Horn worms?

Blue_the_beardie

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Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Blue
So I have some horn worms that I got for my beardies birthday. They grew SO big way to fast. I just learned you can freeze them to slow the process but that's a bit to late. I know you can cut them but I don't think I have the guts for that 🤮. What do you do with your large worms in the winter? In the summer I'll put them outside and they will normally get picked up by birds pretty fast. But its winter right now and I have no idea what to do with them. Any ideas?
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
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Freezing them will kill them. You can slow their growth while they are still small by keeping them at colder temperatures, but not freezing. The cooler temperature slows their metabolism and their want to eat, so they grow slower in the cold.

If they are too big for your beardie now then there isn't much you can do. Perhaps take them to a local pet store and let them feed them to their animals. I'm sure they would appreciate that and at least the worms wouldn't go to waste.

If you are really into it, let them pupate and turn into moths and start a breeding project. You'll have plenty of small worms that way lol.

-Brandon
 

xp29

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Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
Freezing them will kill them. You can slow their growth while they are still small by keeping them at colder temperatures, but not freezing. The cooler temperature slows their metabolism and their want to eat, so they grow slower in the cold.

If they are too big for your beardie now then there isn't much you can do. Perhaps take them to a local pet store and let them feed them to their animals. I'm sure they would appreciate that and at least the worms wouldn't go to waste.

If you are really into it, let them pupate and turn into moths and start a breeding project. You'll have plenty of small worms that way lol.

-Brandon
I always let mine pupate when they get to big to feed. The moths are beautiful. Most of my guys have been afraid of the moths and wouldn't eat them.
We have discovered though that Stumpy takes great joy in chasing them 😀 he hasn't caught one yet but it's great exercise for him.
 

NickAVD

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Foxy
I don't let them grow too big. If I see that Foxy won't be able to eat them all, I freeze the surplus that haven't had time to grow big yet.
Then I defrost them in hot water and Foxy eats them.
There is a little trick when defrosting. You need to use hot water of about 140F and defrost for 1-2 minutes. This is important. If the water is too hot, the protein can cook, if it is too cold, the worms will defrost too long and turn into a "rag".
p.s.: I would not recommend storing them in the freezer for more than 2-3 months.
 

ChileanTaco

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Taco
Freezing them will kill them. You can slow their growth while they are still small by keeping them at colder temperatures, but not freezing. The cooler temperature slows their metabolism and their want to eat, so they grow slower in the cold.

If they are too big for your beardie now then there isn't much you can do. Perhaps take them to a local pet store and let them feed them to their animals. I'm sure they would appreciate that and at least the worms wouldn't go to waste.

If you are really into it, let them pupate and turn into moths and start a breeding project. You'll have plenty of small worms that way lol.

-Brandon
Absolutely agree on that!
Freezing will kill them for sure. Refrigerating might work, but likely only for a short period.
Cutting them up: Most beardies won't eat insects that don't move.
I would for sure let them pupate (I know these moths from the wild), if not knowing somebody who can use them for their larger animals.

(No personal experience with hornworms as feeders as I can't get them here.)
Then I defrost them in hot water and Foxy eats them.
So your dragon seems to eat insects that are not moving? Or do you have to trick him into eating them?
 

NickAVD

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Foxy
So your dragon seems to eat insects that are not moving? Or do you have to trick him into eating them?
Yeah, it's not a problem for him.
He has excellent "pattern recognition". He'll close his eyes if you offer him a leaf of greenery, but if you show him a worm, he'll immediately open his eyes, his pupils will shrink (he's in hunter mode lol) and he'll immediately grab it with his tongue.
I think it's an acquired reflex that overrides the instinct to only eat things that move.
After all, dragons are very smart and easy to learn.
 

ChileanTaco

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Taco
Yeah, it's not a problem for him.
He has excellent "pattern recognition". He'll close his eyes if you offer him a leaf of greenery, but if you show him a worm, he'll immediately open his eyes, his pupils will shrink (he's in hunter mode lol) and he'll immediately grab it with his tongue.
I think it's an acquired reflex that overrides the instinct to only eat things that move.
After all, dragons are very smart and easy to learn.
Mine leaves back any insect that's not moving enough. He selects only what moves enough, also when eating from a bowl, and if it's not moving he's recognizing it as "semi-food" like if I had offered something spoiled and looks with his "human, fix that!" look.
When he accidentally bites a large worm (the largest ones I have are superworms) into halves, and the half that's falling down is the front part and moves, he eats it too. If it's however the "tail" part and thus not walking around - no way.

After all, dragons are very smart and easy to learn.
Totally agree! I have plenty of examples. But just bugs that don't move seem to be somewhat unappetizing for him.
 
Last edited:

NickAVD

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Foxy
Mine leaves back any insect that's not moving enough. He selects only what moves enough, also when eating from a bowl, and if it's not moving he's recognizing it as "semi-food" like if I had offered something spoiled and looks with it "human, fix that!" look.
When he accidentally bites a large worm (the largest ones I have are superworms) into halves, and the half that's falling down is the front part and moves, he eats it too. If it's however the "tail" part and thus not walking around - no way.


Totally agree! I have plenty of examples. But just bugs that don't move seem to be somewhat unappetizing for him.
I noticed that Foxy eats first of all those cockroaches that run faster. But with worms he does it differently, maybe he likes them and he does not think about the fact that they are motionless, or maybe he knows that worms themselves are very slow by nature and does not pay attention to the fact that they are motionless.
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
Mine leaves back any insect that's not moving enough. He selects only what moves enough, also when eating from a bowl, and if it's not moving he's recognizing it as "semi-food" like if I had offered something spoiled and looks with his "human, fix that!" look.
When he accidentally bites a large worm (the largest ones I have are superworms) into halves, and the half that's falling down is the front part and moves, he eats it too. If it's however the "tail" part and thus not walking around - no way.


Totally agree! I have plenty of examples. But just bugs that don't move seem to be somewhat unappetizing for him.
Sweet Pea was bad to bite superworms in half. Like Taco she'd eat the front if it moved but NEVER the back. I always had to clean thise up
 

Blue_the_beardie

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Blue
I always let mine pupate when they get to big to feed. The moths are beautiful. Most of my guys have been afraid of the moths and wouldn't eat them.
We have discovered though that Stumpy takes great joy in chasing them 😀 he hasn't caught one yet but it's great exercise for him.
I've always wanted to do that! What do you do with them afterwards?
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
Whatever you do, don't release them if your neighbors are growing tomato plants. Unless you hate your neighbors.

-Brandon
Tobacco plants also. I'm from Kentucky originally. Farmers used to pay me to walk through the Tobacco crops and kill them. Now I buy the darned things..... Karma and irony 💩😡
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Their benefit of seeing their beauty outweighs any damage they may cause to vegetation and I say let them free !!

JK really, but I would love to see them flying free. I take lots of butterfly pictures when I can, any insect really.
And my dragons will eat a freshly killed feeder insect too, I just poke it around and they pounce.
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
Their benefit of seeing their beauty outweighs any damage they may cause to vegetation and I say let them free !!

JK really, but I would love to see them flying free. I take lots of butterfly pictures when I can, any insect really.
And my dragons will eat a freshly killed feeder insect too, I just poke it around and they pounce.
They are native in Kentucky where I'm from. They are quite beautiful. When they hatch it reminds me of home and makes me a little homesick.
 

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