Spoiled!

ohiohousewife

New Member
Rotten cham wont eat the hornworms I bought him. He gobbled up the last bunch, so I got 2 cups. now he is spoiled on supers, and wont touch these guys! guess I'm going to take a crack at breeding bc they are getting way too big to try to feed off...
 

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Thats a cool pic. Funny you say this, as I have had the exact same problem. I finally broke all my chams of the addiction to superworms and have them on a diverse diet. However, one Nosy be I have can never get superworms or he will stop eating everything else. I just starved them and gave them no food just water for several days and they eat again. This nosy be will not eat for an entire week then finally he will break down and eat 1 hornworm, then he starts eating again.
 
If your cham ate a full cup of horn worms, with the last ones being the size of the one in your picture, he doesn't need to eat for days! I think the tendency of most keepers is to overfeed. I purposely let my chams go without food for a few days sporadically to keep them willing to eat whats on their dinner plate.

Some tricks on the HW:

1) At about 60 degrees, they slow down growth.

2) One day in the refrigerator and 2-3 out will also slow them down. Don't refrigerate them past one day, or they may die, depending on your refrigerator temperature.

3) Great Lakes Horn Worm's food is better than others; It doesn't give the cham the dark staining fecals that other foods do.

4) Problem with breeding is, you can't keep the eggs dormant by putting them in the refrigerator, once they are fertilized and laid it is "Go Time!"

5) Haven't tried this one, and nutritional value is questionable, but others have fed them carrots when they run out of the HW chow. Maybe it slows the growth? Wouldn't recommend this from a nutritional standpoint.

6) You can hatch the moth and feed it off, pretty big though.

Cheers!!!:D

Nick
 
If your cham ate a full cup of horn worms, with the last ones being the size of the one in your picture, he doesn't need to eat for days! I think the tendency of most keepers is to overfeed. I purposely let my chams go without food for a few days sporadically to keep them willing to eat whats on their dinner plate.

Some tricks on the HW:

1) At about 60 degrees, they slow down growth.

2) One day in the refrigerator and 2-3 out will also slow them down. Don't refrigerate them past one day, or they may die, depending on your refrigerator temperature.

3) Great Lakes Horn Worm's food is better than others; It doesn't give the cham the dark staining fecals that other foods do.

4) Problem with breeding is, you can't keep the eggs dormant by putting them in the refrigerator, once they are fertilized and laid it is "Go Time!"

5) Haven't tried this one, and nutritional value is questionable, but others have fed them carrots when they run out of the HW chow. Maybe it slows the growth? Wouldn't recommend this from a nutritional standpoint.

6) You can hatch the moth and feed it off, pretty big though.

Cheers!!!:D

Nick

I have to agree w/ you and overfeeding. Also I use greatlakes hornworms and they are excellent quality. Contact rob at greatlakes he sells great hornworms.
 
Aww! The look on his face says it all, lol! 'Oh, Muuuuum, not hornworms AGAIN?!' :D 'You really think I'm gonna eat that thing? It's huuuuge!' :eek::D Hehe!
 
Aww! The look on his face says it all, lol! 'Oh, Muuuuum, not hornworms AGAIN?!' :D 'You really think I'm gonna eat that thing? It's huuuuge!' :eek::D Hehe!

He is completely disgusted with me at all times! I still love him. He accidentally ate one this morning bc the super he was shooting was too close to it. He looked at me with big green worm hanging out of his mouth despising my very existence!

Thanks for the advice, guys. I know I over feed him. He's 9 months old, and I havent stopped feeding him his baby amounts. He's slowed himself down quite a bit, so I need to take the cue. Cant believe I am stuck with 16 4" long hornworms...
 
He is completely disgusted with me at all times! I still love him. He accidentally ate one this morning bc the super he was shooting was too close to it. He looked at me with big green worm hanging out of his mouth despising my very existence!

Thanks for the advice, guys. I know I over feed him. He's 9 months old, and I havent stopped feeding him his baby amounts. He's slowed himself down quite a bit, so I need to take the cue. Cant believe I am stuck with 16 4" long hornworms...

Haha! I bet that was funny, the look he gave you! I can imagine, lol! Can they really eat 4" long hornworms? I would feel quite ill watching Amy if she ate one of those - just like watching a Bush-tucker trial! Ewww! Pukey!:D
 
Haha! I bet that was funny, the look he gave you! I can imagine, lol! Can they really eat 4" long hornworms? I would feel quite ill watching Amy if she ate one of those - just like watching a Bush-tucker trial! Ewww! Pukey!:D

I'm sure when your "little" Amy is all grown up she will love a once in a while treat like a 4" hornworm. :p

Harry
 
Haha! I bet that was funny, the look he gave you! I can imagine, lol! Can they really eat 4" long hornworms? I would feel quite ill watching Amy if she ate one of those - just like watching a Bush-tucker trial! Ewww! Pukey!:D

I'm not going to try to feed him the 4" ones. Poor guy hates me enough.




Anyone near Columbus Ohio want a couple of ridiculously big hornworms?
 
I'm sure when your "little" Amy is all grown up she will love a once in a while treat like a 4" hornworm. :p

Harry

We can't get hornworms over here in the UK - they are considered a pest, much like locusts are not avaiable in the US. We can get silkies though!:p
 
Though soft and squishy, the worms look a tad too big for your little lizard to tackle.
Perhaps you could contact your supplier and organise smaller worms? :)
 
They were smaller! then they got HUGE! last time I got an order, he was eating one or two every other day or so. this time, he wont touch them, so they are out of control. I still have 2 or 3 that are under 2". easy for him to handle. I dont even try them after they get bigger. and the buggers wander! we've found them in the laundry, two floors down... they are worse than the crickets! I have 2 ready to pupate. there is a guy locally who rescues reptiles. I'll take him some larvae (sounds so much better than babies)
 
those hornworms grow overnight!!!!! When you get them small Refrigerate them one day and take them out for 3 then repeat. That should slow them down. Otherwise, you get hornworms that are lilke snakes. Good luck
 
those hornworms grow overnight!!!!! When you get them small Refrigerate them one day and take them out for 3 then repeat. That should slow them down. Otherwise, you get hornworms that are lilke snakes. Good luck

good advice. thank you! and my kids will appreciate not being chased around by giant worms with mommy yelling "but look at them!!!" Gotta do soemthing with them... the 2 I put in cups to pupate like the website said have made a fast escape. evidently, they werent as ready as I had thought. They are probably in my ice hockey bag, and I'm going to find worms in my shin guards...
 
He's the best cham ever, Nic!

Now look what I have!!! pretty exciting. Thanks to The Manduca project for warning me that these guys will move. I picked them up with tongs, and sure enough, they thrash. That probably would have sent me straight to therapy!
 

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good advice. thank you! and my kids will appreciate not being chased around by giant worms with mommy yelling "but look at them!!!" Gotta do soemthing with them... the 2 I put in cups to pupate like the website said have made a fast escape. evidently, they werent as ready as I had thought. They are probably in my ice hockey bag, and I'm going to find worms in my shin guards...

oh, BTW, I did find pupa #1 in my hockey pants. I had pupa in my pants. would have been sad if it werent so funny!
 
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