Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yesterday I was feeding my yearling and a rather large moth flew by. Without thinking, I swatted it into the pen. Wow, yearling pounced on it!
Does anyone have knowledge of whether it is ok to feed moths?
Thanks/Patsy
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Patsy

I always feed moths to my 3toe if I am fast enough to catch 'em. No problems over 12 years.

Nice aim, Patsy!

Yeah, I agree. I think moths are a great food. Waxworms are a larval moth.

We get a lot of moths in the house...after the cats get them, they go to the turtles. I avoid moths with bright "warning" colors, but anything else is fair game!

Thanks to both of you.
I tried feeding the last hatchling some squash vine borer larvae but they must be untasty. Not interested past the first bite.

I have been busy last night & today rounding up feral hens & chicks. Maui is over run with fowl and my home seems to be a "chick magnet." Currently 11 in pens waiting for transfer to the local humane society.

Then I'll have sometime to tend to "moth" breeding.../p

>>Nice aim, Patsy!
>>
>>Yeah, I agree. I think moths are a great food. Waxworms are a larval moth.
>>
>>We get a lot of moths in the house...after the cats get them, they go to the turtles. I avoid moths with bright "warning" colors, but anything else is fair game!
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Patsy

They would eat moths in the wild, if they can catch them. Wet moths tend to be rather disabled and box turtles are out after rains, so maybe thats actually a common snack.

I'm not sure if we have squash vine borers here, but we have problems with squash bugs and the turtles will not eat those. Maybe the plant makes the insects taste nasty somehow?

interesting I have tried to feed squash bugs too, when they take over the squash in my garden, but the turtles had no interest what so ever. Too bad because it would at times be an abundant food supply and easy to catch.
Jeff
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You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

>>interesting I have tried to feed squash bugs too, when they take over the squash in my garden, but the turtles had no interest what so ever. Too bad because it would at times be an abundant food supply and easy to catch.

Do you feed slugs?
I throw them in the pen, but have seldom seen them being eaten. My chickens won't eat them.
/p
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Patsy

No I don't find many slugs.
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You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

np
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You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus