Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I use to have a hard time with the silks, they were costly and I lost a lot. We came up with a way that makes raising them easy and they do grow fast, from egg/hatchling stage to big adults in a few weeks so do not cost so much.

here is a picture of the set up, plastic small drawer units ($3-$5) with a framed screen inside them (about $2)

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www.reptilerooms.com

that looks great, i havnt gotten any silkworms yet, but i looks like making one of those will make it a lot easier on me when i start.

I ordered some silkies last week (shipped yesterday) what is the purpose of that system? and may I use it? I ordered 500 juvi silks, and 500 sub adult silks (I have 3 baby dragons & 3 subadult dragons to feed!) This is my first silkwork order, so I know nothing of how to care for them...Thanks for posting the pics!

Melody

Anyone is welcome to use our ideas for themselves.

The purpose of it it keeps the silksworm clean and dry, as the residue fails through the screen and you just have to lift out the screen and empty the bin. When I first tried to raise them, I was losing so many and they were smelly, this way I lose very few, they all can eat easily (I grate the chow over the smaller ones and the larger ones we put thin slices of chow in. We don't have to handle to silks to clean them and maybe injure them.

This is the first time I have been able to raise them from hatchling to full grown in like 2-3 weeks. With so many personal and rescue dragons, it was too expensive to buy them the size we needed. Now with this, they get so big fast that 2 worms make a meal for an adult beardie. They are like 3 inches long and fat!
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www.reptilerooms.com

what size/type screens do you use for each size?
im going to have to put together a shopping list to make one of these so i cant get some silkies

The small one are just vinyl porch screen and Axe made those

the larger ones are on a 1/8 inch cloth/rope type mesh that you can find in arts and crafts stores and we got that one from a silkworm supplier
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www.reptilerooms.com

Wonderful setup Cheri! Those plastic drawers I hate so much, now are starting to take on a whole new image to me now. First being used as mice condos, to house breeder mice, now for silkworms. THough I don't need as much as you have in your plastic drawers right now but once I do, will certainly use my chest of drawers for them..especialy the screen bases you have sized to fit. Right now, in my last order of silks, I just kept the screen over a styrofoam frame they were packaged in. Before I used Tim Horton coffee cup holders and egg cartons.
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PHLdyPayne

We go through a lot of them with our personal collection of dragons and the rescues/rehabs. I think we have about 16 adutls right now, a few yearlings and a few juvies.

The are such a good diet food for the older dragons or recovering ones since the silks contain an enzyme that reduces inflammation better than most meds, lowers blood sugar levels (beardies in the US tend to have high glucose levels) and also clear arterial plaque
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www.reptilerooms.com

Thats really good to know. Thank you for that information. I'm still learning about bearded dragons even though I have two. I was given my two because the person that had them couldn't take care of them. I wasn't given time to do the research or anything it was go see them and then take them in that order. I think that they're in a much better environment with me because she couldn't get them to eat vegetables but as I said I'm still learning so this is very helpful considering that I want them off crickets. I don't usually take on a new pet that takes this much time and care without researching them first but I love them to death and I'm just happy that they're in a better home with me.