Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Het everyone. I was reading a couple books and they said the best food that you could give your leo would be the silkworm. I was just wondering if anyone has fed their leo these? if so, do they like them? follow same guides as with mealworms as to quanity and time frame? I guess as many details as anyone can give.
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Thanks, Briggzer

all my leos have had 2 each. where i live there was no place to buy silks up till recently still there a buck each so i havent bought to many. im not sure if there good for a stable food diets. however their much more nutricous then crix and mealies.

Hey i was wondering about the same thing

I just found a pet store which supplies them but they're HUGE and really nasty smelling, Ie, i don't think they know what they're doing. Is there a caresheet for them?

Silkworms are a great food source; a little too fattening in my opinion to use as a staple, but still very nutritious. My only problem was getting my leos to eat them. I bought 100 silkworms, but 99 of them were wasted becaused none of my leos were interested.

If you're looking for a good staple (and this is going to gross you out) try looking into roaches. Not the house pest variety, but the tropical species that you can breed yourself so you don't ever have to buy crickets again. You can buy species that don't fly or climb glass. To me, they're the ideal feeders because they're soft-bodied and high in protein.
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chickabowwow

Hey X, I'm with you on the silkworms, most of mine were wasted also. Are these the Madascar hissers? Do they smell bad, and do your little guys like the flavor? Thanx.

Hissers are too big for leopards and can feed babies but not adults.
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Preston Berry
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Right now I have four different roach colonies: lobsters, discoids, orange heads, and oranged spotted. I may or may not try hissers in the future. They're not the best choice for leos; plus, I've heard that leos tend to prefer the other species instead.

No, they don't stink. I only have to clean out the roach enclosures every few weeks. It's really easy. I just sweep the poop out with a small brush.

My geckos LOVE them. They're attracted to the movement as well as the flavor. I've had shy leos go running out of hiding just to chase after these roaches. It's definitely worth trying as a feeder, in my opinion.
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chickabowwow

Thank You !! Off to get a few more bins.

I recently tried them - they're very different. At first the animals were creeped out but most would take them, like a dog eating peanut butter. They're very puffy, kinda like a marshmallow. I'd say try eggs or tiny ones and grow them up because of price. Also, you have use good aseptic technique or they'll die off. Go to California Silkworms etc. for care sheet. One advantage is that they don't bite.

I use them every atfer breedings and they has good source Calium to get females back on it and good socrece od protien too but has more fat than mealworms.
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Preston Berry
www.freewebs.com/coolgeckoUnder Construction
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I think silkworms are great! I feed them to my cham, anoles, beardie, and leos! They all love them. I give them each at least one a day. They may have a bit more fat than nasty mealworms, but they are very nutritious! I also use crickets and mealworms. Waxworms are a treat once a week. I am trying to raise my own silkies and I have several cocoons right now. However, you have to have to have a mulberry tree or you have to buy expensive premade food.