Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Guys.

Is it better to feed beardies silkworms/butterworms as opposed to crickets.

Just that crickets stink to be honest and I'd rather feed summat that isn't going to jump out of the viv.

If I should, how many should be fed at a time. There's nowhere local to me in the uk to buy them, so i will have to buy them online. Would rather buy in bulk if i'll be feeding a load at a time.

thanx
-----
Kat

1 male beardie 'Khan'

When feeding my beardie silkworms, they seemed to die off alot quicker than crickets.... Could just be the temps here in the mountains of california I guess. Crickets do tend to stink, i understand completly, that's why I keep mine in the shed out back

Silkworms and butterworms are great sources of food for your dragons. They are a little higher in fat than crickets but for growing babies, this isn't too much of a problem. A full grown silkworm (about 3-4" long) is pretty much the same as 4-6 adult crickets in bulk so you can feed silkies at that ratio (adjust for smaller crickets if you are not feeding adults do to your dragon's size).

Butterworms are smaller in body than silkworms so 2-3 of them is about the same bulk as a large silkworm. It is good to feed a variety of insects to your dragon, just as it is good to feed a variety of greens. So, having some crickets time to time mixed with silks and butterworms or roaches, is good as well. Superworms can be offered as treats as well to increase the variety.

Silkworms are also easy to breed and raise. So if you have a bunch coccoon before they are all fed off, keep the coccoons in a separate bin, maybe about 5-10 cocoons per bin or all together. Once they hatch in about 10-20 days let the moths pair off with eachother. Once you have a pair, y ou can move them to small kritter keepers or small paper bags till they separate. The female will lay her eggs and die and the male can be partnered with any unmated females you may have. The eggs should be left out at room temperature till they turn a dark purplish color, then they can be refrigerated in the fridge in a small tupperware container for about 2 months (they can be kept in the fridge longer ,up to a year). Take out some eggs (approxiately 50-100, depending how many you think you will need) At room temperature they should hatch in about 10 days. Once you see little black 'lines' these are newly hatched silkworms. Feed grated silkworm chow or mulberry leaves (if you have a good supply of leaves that is, otherwise, use the chow). IN a couple weeks you will have big silkworms again to feed your dragons. It is also good to overlap hatching eggs, so you always have some growing to replace them as they are used up. Remember to let some go into adulthood so you can start all over again.

The main things to keep in mind when keeping and raising silkworms, is keeping them as germ free as possible. A simple bacteria can wipe out your entire collection of silkworms pretty quickly if not regularly kept clean. ALso best to wash your hands before handling silkworms (ie moving them from a soiled bin to a clean one), don't smoke around them and keep the humidity down in the house.

I find it easiest to raise them on egg cartons or similar disposable things. They can be put on a screen stretched between a simple metal or wooden frame, letthing their poop fall through the screen (this works with small worms but once they get big, their poop is too big). Clean once or twice a week, removing all the poop, silk and cast off skins to keep them as sterile as possible.
-----
PHLdyPayne

Thanx for that.

I'd rather raise silkworms than crickets.

I live in the UK, so will our room temps be warm enough to raise them?

Khan does get a variety of insects, but feeding crickets once in a while will be easier than x2 a week, and i know i keep mentioning this, but they STINK!! As well as crickets he gets mealworms and the red beetles,the occasional waxworm, but mainly the wax moths, which he LOVES!! And also the occasional locust. Going to try butterworms too.

I can't get over how much he loves his greens as well!! So many keepers come on here saying their beardies don't touch their greens much. Mainly youngsters like, which I know prefer inects to start with, but its funny how much their tastes change.

One more question. I supplement crickets once a week with calcium and once every 2 weeks with vits. Do I need to do this with the silkworms? Oh, and does the size rule still stick, or is it ok to feed large worms because of their soft bodies?

Thanx
-----
Kat

1 male beardie 'Khan'

Can't say if UK room temps are warm enough or not, as I don't know. But any temp between 70-80F is fine (about 20-28C) Keep humidity low, no more than 65% but lower is better. Silkworm poop molds really fast when it is humid, lost an entire crop when I was in a damp basement apartment even when I cleaned out poop twice a week, it would still mold withing a day or two.

For adult bearded dragons or dragons at least 12" long, snout to tail tip, you can feed large silkworms. Being soft bodied, they do not caues the risk of impaction like crickets do. Just be careful not to over feed, as dragons can reguritate them if they are fed too many at once. For an adult dragon, I suggest about 2-6 large silkworms (3-4" long each) for a meal or topping for salad. I give a big range as I always found the dragon I used to own would get full after 3-4 large silkworms and wouldn't touch her salad for a good part of the day.
-----
PHLdyPayne

Forgot to mention, you can dust silkworms the same as you do crickets.
-----
PHLdyPayne

Thanx again.

I've just ordered 25 small ones, so will set up like u said and see what happens.

Cheers! :OD
-----
Kat

1 male beardie 'Khan'