My chams love the moths too. Not as nutritious as the worms, ut worth it for variety and cham happiness.



Healthier larva make for better chances of moths. Keep the larva happy, clean, and well fed.



Larva make cocoons when they're about a month old. Make sure they have something to attach to, like twigs or a carboard egg carton or toilet paper tubes (which you can slice into four or five rings). And the box or whatever you keep them in is kept clean. The less you move the cocoon, the more likley the moth will live. Keep them at around 22-25C and out of direct sun; dont disturb them.



Moths emerge from their cocoons after about two to three weeks.



As moths, they do not eat or drink (no usefull mouth parts on domesticated silk moths, though wild ancestors sipped nectar from flowers) or fly (domestication has bred them so they're no longer able to lift their weight). They will usually mate, lay eggs and die within a week.



Fertile eggs turn from yellow to gray in a week or so. Infertile ones usually white. If the eggs don't hatch within 3 weeks, they probably will not hatch without help until the following year. A few days of colder temperatures will help trigger their hatching.



-----
Sandra

BC Canada

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• silk moths,how?? - jonnyblaze, Sat Jul 28 20:27:27 2007
• Easy to get moths - sandrachameleon, Sun Jul 29 20:42:49 2007