep amd don't breed em.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Yea bugs are easy...
Problem with dubia is that my chams don't really like em all that much while my colony keeps growing.
Silkworms the same, chams only want 1 every once in a while but silkies don't care, they grow anyways.

I'm hoping my superworms will pupate soon, I separated 12 to get into beetle, the rest I will leave together and feed off, I bought 1 kilo so I have plenty to go around.
I also have waxworms/moths but did not see a lot of mating there like you would with silkies...
and a species of fruit beetle that are all still larvae.
Crickets I just keep amd don't breed em.

The waxmoth breeding isn't as obvious as the bigger moths. If you see spots on or in the enclosure, they've mated. They don't eat so it's not poop, it's all eggs.
It took a solid month for my superworms to finish pupating into the beetles.
I hate crickets! I have colonized them before and wished I hadn't. I fed off the whole lot. My guys don't love Dubia, but they tolerate them. They certainly aren't eating them as fast as new nymphs are appearing.

 

[Remkon]

small update...

The ones I bought as egg and didn't end up as food have cocooned, only like 5 died and I ended up with around 150 cocoons. 85 moths have already emerged and started mating. Some already came to the end of their short lives.

This is how I had it few days ago:

The egg production, this is a layer of like 0.5cm thick:

 

[Remkon]

today the final stage of my silkworm project, hatching my own eggs. I am full circle now!

 

[Twitchet]

Haha, I was going to say in my last pm you should add that photo, and ta da!
so beautiful and amazing work, full circle is something to be proud of!

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

thank you so much for making this thread! I didn't catch this when it first appeared, so i'm glad i saw it now! I'm wanting to start raising silks for my future cham so thank you for the tips!

 

[Remkon]

you're welcome, I did write it hoping it would help others.

 

[Peachypink]

Nice!

 

[Sloppysponge]

you're welcome, I did write it hoping it would help others.

Oh has it ever!!!!!

 

[Replife]

today the final stage of my silkworm project, hatching my own eggs. I am full circle now!

Congratulations remkon

 

[Remkon]

Oh has it ever!!!!!

No clue.

Congratulations remkon

Thanks!

It was a 3.5 month wait so im happy.

 

[Spyro]

today the final stage of my silkworm project, hatching my own eggs. I am full circle now!

How did you know that they were hatching?
Did you check on them in the fridge every now and then over the 3 months or did you take them out of the fridge after some time being in the fridge?

 

[Remkon]

How did you know that they were hatching?
Did you check on them in the fridge every now and then over the 3 months or did you take them out of the fridge after some time being in the fridge?

after 2 to 3 months in the fridge take em out and then it will take around 2weeks for them to start hatching so I just take a peek every day.

 

[timw1]

Thanks for the great write up!

 

[Remkon]

@timw1 Thanks!

Well here the status as of today:

Most of em have hatched now, I'm planning on putting small bits of chow next to the older pieces and I'll hope they move to the fresh piece themselves. I will leave the old bits in there unless it moulds.
This worked last time so why change.

When they are big enough to move I will start swapping out chow and clean.

@Twitchet , @Boxlady any luck so far on your end?
(I had and have to many eggs so I send a bunch to people that live 'close')

 

[Twitchet]

Hi Remkon, silkworm update, nothing yet but I've got the two batches out and checking in them everyday so fingers crossed. Thank you again!

 

[Remkon]

I'll keep my fingers crossed too... The second batch should hatch any day now if it survived the trip. (can't imagine why not)
Just keep em at room temperature and it should be ok.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Congratulations on the first batch of grand-worms!

 

[Mtnlaurel]

This is really great and super helpful to me. Waiting for my eggs to hatch any day now. Thanks!