Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just purchasing some silkies for my babies and noticed they had the cocoons for sale for 5.00 for 5 of them even though no moths will emerge. What kind of animal would just eat the cocoon, or what would one do with such a pricey item??
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

I doubt anything would want a mouthful of silk with a dead pupa inside - yuck! In the silk industry, the cocoons are boiled to kill the pupa inside. The reason for this is that a silkmoth's cocoon is one continuous strand and if the moth emerges it cuts the silk rendering the silk useless (though this is not entirely true. There are some people who use the "broken" silk to create lovely objects, but in the name of "big business" it is useless. This is also why they do not use the brown silk from the Wild Silk Moths - like the ones I raise - thank goodness!! There is a woman I send empty cocoons to and she creates things like this

The reason these moths do not fly is due to their intensive breeding over centuries for control (ease of mating) - sort of like flightless fruitflies. They are also cultivated for the whitest white, thouhg many use the different shades created naturally rather than dyeing.

So, if you want to try your hand at silk weaving or just want some pretty cocoons that you did not have to boil and KILL yourself go for it. Just when you thought silk was OK to wear...;-/

Here's a site you might find interesting.
Aurora Silk

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Chameleon Help & Resource Info

0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.3 Mad. Hissers (2 died ;(
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

O.k., I was just wondering because it seems very expecsive to by some of these. 5 for 5.00 is alot of money, I though maybe spiders might eat them, but if the pupa is dead there is nothing to eat DUH!
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

n/p
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown