recently I found a couple nests of tent caterpillars on a tree in my backyard. i'm wondering if they are a safe food for skinks to eat. we have a blue tounged skink and another different species of skink (don't remember what it was).

the caterpillars and tree haven't been sprayed with pesticides or other fertilizers, so there safe when it comes to human made chemicals.

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I was wondering the same thing for my frogs....

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I wouldnt. They cause MRLS in horses. Why no one knows, and I think birds dont even eat them. Id be afriad to feed them for the fact that they may eat soemthing in the wild that will make them posionus to the reptile. Heres some from Wiki about them. So like hornworms ( I think thats one of them) they eat something in the wild and are very dedly to animals. But in captive care and breed status they dont eat what causes that. So my answer on this is no.

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Looks like you got your answer. However, to deviate off topic a bit, you mentioned you don't know what your other skink is. If you could describe it or post a picture we may be able to help you ID it, which would better ensure you're providing the proper care. Plus it's always just nice to know what you have

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

we had found what it was on a skink site. just don't remember offhand :P


as for the caterpillars, they aren't on a cherry tree. but I wont risk it anyway.
ty for the info.


hmm...on a side note...if I were to put them in a container until they changed to moths, would the moths be safer? or could they still carry the toxins that they had as caterpillars?

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Many moths and butterflies retain the poison of their larval forms, like monarch butterflies. Whether tent moths do this, and whether the caterpillars are truly that bad, I'm not sure, but they're probably not that good. Better safe than sorry, I'd leave the caterpillars and the moths as well.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

I wouldnt try it at all. NO sense in risking it.


What Matt said lol.

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on a side note I got Isabel to eat a waxworm!

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I agree with Matt...there is no sense of risking the life of your reptiles with wild caught food when there is plenty of "for sale" insects on the market....good luck with your skinks...so what kind is that other one??? hahaha

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Warmest Regards from Lyn