Silkworms?

[i_love_necturus]

I was wondering if live silkworms (Bombyx mori) would be a good feeder for salamanders, mudpuppies especially. I got a rearing set for them and plan on breeding the adults, they produce a lot of offspring so it would be a plentiful food source. The worms are actually caterpillars and eat some "silkworm chow" that they came with. I think it's some mixture of mulberry leaves and other nutrients. Mulberry is the only food source so they would be non-toxic. Also, I've seen them for sale at online herp-food places.

 

[John]

As far as I can recall there's nothing wrong with feeding them to newts. I advise you to get another opinion just in case though.

 

[i_love_necturus]

OK, I'll wait for another opinion, It'll be awhile untill I'm able to feed them.

 

[newtron]

OK, I'll wait for another opinion, It'll be awhile untill I'm able to feed them.

Ive fed them to my tiger salamander without any trouble, and they should be fine for any other species

 

[xrdb3x]

I feed these to my Eastern newts, and I think that they are by far they're favorite food. i feed them all sorts of different things chopped earthworms, flightless fruitflys, moths that get in the house, but the movement of the silkworms seems to stimulate feeding behavior far more than anything else I've offered.

 

[i_love_necturus]

Good

Hmmm, interesting. I have 3 large silkworms right now but I don't intend to feed them to the mudpuppy, I'll wait untill they turn into moths, mate, and lay eggs. Then I'll have a LARGE supply. This will be great, save me the many trips to the baitshop for nightcrawlers. It'll also be a treat for the mudpuppy because the only thing I've ever fed her was nightcrawlers and I've had her over 4 months now. I do plan on trying frozen silversides in the mean time. I think I'll pick them up tomorrow.

 

[fishkeeper]

I don't know if they are worth it for aquatic salamanders. I can tell you that the newly hatched silkworms are adored by terrestrial morphs I've tried them with(C. e. popei, C. orientalis).

It would be easier for aquatic sallies to start a worm bin, unless you have access to a lot of pesticide free mulberry trees. Also, caterpillars probably don't constitute a significant portion of the diet of wild aquatic salamanders.

 

[shorty]

Overall, silkworms are nutritious. I believe they're high in calcium and protein and low in fat. They may only be good for terrestrial species because you have to keep silkworms dry. As soon as they hit water they shrink up and die.

 

[i_love_necturus]

I don't think water will pose a problem to the silkworms because if the mudpuppy takes to them like she does to worms, the silkworm will be gone before it could even think of drowning.

The first of the three is currently making its cocoon right now.

 

[freves]

Hey Ryan,
As I have mentioned before in previous threads I am a huge proponent of offering a wide variety of food to captive animals. I think it is great that you are attempting silkworms however in my experience they are a lot of work. As Joseph mentioned having access to a mulberry tree will help a lot. Hopefully your Necturus will enjoy them. Good luck.
Chip

 

[i_love_necturus]

There is a mulberry tree in my area except I was gonna feed them silkworm chow as sold by Mulberry Farms on their website.

 

[fishkeeper]

I've heard that if you want to breed silkworms chow is not very good as many silkworms don't do well on chow(I hear there are some strains bred to be able to live and breed on it though).

I would keep your breeding stock fed with mulberry leaves and grow out the ones you plan to feed the mudpuppy on the chow.

 

[i_love_necturus]

The chow I have (sold by insectlore) is different than other silkworm chow and enables them to breed. I will look into getting chow in bulk from them rather than Mulberry Farms, because as you said the chow sold by them isn't good for breeding.

 

[shorty]

Please let us know how it goes! I'm curious! I brought a pair of silkworms into show my preschool kids and couldn't keep them alive over the weekend with their fake mulberry food. Hopefully the moths will mate and give you lots of eggs! I'm excited for you. They're the most expensive food to buy up here.

 

[Ed]

Silkworms have a terrible calcium to phosphorus ratio (1:13 ratio of Ca) which means that if they are fed as a major portion of the diet, they can cause one of the classic forms of MBD...
They do contain significant levels of fat 43% on a kcal basis (or about 4 times as much as an earthworm on a kcal basis or about 50% less than a wax worm.

I would suggest using them as a an occasional item or if they calcium to phosphorus ratio is adjusted used as a conditioning food for reproduction.

Ed

 

[i_love_necturus]

Oh yes I never mentioned, the silkworms would be a treat, maybe once a week seeing that I feed her 3 times a week on nightcrawlers. I would only feed them in bulk if my nightcraewler provider was out of 'em.

 

[Ed]

If you are feeding your axolotls three times a week and offer silkworms as one of the feedings then one third of the feedings are going to be of silkworms....

This can be a significant portion of the diet...

Ed

 

[i_love_necturus]

Well I'm not sure yet, I don't even have adult moths o breed with. I just have 2 cocoons and a third being formed right now, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

BTW I don't have axolotls, I have a mudpuppy.

 

[i_love_necturus]

Update on the silkworms:
One moth hatched a few weeks ago (male) but no females hatched during the time that it was alive. They only live 1 week as an adult so he died before any others could hatch. I'm still waiting on the two other cocoons to hatch into (hopefully:uhoh a male and a female. If they don't then my plan is usless.

I'll update if any hatch.

 

[i_love_necturus]

My plans are ruined! Today I slit the cocoons (wouldn't harm the pupae inside) to check on them and to my surprise i found a hatched female inside the cocoon, she never got out! So then I slit the other cocoon and inside was a dead pupae (male). So if they both hatched I would have had the air I needed! Darn!

Now I can't feed Bart the silkworms.