Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone encountered black dots on their wax worms?
They are all alive but they look like Dalmatians. I am not going to give them to my cham before I find out if they are OK.

I had that happen when I got wax worms. Mine all got the spots and eventually turned all black and died. I think the spots mean they are starving and about to die, but I could be wrong.

Right before they died.
I thought maybe it was due to the cold of being in my fridge. Or that they would (if warm enough) have gone on to the next stage, and turn into whatever it is that they're supposed to turn into. (whew...what a mouthful that was)

Anyway...my whole wax worm experience was not a pleasant one.
Expensive, over grown maggot looking things, covered in wood dust that's nearly impossible to get off...then on top of it Zoe wouldn't touch them.
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Kim

I remember reading that they turn dark when they're becoming unhealthy. I usually get rid of the ones that are getting dark, as well as any dead ones.

If you happen to find one that's an orangish color with a half-cocoon looking thing over their head, don't throw it away! These will become wax-moths... another treat for your cham. I usually take all of these and put them into a jar with some of the saw-dust crap on bottom and small holes drilled in the lid.

Zoe doesn't like wax-worms?! Wow, both of my guys would rather eat them than crickets (if I were to let them). Lucifer has pretty much stopped eating crickets... Phaedra is eating everything in sight though since she's gravid!

-Howie

I guess that's why I'm so hesitant to buy a crap load of silkies, since they would cost $59.28, for an order of silkies, shipping, and chow.

...heck of a lot of money to toss in the garbage if he doesn't like them!

The wax worms were only $7.50, and THAT irked me when they they all went belly up, and into the garbage!
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Kim

$52 for silkworms? That ridiculous to spend all that on one animal, he'll never be able to eat enough of them for it to be worth it. Here's what you do: Buy silkworm chow from mublerry farms--occationally, they have specials, where you get eggs and chow for the same price, I usually pay like 35-40dollars, but I get everything shipped USPS, and have NEVER had a dead silkworm. He wont garuntee them, but I've never had a problem, even in the summer.

What I have been doing recently, as I never use all the worms, is buy a few punds of chow, and make some up. Then, while ordering superworms/waworms/etc from herpfood.com(I think) I roder a cup of small silkworms. You get only like 50 per cup, so worm for worm it is not as good a deal as mulberry farms, but RARELY do I need thousands of worms. Raise them on the chow, and there you go. Save some for moths, have them lay eggs, refridgerate the eggs for a few months, and you can hatch out as many as you need at a time--unfourtunatly, unless you don't have a job, this can be difficult, as it CAN take a lot more time than one wants to allocate to WORM BREEDING!
I just got 3 types of roaches, and breed them. Figures my chameleons HATE them.
Eric A