Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I ordered 100 sub adults from silkworm farm. For some reason i can't keep them alive. I can keep the juvies alive. The subs last a day then they are all rotten looking. Would this be moisture or heat? I keep them in a the basement in a 10g tank with plastic canvas. I keep them down there because its the coolest place in the house but it probably has the most humidity. We don't have AC. Any ideas?
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Nick and Drayko

In my opinion, they are dying from moisture. They need a warm dry place. (70-85 degrees) You may have a mold problem if the humidity gets up there too high. (this information came from www.californiasilkworms.com)

good luck.
ZZ
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Hangin with the Herps
ZZ

I agree, silkies don't seem to tolerate humidity very well. They are very sensitive to molds and bacteria so need to be kept as free from both as possible.
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PHLdyPayne

I agree, place them somewhere warm and dry. I am surprised you are having problems keeping yours alive, I cant seem to do anything wrong with mine....
Just out of curiousity, has anyone ever had silkie eggs hatch without diapause? Some that were just laid I left out to turn purple, they turned purple and the next day hatched....This has happened with several batches (about 100 eggs in all). I keep my house around 78 degrees all day. Anyone have similar experiences?

yes. silkies sometimes do hatch without stratification (chilling), but no guarantee. Since they lay so many eggs it is easy to put a batch in the fridge and keep a batch out as well. If they do not hatch after a few days and you then put them in the fridge you will likely kill them b/c they are too far along in their development, but again, you can get a whole lot with little effort.

lele
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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

I think my hatch rate is still higher when I let them cool a month or so--also the ones laid on waxed paper have almost a 100% hatch rate compared to those laid on/in paper bags.

I have had 'left out' batches never hatch...so when the one did it made me wonder....

DM

Yes, we let the moths lay on paper squares, then take them out, set them aside and usually within 5-7 days they hatch.
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www.reptilerooms.com

Hi Nick,

I am sure it is humidity and cold temps. They need to be kept at a minimum of 75 degrees and preferably higher, but even in cooler temps the humidity needs to be as low as possible. I would suggest moving them out of the basement to the warmest environment you can give them and you may need to run a fan over the top to keep the air circultating. it gets tricky b/c you want to keep the chow moist but the silkies dry. Also, do you have 100 in a 10 gallon? That's a lot. I never have more than 50 of the subs and move them to bigger tanks as they grow (if I am not feeding them off). What do you have covering the tank? I typicall use a cut piece of PC (you know I love this stuff - lol!) and will sometimes cover half of it with plexiglas that I have to fit or you could use some sort of plastic cling wrap over half.

Do you have the PC raised off the tank bottom? Be sure to clean poop regularly as it can mold very quickly in dampness and spread fungal and bacterial pathogens. Hope this helps!

lele
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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

I'm pretty sure its the moisture too.

Yup 100 in a 10g. oops. I can divide that into (2) 10g's? I do have the PC off the base. I have plastic light grid (about 1/2" thick) under the PC. I'll have to try and move them upstairs.

I don't even use a cover. Just open. Should i use a screen? I just thought it was wierd i never had problems with the juvies.
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Nick and Drayko