# cutworms question and hi



## kaida's mum (Oct 27, 2005)

hi every one firstly i would just like to say hi im new to this forum, im usually chatting on the american one even though i am in the uk ive only just found this one so hi , anyway my question is ive got a 3 1/2 month old bearded dragon and she's called kaida her main feeder is silkworms , vegies and she does have some zoo meds moist juvie pellets . ive just recieved an order of cut worms and ive been giving her a couple with her silkies in the morning and she really loves them but i cant find a nutrition guide anywere that shows if they are as good as silkies or as fatty as waxworms does anyone else know :?:


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## chocolatecolubrid (Apr 1, 2005)

Found a couple of references to them on the net, and they seem to be held alongside silkworms rather than waxworms. Found this:



> Other foods I keep to feed to my beardies are snails, earthworms, cutworms and silkworms (kinds of caterpillar). Wax worms are another type of moth larvae often fed to beardies, but they are high in fat and should only be given as a treat


Haven't seen anything yet to say they're fatty so hope this helps!!


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## t-bo (Jan 26, 2005)

Generally caterpillars are not that great nutritionally.. cutworms should really just be given for a bit of variety... not a staple diet.

Your beardie is a very lucky boy indeed if he lives on a diet of silkworms.. they love them and they are the most nutritionally beneficial feeder insect you can get!


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## kaida's mum (Oct 27, 2005)

yes she really does love her silkies, which works really great for me since i have a insect pobia (anything with more than for legs is not natural). ive even got 24 cacoons going at the moment and its my first batch so wish me look , thanks for your replies if anyone does find the nutrition content of the cutworm can they still let me know it would be great if i could compare it to the silkworm as cutworms are alot easier to look after. :mrgreen:


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## ReptileResort (Jul 25, 2005)

wax worms & silkies and so on are good but only as treats try not to over feed on waxworms, ect they must have a wide chose of foods , lots of veg and fruit 2 as you said wax worms are fatty food like locus and so on wax worms , locus , millworms and so on should only be given as treats over feeding will result in a very fat beardie , plus they can go off crickets and other staple food , just like some 1els beardies on here that would only eat locus , i have a diet sheet on my website for beardies if you get stuck


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## kaida's mum (Oct 27, 2005)

actually silkworms are the best staple you can get they are even better than crickets the whole part of a silkie is digestable were as the legs and outer shell of a cricket is not the silkies also have alot more moisture than a cricket so it keeps your bd hydrated there is also no risk of inpactation like there is with crickets because the silkies are soft bodied, also you dont have the worry of any left over silkies in you viv feading on your bd in the night like you do with crix aspecially if you dont use a separate feeding tank ive done some reading up on this and found that they are even better nutrition wise than anything else they dont even smell the only thing that does smell is there silkie food but thats not to bad , the only down side with silkies is that they are so fragile you have to steralize every thing that is going to be in contact with them if just one gets infected with anything then one by one they all die which is why im trying to find out the nutrition value of the cutworm as they are easier to care for and so if the nutrition is around the same i might switch to them as the silkies do take alot of looking after,


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## t-bo (Jan 26, 2005)

kaida's mum said:


> actually silkworms are the best staple you can get they are even better than crickets the whole part of a silkie is digestable were as the legs and outer shell of a cricket is not the silkies also have alot more moisture than a cricket so it keeps your bd hydrated there is also no risk of inpactation like there is with crickets because the silkies are soft bodied, also you dont have the worry of any left over silkies in you viv feading on your bd in the night like you do with crix aspecially if you dont use a separate feeding tank ive done some reading up on this and found that they are even better nutrition wise than anything else they dont even smell the only thing that does smell is there silkie food but thats not to bad , the only down side with silkies is that they are so fragile you have to steralize every thing that is going to be in contact with them if just one gets infected with anything then one by one they all die which is why im trying to find out the nutrition value of the cutworm as they are easier to care for and so if the nutrition is around the same i might switch to them as the silkies do take alot of looking after,


Yeah absolutly.. they are a much better staple than crickets 

I know what you mean about keeping the silkies.. its a real pain. When I have them I keep them on kitchen towel in clean cricket tubs, not only does this help absorb any moisture from the silky feed and general humidity, its also fairly easy to just pick the silkys of (with cleaned hands) and place in a new tub when they need cleaning.

On the cutworm note, I can (fairly confidently) gaurentee that they will not be nutitional enough for use as a staple diet... i'll keep looking for that info for you though.


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## dracowoman2 (Nov 6, 2005)

I've just got my silkies this morning with their chow.

Can you give me some advice on the best way to look after them?

Thanks

Claire


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## butterworms (Mar 27, 2006)

Hello guys,

Butterworms, although more expensive, are the best staple due to their high natural calcium levels...the colour and sweet smell of them makes the lizards go wild and will have any lizard eating in seconds.

They can grow up to 2 inches and are soft bodied like wax worms and silk worms.

If you want more info, let me know. My supplies will be ready by tomorrow evening.


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

They haven't finished researching the nutritional value of the curworms but are probably about the same as silkies


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## Andyman (May 16, 2005)

Can all these types of worms only be purchased by mail order as non of the reptile stores stock them :?


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