Which worms need gutloaded?

[ChamChick]

I have silkies, butter worms, and horned worms. I fed some out today (it was great), but I can't help but wonder if I should be doing something to up their nutritional value. I know the butter worms are wonderful feeders just by themselves, so do they even need gutloaded? How about the others?

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Hoj]

silk worms usually have a food with them when i get them its like dry dog food moisted im not sure if thats what it is or not. the butterworms i just keep in the fridge and they are pretty much dormant there and dont require anything, and last like a month too. ive never had or used hornworms sorry.

 

[Echoezra]

Silkworms naturally are inclined to only eat fresh mulberry leaves, and it's hard to convince them to eat anything else after they've started, so they're usually raised and sold with a special green "chow" (I'm assuming is made with some sort of dried mulberry leaves, but I have no idea)
Hornworms come with a different chow, I think there are tobacco hormworms or tomato hornworms, either way I think both those leaves make for toxic feeders, hence the chow instead. But same idea, special hormworm chow.
The butterworms, I don't think there's anything, I think they're just imported the way they are, I'm not sure anyone here "raises" them, I don't even know if you can, maybe the adult bug form is a pest threat here?? Just a guess.
Anyways, seems to me I've seen mentioned on the forum before maybe shredded carrots or lettuce of some kind as a way to tide a silkworm over?? but that could be wrong.
I think the standard is to just gutload them with their appropriate chow. Since their whole lives are just eat & poop, they're pretty gutLOADED anyways, if food has been available to them.

 

[carol5208]

hornworms eat a special chow also. The only worms I know of gutloading are the superworms and they eat pretty much all the fresh fruits and veggies just like the crickets.

 

[ghettomike]

I'm not sure if this link will work as I'm doing this from my cell phone but if not look up the thread Gutloading worms that was started by javsto. Sandra chameleon explains what to gutload different worms with, I learned alot about gutloading worms from her replies on this thread.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I have silkies, butter worms, and horned worms. I fed some out today (it was great), but I can't help but wonder if I should be doing something to up their nutritional value. I know the butter worms are wonderful feeders just by themselves, so do they even need gutloaded? How about the others?

Thanks in advance guys.

YES absolutely you should gutload all feeders, including those mentioned above. Silkworms will eat/can be gutloaded with grape leaves, dandelion leaves, mulberry leaves, thin shaved carrot, sweet red pepper. Butterworms will eat soft (steamed) butternut squash (they will eat some other stuff, but this is the best gutload choice). Hornworms will eat leafy greens, sweet red pepper fruit and more
see:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...just-crickets-roaches-gutload-your-larva.html