so i'm tired of crickets, and i've been wanting to do silkworms for a while and I think i'm just going to start trying it. i had a few questions about it before I started though.

how fast do these guys grow before they start to cocoon?

how much food am I going to be looking at using for say 100 of them?

is it pretty easy to start breeding them?

and is this whole insane sanitary ritual for serious?

just a couple of qestions for now, i want to know what i'm get ing my self into before I start it.

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Gerp, Gerp, Gerp.

Hi there and welcome, sorry have not seen you around. Silkworms are a really good source of food! I am guseeing they will be for your frogs and gecko?

Well still remember to mix it up everynow and then...it is best for all insect eating herps!

Silkworms take about 6 weeks from hatching to start spinning a cacoon. They are easy to breed, they pretty much do it themselves. As for eggs I am not too sure if it is easy to try make them hatch ealier than their natual cycle. It can be done though.

when I have had silkworms I fed mine mulberry leaves, what are you going to be feeding them? I have seen that in America you guys can buy silkworm food...have no idea how long that lasts. I do know that silkworms eat alot! but if you have a mulberry tree near by it is free

never heard of it, i just kept mine in a shoe box and gave leaves...never worried about anything else? They had no problems whatso ever...never even had one loss!

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well then looks like i'm going to get this started!

yeah they have chow you can buy for them but I live in california and I guess mulbary trees are very common here. who knows, if I can't find one I may just plant on in my back yard

i had read that you need to clean their habitat twice a week and you have to use gloves with handeling them and if you take one out you can't put it back in because disease will spread through the colony and just crazy stuff.

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Gerp, Gerp, Gerp.

Yes they are very sensitive. There was a breeder of them not long ago that kept losing his due to some disease. Cleanliness with them is a must. The chow I dont know how long it lasts. 100 wont last that long, Id look into someother feeders too.

Also where do you plan on getting them from?

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I have never had silkworms die....over here even little kids keep them as pets at school and handle them all the time with no problems?

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i was going to get them from costalsilkworms.com

would 250 last long enough? i want to start breeding them to so maybe 500 would be better?

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Gerp, Gerp, Gerp.

They lay HUNDREDS of eggs...One female silkworm moth may lay as many as 500 eggs, so don't worry about having alot to breed with

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oh wow haha

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Gerp, Gerp, Gerp.

Devon, silkies must be more hearty in SA, looking at a silky wrong here will make it fall over dead. I lost about 75% of my last order.

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wow! that sucks!!!

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Don't be jealous the voices only speak to me...

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