Reptile & Amphibian Forums

once again on my search for another feeder. silkworms seem to time consuming, mom says no to roaches, cant breed buttworms due to lack of food source. i know superworms arnt the healthiest feeders but what if they were ordered in bulk (and probally bred) and i kept them in a big plasitic kritter keeper and gutloaded them with some real food (not sawdust)? maybe a 50-50 split durring feedings with crickets and supers? thanks.

-jon

What do you mean that silkworms are too time consuming? If you are willing to order superworms in bulk and gutload them, why not order silkies and do the same? You can order silkworm chow from the same places you get the worms.
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)

i havent really done too much research on them. acutally, my biology teacher has bearded dragons, leopards, and an iguanna and he said that he had alot of trouble with his colony. is it hard to breed the silkworms (the moths and everything seem like it would be alot of trouble)? how much food you you silkie keeper go through a month? i probally should have inquired here before ruling them out. thanks.

-jon

I myself haven't tried them yet, though I probably should. I wish there was something you could feed them besides mulberry leaves. I don't have a mulberry tree, and if i did, it wouldn't have any leaves on it now. Kind of stinks that you have to order special food for them.
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)

i know! what happens if you run out of chow? do you just let you colony die? that would really suck

1lb pwdered food work from eggs too moth

have you given any thought to mantids??...they are cheap ,i think it's 6 bucks for 3 egg sacks, and you get several hundred...you will need "true pinheads" or fruitflies to raise them but that's kinda fun...they are a little time consuming but my cham goes nuts for them

yes i have though about mantids and i have an abundant supply of fruit flys to feed them, but the only thing that bothered me was that it said that you have to have individual cups for every mantid. if i recall correclty theres 200-500 eggs in an eggsack. 200-500 cups do not sound to appealing haha. i also remember reading that there were heavy losses. from one egg sack how many mantids would you expect to live to a large enough size to feed them off? thanks.

-jon

yes, after a week or so you have to house them individually in cups...for the most part you can expect that if they make past the first shed they will make it to adulthood...you can get 20 or so to make it from each sack...it is time consuming but i look at them as another pet...unfortunately, these pets must meet their demise

jon - silkies can be time-consuming in that they do require a certain amount of cleanliness, too much humidity can kill a colony and the chow can get pricey. You cannot let the chow dry out and it needs to be handled with clean hands so as not to contaminate. The dry can stay in the fridge for a long time. Don't cook up more than you need but it will keep well, too. It only takes a few minuts to cook and then if I need it quick I put it in the freezer (don't leave too long!!) to cool and then to fridge. This info is not to dissuade you just to give you the facts. once you get it down it is pretty easy

One other point about silkies, Luna for one (and I know other keepers have had similar experience) gets tired of them quickly. I would love to have them as staple food but she won't have it. The best way to do it is to work thru a batch, mate a pair and chill the eggs to have on hand.

Superworms are much better than mealies in that their exoskeleton (skin) is softer and there is more "meat" (so to speak). I have only one chameleon (and will be adding two tarantula's soon) so my need is minimal. I buy 100 supers and keep them in a large plastic tub (11"w x 9"h x 16" l) with about 3-4" of bran and dried, unsweetened coconut (anson's recipe after I had a grain mite outbreak due to oatmeal!). I feed them with carrots, apple and/or potato. You just need to change fruit every few days to avoid mold.

I buy 250 crix at a time and have butterworms in the fridge (they keep a LONG time) for when Luna will eat them. I take out about 20 silkworm eggs at a time and since they are sort of slow to grow Luna gets over her boredom and gets very excited when offered!

So having a variety is actually pretty simple. I have devised a setup for my crix that is almost stink free! I will upload and post pictures.

hope this helps!

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers (for summer - all girls, no little ones, whew!)

oo gourmet... so far ive been limited to crix and ive got waxes, mealworms, and supers that i toss in evey other day. i really want to try some new stuff.

-jon