Care for one lone hornworm

So my dragon is going through a bit of a fast right now. She came out of brumation in January, and since then is quite active, but really isn't eating much. I picked up a hornworm a week or so ago and she gobbled it up, it was the last thing she ate (probably 7-10 days ago). I was at the pet store today, and grabbed three (medium) more. She ate two, but not the third.

What should I do with this last one? I'll try feeding it to her again tomorrow and hopefully she'll eat it in the near future. It came from the pet store in a little paper bag. Should I just keep it in there? Should I give it some veggies or something? Hopefully I won't have to worry about it for more then a few days, but just not sure what to do with it until she decides she wants to eat it.

Thanks!

If you don't have any hornworm chow for it, you can put it in an insulated bag and store it in a wine fridge or, if well insulated, a regular fridge in a pinch. That will slow it's systems down and they can be kept that way for few days.

keep it as a pet! hornworms are actualy friendly, even tho they smell like viniger :silent:

Ihassumbeardies":l3zwolnb said:

keep it as a pet! hornworms are actualy friendly, even tho they smell like viniger :silent:

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I find if you don't have the chow they don't last long. They'll gut load on butternut squash but a few days later they start to pulsate which means they'll try and pupate soon.

I have stopped buying them for now as I'm waiting on the next reptile expo so I can hopefully score some dry chow. My supplier only charges 1 dollar CDN per worm but only gets a shipment in once a week so I need to buy multiples otherwise they sell out fast. I think having the chow on hand will be the key to success in keeping them alive and not trying to pupate.

I've ended up feeding some to my larger tarantulas but it always feels like a waste as usually only half is eaten.


Edit : I've also noticed them cannibalize each other when no food is available. Odd creatures.

I find if you don't have the chow they don't last long. They'll gut load on butternut squash but a few days later they start to pulsate which means they'll try and pupate soon.

I think having the chow on hand will be the key to success in keeping them alive and not trying to pupate.

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They pupate at a certain point in development - I'd be surprised if additional food would delay that.

Taterbug":1ooewh8y said:

I find if you don't have the chow they don't last long. They'll gut load on butternut squash but a few days later they start to pulsate which means they'll try and pupate soon.

I think having the chow on hand will be the key to success in keeping them alive and not trying to pupate.

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They pupate at a certain point in development - I'd be surprised if additional food would delay that.

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I've heard that but I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced.

My old supplier would include enough food for two days with the worms but at a higher price point, they always seemed to last a bit longer. The new supplier doesn't include food (they come with a bit of chow in the box but not sent home).

I pick my own sizes so I always get the same size as my old supplier. Without food they seem to start pulsating almost over night. It would be interesting to see more information on the subject however :mrgreen:.

Regardless, especially at smaller instar sizes they really do need the chow to stay alive. But they are eating/pooping machines . The amount of chow the go through is amazing.

They also seem to do better in a slightly cooler environment. I keep most of my feeders in cabinets above my beardie vivs which are naturally a bit warmer due to lights and stuff. This doesn't seem to be too good for them so I've started leaving their containers on top of the shelf in the reptile/tarantula room instead.