Butterworms - yes or no

[kueluck]

I've read several places on butterworms, so now I'm looking for your opinions. I have Fowler's toads & Cope's Grey tree frogs. Yes or no to feed them to my critters.

[JeffreH]

I can't comment on Butterworms (Also commonly known as "Trevo Worms", C. moorei) specifically as a feeder for the species you described, but I can give you the nutritional/safety aspect of them as a feeder in general.

These are larvae of the Chilean Moth, usually imported into the states from South America and treated with radiation to prevent breeding. I don't believe the radiation treatment is harmful - I know of many who swear by these as a feeder and have fed hundreds, even thousands of them to their growing and breeding herp collection with absolutely no ill-effects. They have a very high calcium content, but they are a little on the fatty side... they make great occasional treats though. Having a nice soft exoskeleton is always a plus for digestion and most herps really like them... I feed them from time to time although they are a little pricey for my liking.

I do know in the Rhacodactylus gecko community, there was an incident involving butterworms that resulted in some kind of strange "burns" from a fluid that came out of the worms. There has only been once incident of this to my knowledge, so it was likely a fluke that came from an unusual bad batch of worms.

[Niels D]

I'm giving them as a treat, because they're indeed pretty pricey. My animals really seem to enjoy them and I like the fact that they contain a lot of calcium. Oh yeah, and they just look nice....

[kueluck]

Thanks for the input. There's a place in SC that has them 100/$17 and since I only have 4 critters to feed, for me that's pretty inexpensive, plus the site states that they can keep up to 6 months in the frig. They also have roaches 100/$5 but I just don't know if I can bring myself to bring them in the house on purpose. I'm just looking to add variety to their diet. At this point I feed crickets, earthworms, mealworms & waxworms. Plus the occational moth or house fly that makes it into the house that the cats don't get to.

[JeffreH]

Variety is always best, if you have no problem with the price then I'd go for it = )

I'd liken them to a waxworm whose a little less fatty and supercharged with a high calcium content; definitely a decent snack from time. As Nels D said, they certainly are pretty and most of my herps do enjoy them.

Something else you can try for more variety that is better accepted a staple feeder are things like Silkworms and Solider Grubs (often coined as phoenix worms or calci-worms). Both are fairly expensive, although silkworms may be one of the best feeders you can get your hands on when it comes to the nutritonal benefits we most often look at for herps. High calcium, extremely lean, and they also contain helpful enzymes that have benefits on the human cardiovascular system and breaking down arterail plaque. You can sometimes come across sample cups of either of these larvae at some shows; or they can be ordered online (places like Mulberry Farms - Silkworms and other premium feeder insects ). Not swaying you away from anything, just figured I'd include these in case you were unaware of them as a feeder.

As for roaches; I know they can be hard to accept into the house - But I assure you the species sold as feeders couldn't do anything harmful even if you wanted them to = ) What species is this place selling? Thats a good deal for roaches...

[kueluck]

The roaches are B. lateralis (a.k.a. Turkistan roach). I tried the phoenix worms and had a bad experience with that. They were coming out whole and still alive. I wasn't told you needed to poke them with a pin first. I found this out from the supplier thru Josh's. I've been looking for a place near NC for silkworms, just haven't found one yet, so thanks for the info. I just want to keep them healthy and happy.