Silkworm eggs (First time)

[Preezy]

Hey guys. So i've had a beardie for a whole year now. I've gone from crickets (too much work and too smelly), BSFL (too small and expensive), Discoid roaches (Can't have dubias since im in FL, and discoids are EXTREMELY expensive..also Drake doesn't seem to care for them much), wax worms/butter worms (as treats), Hornworms (Great except they are very expensive and grow too fast), and his current staple which are superworms (easy to maintain, Drake loves them..but he seems to be getting fat now.

I recently ordered some silkworm eggs to try them out as an experiment. However, I'm completly clueless as to what exactly it is that i'm supposed to do after they have hatched. I bought a 1/2 lb of silkworm chow to go with them as well. Theres lots of guides around, but none of them are exactly clear when it comes to cleaning up their frass/picking them up "delicately" as they like to put it/ relocating/bedding. Some guides say to clean up after them, others say not to even bother. There are absolutely no videos or pictures about this either. Can someone show me exactly how to care for these without killing them? If i can successfully bring up a batch of silkworm eggs then i'd definitely want to make them his new staple since ive heard their the best. But all the online stores are either sold out or expensive. silkworm eggs are the alternative, and seem to be very economical. Help please

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hey guys. So i've had a beardie for a whole year now. I've gone from crickets (too much work and too smelly), BSFL (too small and expensive), Discoid roaches (Can't have dubias since im in FL, and discoids are EXTREMELY expensive..also Drake doesn't seem to care for them much), wax worms/butter worms (as treats), Hornworms (Great except they are very expensive and grow too fast), and his current staple which are superworms (easy to maintain, Drake loves them..but he seems to be getting fat now.

I recently ordered some silkworm eggs to try them out as an experiment. However, I'm completly clueless as to what exactly it is that i'm supposed to do after they have hatched. I bought a 1/2 lb of silkworm chow to go with them as well. Theres lots of guides around, but none of them are exactly clear when it comes to cleaning up their frass/picking them up "delicately" as they like to put it/ relocating/bedding. Some guides say to clean up after them, others say not to even bother. There are absolutely no videos or pictures about this either. Can someone show me exactly how to care for these without killing them? If i can successfully bring up a batch of silkworm eggs then i'd definitely want to make them his new staple since ive heard their the best. But all the online stores are either sold out or expensive. silkworm eggs are the alternative, and seem to be very economical. Help please

My approach - you want a spot about 22 -27degCelsius.

2L clear plastic tub , make sure it's clean and dry ( I F10 mine before using it )

I take it the eggs arrived from a commercial supplier in a little ziplock plastic bag maybe (?), unseal it open it up so it's airy but leave the eggs in there.

If they came stuck on bits of paper, leave them on the paper , place in the hatching tub and all else same.

Place the bag containing eggs in the tub, close the lid (airtight) and wait for tiny worms to start hatching (might be a few days to a few weeks), as the they start hatching start offering food - chow (follow the instructions on the bag the chow powder came in - make up small batches and store til needed in fridge) or tender mulberry leaves (better).

You'll need an artists' brush to gently handle the worms when little. Tooth picks work ok too.

Keep the in the airtight container or if not air tight, seal with clingwrap - this is to keep predatory house ants, roaches and small spiders out).
When they get to about 1/4" long , move them a ventilated 2 - 4 L tub lined with paper towelling.

You'll find the tiny worms will stay on or near their food, so it's easy to lift them out , bush them off, on to fresh food on a fresh bit of scot towel.
More important to remove the poos when they get bigger, I simply have 2 tubs , one clean and waiting, the other being used, they move over every day and I then remove the poo and re-F10.

http://www.peacefulsilkworms.com.au/?page_id=407

Easy.

 

[Preezy]

my eggs should actually be arriving glued onto a sealed petri dish. Which is why im confused as to how to go about it. Im confused about relocating. Using a brush to handle them, how does this work? How do i get them off the old food without killing them? and how to go about cleaning up their frass and old food most of all. I know the biggest killer can be bacteria formed by mold...