Another Silkworm post lol sorry.

[nnoossss]

So my i went into my new local pet store too see if they had any connections with silkworm breeders or if their feeder supplier carried any that maybe they could order she said not live ones but canned ones, she told me they are kept moist with preservatives, i personally dont like the idea off that because i doubt they keep all the nutrients and there are ofcourse chemicals involved too preserve them so thats why im asking you experts on this stuff.
Would they be better than gutloaded mealies? Or should i just stick with what im doin and order them off mullberryfarms when i get another bank acount opened up.

 

[doublet74]

Most geckos won't eat food that doesn't move. I wouldn't waste the money. Just to find out if yours is the exception. I have 2 leos and they live pretty much exclusively on mealworms. Stick with mealworms,crickets or roaches. JMO

 

[nnoossss]

alrighty thanks

 

[grboxa]

clayton, if financially its no problem for you to keep ordering them from online I would suggest that over mealies any day. Silkworms are a tremendous feeder with excellent nutrition value and much easier to digest then mealworms. Ive had both my leos on a silkworm staple for about a month and a bit and they've gained significant weight. You dont hear to many people use silkworms as a staple because alot of people have more leos which would be quite expensive, but i only have two and take advantage of the opportunity. Trust me, its worth it. it's always wise to add something else in during the week aswell.


Silkworms contain an enzyme called serrapeptase that makes calcium absorption more efficient.
Silkworms can reduce inflammation and pain.
Silkworms can break down arterial plaque. (from a site) and confirmed.:main_thumbsup: *you are what you eat* it;

 

[Desdemona]

I agree with skipping the canned worms. If you can get a hold of mulberry leaves you could probably hatch your own worms, you will need a incubator as well. Buying the premade food might make it less cost effective though. I buy mine silkworms as well, online.

Sent from my DROID Pro using Tapatalk

 

[nnoossss]

I agree with skipping the canned worms. If you can get a hold of mulberry leaves you could probably hatch your own worms, you will need a incubator as well. Buying the premade food might make it less cost effective though. I buy mine silkworms as well, online.

Sent from my DROID Pro using Tapatalk

yea ive been thinking about buying the eggs and starting too grow my own, i have no experience with them though, but ill buy some online and see how they work out and how many i will need weekly.

 

[nnoossss]

clayton, if financially its no problem for you to keep ordering them from online I would suggest that over mealies any day. Silkworms are a tremendous feeder with excellent nutrition value and much easier to digest then mealworms. Ive had both my leos on a silkworm staple for about a month and a bit and they've gained significant weight. You dont hear to many people use silkworms as a staple because alot of people have more leos which would be quite expensive, but i only have two and take advantage of the opportunity. Trust me, its worth it. it's always wise to add something else in during the week aswell.


Silkworms contain an enzyme called serrapeptase that makes calcium absorption more efficient.
Silkworms can reduce inflammation and pain.
Silkworms can break down arterial plaque. (from a site) and confirmed.:main_thumbsup: *you are what you eat* it;

Well i just moved too michigan and dont have a job yet and am kinda screwed atm with income : ( but as soon as income starts i wont have a problem with ordering them i have been thinking about growing my own, maybe you can give me some pointers on that.

 

[grboxa]

Well i just moved too michigan and dont have a job yet and am kinda screwed atm with income : ( but as soon as income starts i wont have a problem with ordering them i have been thinking about growing my own, maybe you can give me some pointers on that.

ordering the eggs online, and raising them is the way i'd go..i just buy silkworms from my petshop. I am no way an expert but I have read setups and what not. There fairly easy to raise, when the eggs 'hatch' the baby silkworms wont have enough strength to crawl to the chow or mulberry leaves which is what they ONLY eat, and if you are raising from hatch I suggest getting the leaves instead of the chow(theyll grow faster) so what you should do is grate the food over the silkworms, and when they get bigger you can just leave the leaf or chow in the container since they'll have enough strength to move around. The biggest enemy to silkworm raising is moisture, the best way to avoid this is to simply leave your container open. Silkworms are extremely poor climbers so if you have a high enough container your going to be 100% fine...leaving the container open also makes there poo dry faster meaning your silkworms wont die off as easy...silkworms are prone to bacteria fairly easy. What I would also do is place the silkworms on mesh with the spaces big enough for the droppings to fall through so silkworms wont come in direct contact and this saves you trouble sperating the poo..this is what I do when I buy them. When they get to the size you want and feed off, you can stop feeding them and theyll normally live up to 5-6 days and repeat. I buy 12 at a time and feed 2 a day. Just remember to try and keep it as clean as possible(mesh will help), and whe handling or whatever to make sure you clean your hands. Silkworms are the way to go!. *you could of course start your own cycle meaning literally breeding them from egg -> worm -> cocoon -> moth -> egg, but I heard that it can backfire on you in later generations if you dont have experience and they slowly die off....i'd just go with ordering eggs online and just repeating but if you feel you want to try breeding them by all means go for it!:main_thumbsup: , there are countless setups for breeding. What I posted was simply just to maintain them from baby to feeding off.


*edit* okay so I was just informed that apperantly its harder to switch them from leaves to chow..then chow to leaves...so thats something to think about. Aaaaand if you do order 'chow' instead of the leaves, try to minimize the amount of times you open the lid. I heard if its exposed to much it makes the silkworms taste sour.

 

[nnoossss]

ordering the eggs online, and raising them is the way i'd go..i just buy silkworms from my petshop. I am no way an expert but I have read setups and what not. There fairly easy to raise, when the eggs 'hatch' the baby silkworms wont have enough strength to crawl to the chow or mulberry leaves which is what they ONLY eat, and if you are raising from hatch I suggest getting the leaves instead of the chow(theyll grow faster) so what you should do is grate the food over the silkworms, and when they get bigger you can just leave the leaf or chow in the container since they'll have enough strength to move around. The biggest enemy to silkworm raising is moisture, the best way to avoid this is to simply leave your container open. Silkworms are extremely poor climbers so if you have a high enough container your going to be 100% fine...leaving the container open also makes there poo dry faster meaning your silkworms wont die off as easy...silkworms are prone to bacteria fairly easy. What I would also do is place the silkworms on mesh with the spaces big enough for the droppings to fall through so silkworms wont come in direct contact and this saves you trouble sperating the poo..this is what I do when I buy them. When they get to the size you want and feed off, you can stop feeding them and theyll normally live up to 5-6 days and repeat. I buy 12 at a time and feed 2 a day. Just remember to try and keep it as clean as possible(mesh will help), and whe handling or whatever to make sure you clean your hands. Silkworms are the way to go!. *you could of course start your own cycle meaning literally breeding them from egg -> worm -> cocoon -> moth -> egg, but I heard that it can backfire on you in later generations if you dont have experience and they slowly die off....i'd just go with ordering eggs online and just repeating but if you feel you want to try breeding them by all means go for it!:main_thumbsup: , there are countless setups for breeding. What I posted was simply just to maintain them from baby to feeding off.


*edit* okay so I was just informed that apperantly its harder to switch them from leaves to chow..then chow to leaves...so thats something to think about. Aaaaand if you do order 'chow' instead of the leaves, try to minimize the amount of times you open the lid. I heard if its exposed to much it makes the silkworms taste sour.

Thanks alot great help and info!