pscaulkins":40878 said:
beardedwizard":40878 said:
amalsg07":40878 said:
So...I take it nobody is having problems with Mulberry.....
It's not the worms, it's the meal/food they feed the worms... If the food goes bad it grows bacteria very quickly and will kill off any worms that have eaten the contaminated food. Thus the bacteria is transferred to the worm, and then to your dragon! Please be careful, the same issue happened last year with a few batched of hornworm food, so I would not use silkworms for a while until this "scare" calms down.
THE BACTERIA CAN KILL DRAGONS, SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL
Hope all is well!
Anthony
Hello Anthony,
I just wanted to say it is not always the food. Silkworms can carry the bad bacteria in their guts and live for a while. Silkies are not the best feeders. I believe their con's out weigh their pro's. I used to sell silkies on the worm room. Once the virus came into the US over two years ago, I quit when my vet and lab said they can harbor the bad stuff and you won't know it for awhile. Meanwhile, you are feeding them off to your pets infecting them. I belong to a yahoo group that raises silkies for their silk. Some people have had issues with them melting in the last few weeks. This tells me that the virus may be back. The virus does not harm your pets but it sets the silkies up to get the bad bacteria. Also if you live in an area that is sprayed to kill gypsy moths, it will also harm your silkies.
If Mulberry Farms is having issues, please think twice about purchasing silkies from anywhere as everyone gets their supplies from them.
I agree with
pscaulkins on this one, Anthony. After a lot of research, I have found this is true, also. It's not always the silkie food and once you have the virus/bacteria it's difficult to get rid of.
As far as the hornworm thing, I read about that also and the worms were not the only factor to consider. If the beardie has a weak immune system, it is more likely that the bacteria will harm your beardie.
That said, I am still keeping the silkies, but I will not be feeding them...for a few reasons that I won't go into. I'm going to see how the ones that did cocoon do and if they produce any eggs. If they do, I'll try to raise that generation to adulthood, see if they cocoon and if they have any symptoms, if not, then decide on using them as a feeder again or not.
After reading so much, looking at published research, ect., I know that it is NOT always to blame on the food. The bacteria that sick worms have can harm your beardie, but in most cases, a healthy beardie will not become sick from the worms. Due to other research I have done (not on just silkies), I do not feel it is worth the risk.
So, there's my two cents for what it's worth,
Abi
