Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, I'd like to get a few silkworms if i can figure how to raise. Do I need a mulberry bush?

Anyone want a large # of inchworms, ideal for small/medium guys.

What are they exactly and what do they eat?

Here's a short silkie tutorial that I wrote up for another Kingsnake user. If you need any help, feel free to email me.

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Timelines:
egg gestation is 21 days
hatchling to cocoon - 25 to 28 days
cocoon to moth - about 21 days

You'll need a few rubbermaid sweater boxes (1 box per 50 cats), some paper lunch bags and you'll need to save your egg cartons. You'll also need to acquire some eggs or some caterpillars, and a source of Mulberry leaves, of course. During the winter months, you can use Silkworm Chow but I've found that it tends to mold quickly if I'm not careful.
Starting from eggs...Leave them at room temperature until they hatch, putting small clippings of leaves in with the eggs. The hatchling are very small and look like a 1/8th-1/4 inch piece of black thread. I like to start them in a small plastic container with a good fitting lid. Even though the silkworms are dumber than dirt and the instinct to wander has been bred out of them, I still worry that some will escape and die when they are that little. You'll have to gently move them onto fresh leaves every other day or so, but as the caterpillars grow, you will have to feed them several times a day! With each molting, they'll get lighter in color and a little stronger. It is safe to handle them once they're about a half in long. I grab them by the "lump" behind their heads...you'll see what I mean if you look closely at the caterpillar.
When the caterpillars are about 2 inches long and are in their 5th instar ("instar" is the jargon/term for the period between each molt) they will be ready to pupate soon. Watch them closely. The caterpillar will start to turn amber and will appear to shrink up and widen slightly. They will also release their bladder. This is how you know they will spin. Move theme to an egg crate, placed upside down so they don't climb out the holes immediately. It's good to put the upside down eggcrate inside another rubbermaid container too, so that they are contained if they climb out while looking for a good place to spin. Once they have spun the cocoon, you can pull them out and set them in another container, lined with paper napkins. You can leave them uncovered and they will eclose but not fly away. (The ability to fly has been bred out of them too.)
As long as you have several cocoons with moths emerging about the same time, it isn't important for you to be able to sex them. The males will flap around if a female is present...effectively giving themselves away! LOL! When you find two moths mated (stuck together by their rears), put them inside a paper lunch bag. If you are careful, you can grab them by their wings and pluck them off whatever they are standing on without dislodging them from mating. When you put them in the bag, fold the top over and give them some privacy. When they are done mating, they will seperate. At this point, you can pull the male out and put him back with the cocoons to put him back in the running for the next girl.
The female will deposit approximately 200-250 eggs on the inside of the bag. Just leave her until she dies. Moths do not eat, drink or sleep. Their sole purpose is to mate and lay eggs. They only live a few days to a week anyway. The eggs start out yellow and as they firm up, they turn a rose color, then grey. When they are grey, you can put them in the refrigerator for up to a year, pulling them out to incubate whenever you need them. Just cut the paper around the eggs to pull out how ever many you want. Good luck!

What are inch worms? Ihave never seen these.. Can you post a pic?
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