Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Reptiles July issue has an article about all types of worms for use as reptile foods.
The article states that those big fat green caterpillar/worms sometimes called horn worms, tobacco worms, tomato worms are gaining in popularity as a reptile food.
I'd never even thought about throwing one of those to the turtles. Has anyone ever seen a box turtle eat one of them?
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PHRatz

Since I usually only find them on tomato plants (aside from a weird swarm of yellow hornworms last year) I've never tossed any in with a turtle. If the worms have been eating tomato and tobacco plants, both plants in the nightshade family, they will be toxic.

The ones you buy from a supplier are raised on hornworm chow.
I've seen people mention that the worms are good for putting weight on geckos fast, no mention of feeding them to turtles. I'd imagine as long as the worms were safe they'd be eaten.

You have a good point there about what the horn worms have been eating.
Come to think of it, last time I saw one on my property they were on the 4 O'clock flowers. That was pre-tortoise adoption,
4 O'clocks are poisonous for the tortoise so I yanked them all out & got rid of them.
That was 5 years ago.. who knows if I'll see one again.

Last week one of those light colored fuzzy caterpillars was walking across the driveway, Hobo saw it & grabbed it. He bit it in half then spit it out.. apparently that wasn't a good food item.
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PHRatz