[Number1Sticky]

The petstore that I work at sells hornworms and I was thinking of getting one for each of my leos. Are they ok to feed to leos? Not as a staple diet of course. I just wanted to try them out on special occasions.

Thanks for any help!!

[Debbie7054]

I've never heard of them until you mentioned them here. I'd love to get some for mine but it doesn't look like there are any suppliers in the UK yet. Their nutritional value is
Protein: 9%
fat: 3.07%
Calcium: 46.4mg/100g
Moisture: 85%
so they have a good level of calcium. I've seen a few videos of them being eaten by Leopard Geckos - I guess my only concern would be making sure that the ones you feed your geckos aren't too big. From the information I have found they grow very quickly although you can refrigerate them for a few days to stop that happening if they are growing too fast. They appear to be fairly soft though so impaction shouldn't be too big a problem I don't think.

I hope somebody on here can give an opinion if they've actually tried them as a food stuff. I like to vary the diets of my geckos and am always on the lookout for different options espcially when they have high calcium levels. I give mine Butterworms and Calciworms occasionally but not all of my geckos like them and silk worms are very expensive so I mine don't get those very often. Thanks for posting this question and bringing these worms to my attention. I just need to find a UK supplier now so I can give them a try.

[Nativeson]

I've used them in the past. My leos didn't care for them too much, yours may be different. They love silkworms if you can get those!!

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[Tokayy]

I use them with my leos and they enjoy them. They are quite juicy. I don't see a problem in using them as oppose to wax worms. Horn worms IMO are healthier than wax worms that many advise to stay away from.

However, you should not just feed horn worms. A diverse diet is key in keeping your gecko healthy. Feeding horn worms along with another good feeders will not, should not cause problems for your gecko.

[Ozymandias]

depends on the leo i have two that love them the rest could care less for them. my main problem about them was how big thay get.

[Tokayy]

Originally Posted by Ozymandias

depends on the leo i have two that love them the rest could care less for them. my main problem about them was how big thay get.

Different sizes are available from the pet store if you are nervous about the horn worm being too big.

[Ozymandias]

no what i ment was if you don't use them fast enough thay do grow and for me because only two would eat them (and it wasn't there main diet) the horned worms would grow out too fast, at least for me.

[Tokayy]

Originally Posted by Ozymandias

no what i ment was if you don't use them fast enough thay do grow and for me because only two would eat them (and it wasn't there main diet) the horned worms would grow out too fast, at least for me.

Oh I understand. Perhaps you should on buy a few as a treat. Like when I buy
mine, i only get a few cause they range from 1.50-2.00 for me depending on what pet store I go to. So I generally buy them as a treat and when I get home that's when my leos will get them. Perhaps you should try the same way. Then maybe your horn worms won't grow so big and will b used up a lot quicker.

buy less, and use them right when you buy them rather then letting them sit for a few days. It'll reduce your issue of the horn worms getting too big.

[Ozymandias]

lol i only bought them as an experiment there not that easy to find local to me

[Shermzilla]

My leos love them. lol I'm actually in the midst of starting a culture of them because my leos and my beardie destroyed the last ones I bought in record time....sometimes when they bite into them they squirt juices kind of gross, kind of awesome.