Silkworms = PlayDoh Poop Machines!

[Miss Lily]

Well, I have about 10 silkworms that I believe are in the final instar - they are so long and fat that I have trouble getting my tweezers over their bloated bodies to move them! They eat and poop such a lot!! I don't remember my previous silkies ever getting this big before pupating! These remind me of the PlayDoh machines that my kids had when they were little - you put the PlayDoh (chow in this case) in one end, pump the handle and out comes the PlayDoh (poop) in a different shape at the other end, lol! I hope they pupate soon as I have had to make up yet more chow this evening! I have also had to separate them into tubs of only 4 or 5 as they are so huge! I think the biggest ones are actually bigger than Monty and probably weigh more than him too!!

 

[laurie]

Tiff do you have crosses? I don't know what you can cross a silkworm with but regular worms are not that big. But maybe you grow them bigger in the UK. Don't let those near Monty they will scare him to death.
Now we can call you the "dough queen"

 

[Miss Lily]

I have no idea Laurie! These are from those eggs taht all hatched at once on 16th December! They are still growing and are about as long as my index finger and as thick as my pinkie finger! I haven't seen any this big before! I doubt even Tommy would have been able to eat them! If I am not online tomorrow then you will know that they have escaped from their tubs and eaten me in I sleep!

 

[shaunaroxanne]

Mine get really big like that too, their skin gets shiny like it is about to burst. Then they shrink before cocooning. I have like 15 cocoons now, and way more silkworms than I need! And my panther can eat those huge ones, no problem. A bunch of juice squirts out as soon as they get bitten, so I think they deflate a lot. Even my much smaller female can eat the giant ones.

 

[laurie]

Tiff there will be no using the "I was eaten by silkworms" as a reason for me not to stop and see you. Both Amy and Monty want to meet me.

 

[Whatcamo]

Mine got about another half inch longer than this picture and were about the size of my thumb around
Here's what I did I elevated their temps using a heating pad on low and folded up towel on top of the heating pad between the container I had them in when I checked their temp before I web to bed it was a nice 90f the next morning about 90% of the worms in that container were cocooning !!
Now I have this problem and about 60 more will be ready tomorrow! Lol
Good luck!