Silkworms???

PDDM · 07-13-04, 11:42 AM

Ok I recently followed a link at the top of this site silkworms.ca anyways i read it and i see come to see a page about why you should have silkies,:

One Silkworm can be the size of a pinhead cricket, or up to the size of 10 large crickets

Silkworms are Highly Nutritious (High content of Calcium, Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Vitamins B1, B2, B3)

Silkworms are Silent

Silkworms Do not Escape

Silkworms have a Soft exoskeleton for maximum digestibility

Silkworms sit still when placed in terrarium, and will stick to branches and wait to be eaten

Silkworms are odorless

Silkworms do not pose a threat to the health or hygiene of your pet

Silkworms are welcomed by finicky eaters

---------------------------------------------------------------------
so you see i was wondering do they mean use silkies as staples???Can Silkies ever be used as staples????I have A Leo and im getting a Crested Gecko...i think maybe silkworms would be good as a treat but never a staple for geckos at least,i heard there high in fat and addictive for liards...any opinions/answers are welcome

ChristinaM · 07-13-04, 12:09 PM

Hey Paul,

I think the " high in fat and addictive..." you mention is in reference to waxworms....which, yes they are. Waxworms are treats.

Silkies however are excellent staples.

The only con ( IMHO) is that they are expensive. You are better off buying eggs and raising em up......but for only having a couple kritters, you might not find it too bad.

Personally, I get my silkie eggs, n' worms from www.canadianfeeders.com as the minimum charge to ship is less than silkworms.ca , and for other reasons ( feel free to pm if curious ).

hope that helps....

PDDM · 07-13-04, 12:42 PM

Thanks christina...well hmm they sound like good staples but im only getting the crested as a hatchling so eggs would prbably be best,i should probably check if there good for crested staples,but leos my leo seems to really like them..here though there a buck a piece!maybe ill order eggs

depends moneywise

ChristinaM · 07-13-04, 01:00 PM

np

You can get small wormies ( 1/2" ) that would be great for the crested. Then just raise some up to a bigger size for the leo.

My baby leo's are feed 1/2-3/4" silkies to start.
Because silkies are soft-bodied, you don't have to worry bout the size much ( well, I wouldn't feed a hatchling gecko a fullgrown silkie ). Less impaction risk for all critters that eat em.

WOW, they are definately expensive there. Definately worth your while to check out orderring them that's for sure.

Good luck.

PDDM · 07-13-04, 01:11 PM

My leo Is 10 months old she can eat full grown easily,the crested can probably eat silkies as a base diet,and theyd be perfect since the crestie is aboreal like it says: "Silkworms sit still when placed in terrarium, and will stick to branches and wait to be eaten"

put it in the branches and the crested can go eat it up,but i wanna make sure i get more opinions b4 feeding silkies as a staple for the crested gecko

PDDM · 07-13-04, 01:22 PM

I Might get this:

1000 Eggs for $25.00
50 Silkworms for $14.00

I missed The Shipping price though...To ship To quebec wiould be how much???ill probably only do that in 3 months though

ChristinaM · 07-13-04, 05:41 PM

Yep, I definately agree on getting more opinions. I'm not a crestie owner myself

Shipping depends on your location.
You could email the supplier ( canadian feeders: questions@canadianfeeders.com ) and give him what you were considerring getting, as well as your postal code, and he can give you a shipping quote ).

The only additional thing you would need is some food for the silkies ( and eggs once they hatch ).

PS: I have a leo name Aurora too LOL, she's a normal het albino

PDDM · 07-13-04, 05:52 PM

K,Im going to check and compare Prices and see who ill order from...

PDDM · 07-13-04, 05:55 PM

Heres From silkworm.com:

Silkworms 50 100 250
Small (1/2") $9 $15 $32
Medium (1") $17.50 $25 $55
Large (2") $20 $35 $75

* Please inquire for larger quantities.

Silkworm Combos
Small Size Combo 75 small silkworms, 75 medium silkworms, 1 lb prepared silkworm food $39
Large Size Combo 50 medium silkworms, 50 large silkworms, half lb prepared silkworm food Only: $39

Now heres From canadianfeeders.com:
Silkworms (12-25mm, approx. 1/2")
200 Eggs for $15.00
500 Eggs for $20.00
1000 Eggs for $25.00
50 Silkworms for $14.00
100 Silkworms for $20.00
250 Silkworms for $45.00
1/2lb Chow for $14.00
1lb Chow for $24.00

There all canadian prices so i think ill take the second site

justinO · 07-13-04, 07:58 PM

ummmmm, i went through the same thing when i got my frilled dragon.... basically i wanted to feed silkworms as his staple.

thing is, they are hard to keep, and almost everything kills them (water, touching them, some strong oders, too much/little heat.... and so on!) plus their food is expensive, and once they start to cacoon, they are usless as feeders.

I would reconsider, OR, I would just buy what you need for what you could use in a 2 week period.

Canadian feeders said that superworms might be better, cuz you can get a whole bunch of those suckers and just stick them in a bowl with oats/veggies and take them out as you need them....

just my thoughts.

Jessy

PDDM · 07-13-04, 08:17 PM

Well my leo doesnt like supers(long story),and The crested Will only be 2 weeks old,Id rather stick to mealies then Supers,but maybe super depends not for while though,there big bad boys.

ChristinaM · 07-13-04, 09:00 PM

I'm the opposite of Jessie, in that I have no probs at all with raising them. The only ones that I am "careful" with are the wee ones hatching from the eggs.

Other than that, I keep my silkies at a variety of temps, food is actually fairly cheap for the dry stuff ( not cheap compared to a bag of oats for supers, but oats are not nearly as nutritious either ). I would not recommend getting them wet ( as with all worms ) or subjecting them to extreme's in temps. Once you get the hang of it, they are very easy to keep IMO

( I'm sure you will get many opinions on this, like anything, everyone has their favorites ) Research of course is key to figuring out what works for both your animal and you.

If you get them cocooning, don't throw them out. You can feed the moths too. My leo's and dragons LOVE the moths. It's quite fun watching them attack their first moth

PDDM · 07-13-04, 11:06 PM

Moths??attack moths??

hehehe cant wait

yeah im pretty sure my leosafraid of supers since she ate 4 she was tramatized(as a juvie,what was i thinking

) she sure as heck aint afraid of silkies i think there her favefood group

justinO · 07-14-04, 11:01 AM

DAMN, now christianam has throw a big wrench in my ideas and info..... now i want to get silkworms again....
:P

i think i'll just wait to get an order of silks at the next reptile expo in september and manage off mealies/supers/crickets till then!

Jessy

ChristinaM · 07-14-04, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by justinO
DAMN, now christianam has throw a big wrench in my ideas and info..... now i want to get silkworms again....
:P

i think i'll just wait to get an order of silks at the next reptile expo in september and manage off mealies/supers/crickets till then!

Jessy

ROTFLMAO

nah, not trying to discount your thoughts whatsoever....everyone has their own opinions on em

I just happen to be a big silkie fan. There's ALOT of misconceptions, etc about them ( raising/keeping ) but once you get the hang of it, they can be soooo easy.

( I raise and feed supers and mealies too

ain't nuffin wrong with them )

Jessy, seriously, try to figure out what went wrong with your previous experiences with em, before you buy some more......no sense buying a bunch if they just gonna die anyways