Reptile & Amphibian Forums

can anyone tell me anything about silk and/or butter worms, i hear they are good for my leopard geckos, but may require some kind of special care...? also if anyone knows a reliable and fair vendor of these worms.

thanks much,
chris

Silkworms and butterworms are very high in calcium and protein compared to say crickets. Silkworms deffinitely have a high water content as well. Butterworms have more calcium than silkworms.

It is very easy to care for silkworms, all you need to do is keep them at room temperature (around 70F is good) with low to medium humidity (too much and they seen to die really fast as their poo molds quickly if not cleaned out often) and keep them clean. Remove their poo every day (easy to do if you keep the silks on those paper drink holders or egg cartons as you can pick it up an dump off the poo, then pull off shed skin and silk thread clumps instead of trying to remove all the silkworms then the poo). Give them a good supply of either mulberry leaves (all they can eat in a day) or the silkworm chow.

Butterworms are importaned from Chile and to mu knowledge are not bred anywhere in North America. They can be kept refrigerated when not being fed. Refrigeration puts them in a sort of hybernation that doesn't kill them. They eat leaves from the Tebo plant.

Leos may not be able to handle the large silkworms or butterworms but shouldn't have any trouble with younger worms.

Mulberry farms seems to have nice worms and good prices at mulberryfarms.com