Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just started using silkworms for my picky eater in my classroom and he loves them. Is there an easy way to keep them? I bought 200 as a trial and I have these big clumps of silk and poop with the worms entangled throughout. Is there an easier way? These guys really make silk shirts? I don't see it. Any help would be appreciated.

Brian

2.2 Bearded Dragons
3.3 Corn snakes
1.0 Tortoise
1.1 Leopard geckos
1.0 Chamleon
2.2 RES sliders
And one cluttered classroom!

I don't know about most people, but we have the clumps too. I just put on those medical gloves that you get at the drug store and carefully detangle them every couple of days, you need to wear gloves or wash your hands really well when handling them.

I've been using silkworms for about a year and now and after about 3 months found a farily easy method of dealing with them. I went to the local grocery store and bought 10 small plastic tubs (they are about 6" x 6" and maybe 1.5" deep. I keep anywhere from 15-20 silkworms in each and just keep feeding them in these tubs until they get pretty big. Once they reach a decent size I place them all in a bigger tub with a piece of screen on the bottom (screen holes are about 1/2" opening) The worms have no problme staying on the screen and all feces just drops to the bottom of the big tub they are in.

take the food and grate a light but complete covering over the top of them and they will migrate to the top of the food then you can move them to a seperate container and clean the old one. The mesh grateing that was mentioned is especially good for this if you put it over the silk/poopy before you grate the food onj top....then, after they move to the top of the food just grab the mesh to move them!

Later,
Robert
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Great spirits have always been recieved with violent opposition by mediocre minds. Albert Einstein

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try anything because my picky eater likes silkworms. Any ideas on other things to feed them? Thanks again.

Brian