Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how big should you beardie be for these? and how big should the silkies be if he is about 13 weeks old? thanks all

I was just going to post about silkworms -

I have a 3.5 month old and a 5 month old beardie. The 3.5 month old is actually bigger than the 5 month old, she's small and a very picky eater.

I just got some silkworms in hoping they'd coax her to eat more, and she acts like she can't even see them. They're about 1/2" long. The 3.5 month old, who's a very agressive male and a great eater (we're talking 75 crix per day) also doesn't even seem to notice the little wormies wriggling around on a plate. I'm thinking that the worms are too small to induce the hunting instinct. My dragons won't strike at crix that are too small either. I'm going to feed the worms up to about 1-1.5" and then try again.

My recommendation is to get 1" worms at least, as long as that's not bigger than the space between your beardie's eyes. Hopefully you'll have better luck.

that is definatly bigger than the space he is only 13 weeks old...

My 3.5 month old (14 weeks) has an eye-space of about 1", so I wasn't sure.

You can get the 1/2" ones and try them out. They're just REALLY small.

yeah i think ill try that, plus they grow really fast it says...and how many do you feed a day? it says they are worth about 3-5 crics each?

A full grown silkworm can be up to 3" long, and those are the ones that are the equivalent to 3-5 adult crickets. I'm unsure as to the ratio of the smaller silkies : number of crickets.

I'd love to tell you how many to feed per day, but I can't get my dragons to eat the durn things.

The space between the beardies eyes rule doesn't apply to the silkies.... The only reason they tell you to do that is because of the exoskeleton of crickets. Larger crickets have tougher "skins" and could cause impaction just like mealworms.

If you use 1" to 1 1/2" silkies you will be fine. There is really no point in feeding them unless they are at least that big as they would be way too expensive unlees you are ordering eggs in bulk and hatching them...

Try www.midwestherpetoculture.com for your silkies he has silkies/food packages that gives you enough food to feed them till they are all gone.

Robert
-----
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

I"m feeding my 1/2"ers twice a day to try to grow them up as fast as I can. Does anyone know how long it takes for them to double/triple in size? I wish I had known about the silkie rule before I ordered these guys, now I hope they live long enough to get fed off! (I have plenty of silk worm chow and am keeping them around 72* and in a rubbermaid w/paper plates)

Actually those temps are way to low. Yoiu should step it up to abround 80 to 85 degrees if you want them to grow faster. Also don't feed them again until the food is all gone from the previous feeding. If you get the temps raised it should be within 7 days you will have them all up to 1" or bigger. hey do grow pretty fast if you have correct temps and feed properly. If you need to know more there is alot of great info at MulberryFarms.com other than that I'll be around... =-)

Robert
-----
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

Ugh, I was told to keep them at room temp from the guy I got them from (midwest herpetoculture) - around 70 - 75*. I wouldn't have a way to keep them anywhere warmer than that. I am just going to stick to crickets from now on if these things are going to be such a damn hassle. What a waste of 20$ .

He was probably trying to keep them from getting to big on you. If you keep them at lower temps they will grow slower. Set them near your dragon set ups or on top if you can...... That should get the temp up on them some. Don't give up I think you will be happy with them once3 you get the bugs worked out.... no pun intended....hehe.... I know it can be frustrating but it is definately worth it in the end..... you'll see what I mean....

Later,
Robert
-----
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson