Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well my Silkworms are now feeding size. I was just hand feeding my Leos and they love em. They are probably still lookin to the top of their enclosures for the food from the sky to return. I will feed them the first 200 and then the remaining 300 or so I will allow to coccoon and become moths. Hopefully this will set me up with a long time source of silks. If you have an incubator it is not difficult to raise your own. It will also save you $$ in the future.

Tim

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"I'd still rather spend the day with an animal than most people I know"
LEOs: 6.9.0
1.3 High Yellows-Barney,Betty,?,?
2.0 Hypo Tangerines-Bam-bam,Rex
0.3 SHCT's -Journey,Wiggy,Lil'bit
1.0 Rescued Normals -Shleprock
1.3Tremper Albinos Mr.Slate,?,?,?
1.0 Tang Tremp Albino - Rocky

I have started the same thing for my beardie, because I wanted the healthier choice, and thought it would be easier, but on a large scale, I'm not so sure they're easier.

What do you do about the silk they spin and them sticking to each other, though? What is an easy way to feed them without feeding the silk and poo that they deposit (because it sticks in the silk)? I've read many many sheets on silkworm care and feeding herps with them, but not one that I have seen addresses this issue.

Thanks,
Denise
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

1.0 Ball Python - Jake
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Merlin
1.0 Pixie Frog - Pixel
2.0 Chinese Fire belly Newts - Fred n' Ed, and Ed n' Fred
1.0 Black Cat - Shorty
1.0 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa - coming soon (completing brumation with present owner before joining our home)
0.0.4 Tanks waiting on us to decide what is going in them! LOL

Denise,

I am by no means an expert and this is my first venture into the silkworm realm..lol. First off I separate my silks 1 at a time with a pair of tweezers. I pick them off the silk bed they make and the poo does not, or let me say has not come with them. I then feed my Leos individually they know what the silks look like and have it in their mouths as soon as it gets in range. I have had to use tweezers with some of my bigger males as they strike fast and hard, and I value my fingers...lol. I have had Beardies before and I would definitely recommend this technique for them as well. I also know what you mean by the silks clinging to each other, as I have fed them the regular way using a bowl as well. I know with my beardies it would not have made a difference, they would have started at one end of the group and ate until the group was gone . One thing I have noticed is that if you place them in a dish with calcium, and supplement the powder sticks too them and doesn't allow them to adhere to each other as much.

I love the idea of my pets getting the best nutrition they can have, and they seem to enjoy it too. I especially like the fact that my females have taken to them and I look forward to healthy babies. I don't know how large scale I will go, for right now if I can keep a cycle up having all my pets cared for that’s good enough for me.

Hope this helps,

Tim
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"I'd still rather spend the day with an animal than most people I know"
LEOs: 6.9.0
1.3 High Yellows-Barney,Betty,?,?
2.0 Hypo Tangerines-Bam-bam,Rex
0.3 SHCT's -Journey,Wiggy,Lil'bit
1.0 Rescued Normals -Shleprock
1.3Tremper Albinos Mr.Slate,?,?,?
1.0 Tang Tremp Albino - Rocky

Thanks Tim,

I was afraid of the needing to single them out for use as feeders.. that could be a bigger hassle than using crix.

I don't know, I'll try with this batch and see how it goes; thank you for the input!

Denise : )
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

1.0 Ball Python - Jake
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Merlin
1.0 Pixie Frog - Pixel
2.0 Chinese Fire belly Newts - Fred n' Ed, and Ed n' Fred
1.0 Black Cat - Shorty
1.0 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa - coming soon (completing brumation with present owner before joining our home)
0.0.4 Tanks waiting on us to decide what is going in them! LOL

When the caterpillars release their bladder and start to "shrink up" and turn amber, they are getting ready to spin. Those are your clues. When you see them like that, grab them and put them in an egg carton. They will spin inside and you will have clean cats in clean cocoons.

You may need to turn the egg carton upside down or put it inside something else to keep them from escaping. Sometimes they stay put and sometimes they look for a "better" place to spin.

I mean way before then, just their everyday life of silk strands/spinning.

How about then? Anything to add to Tim's suggestions?

Thanks,
Denise
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

1.0 Ball Python - Jake
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Merlin
1.0 Pixie Frog - Pixel
2.0 Chinese Fire belly Newts - Fred n' Ed, and Ed n' Fred
1.0 Black Cat - Shorty
1.0 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa - coming soon (completing brumation with present owner before joining our home)
0.0.4 Tanks waiting on us to decide what is going in them! LOL

but it seems like that would waste some of the food, as well. Wouldn't it also drop through? Doesn't solve the problem of some of the pooh being caught in the webs of silk, either.

Is this safe to feed herps - wouldn't it be unsanitary?

Denise
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

1.0 Ball Python - Jake
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Merlin
1.0 Pixie Frog - Pixel
2.0 Chinese Fire belly Newts - Fred n' Ed, and Ed n' Fred
1.0 Black Cat - Shorty
1.0 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa - coming soon (completing brumation with present owner before joining our home)
0.0.4 Tanks waiting on us to decide what is going in them! LOL

This is great, Tim! Once you get this 'dialed in' for large scale production, (I mean feeding up to 200 geckos) I will be picking your brain for info! Like you, I like the idea of raising my own food for my geckos, but just have limited space for a huge feeder operation.
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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com