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Feeders Any and all issues about raising rats, mice, or anything else that you feed your cornsnakes.

Can hornworms be fed to a corn snake?
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Old 09-15-2016, 05:33 PM   #1
Dennis Cada
Question Can hornworms be fed to a corn snake?

Last week at a reptile show I got a kit with 12 hornworms for free at a reptile show intending to feed them to a tiger salamander I have. It consisted of an upside down deli cup with food for the hornworms at the top, plastic grids in the middle for them to hang onto, and a screen in the lid for air. Their poop would drop onto the lid which I opened to empty the poop every day or two.

The problem is that the salamander can only eat 1-2 a week, the hornworms have gotten huge, and the food is almost gone. I'd rather feed them to the snake, if I can, rather than have them just die.

Of course, this wouldn't be a permanent change of diet, but rather an attempt to use the hornworms before I lose them.
 
Old 09-15-2016, 06:24 PM   #2
hypnoctopus
I doubt your corn snake would even eat them if you offered them. That being said, corn snakes don't naturally eat bugs, so I would not try to feed them to my snake.
 
Old 09-15-2016, 06:34 PM   #3
Dennis Cada
OK, but would it be worth a try with a big one, or could the hornworm somehow injure the snake or make him sick?
 
Old 09-15-2016, 11:27 PM   #5
hypnoctopus
Like I said, it's not something I would try. At best it would be harmless but not beneficial, and at worst, it could have a negative affect on your snake. I don't know much about horn worms, but most living things have some defense mechanisms to ward off predators.

You could always try giving them away to someone who might need them for their bug eating critter.
 
Old 09-15-2016, 11:46 PM   #6
HerpsOfNM
To stir the pot a tad, just some food for thought....

copperheads have been regularly documented to prey upon caterpillars. But we're talking a venomous snake that may be capable of subduing the caterpillar via venom such that the caterpillar can no longer chew.

http://www.southwesternherp.com/snakes/pictigaster.html
 
Old 09-16-2016, 09:35 AM   #7
daddio207
I would not feed horn worms to a corn snake. Even if your snake ate it horn worms are mostly water and have very little nutritional value. They are great for rehydrating lizards.

A couple of years ago our local pet supply store that sells a few live animals had a corn snake baby escape. A few months later they finally recaptured it. It had double its size while on the run. The only food item that was also escapees were crickets. The staff could only surmise that the corn snake survived on and doubled its size by eating crickets..

Here's a good article on snakes that eat food items other than rodents.....

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatre.../#.V9vvlZgrLIU

(for people who land on this thread while searching for topics similar to this )
 
Old 09-16-2016, 09:53 AM   #8
axis1
What's a horn worm?
 
Old 09-16-2016, 02:02 PM   #9
DollysMom
Quote:
Originally Posted by axis1 View Post
What's a horn worm?
https://www.amazon.com/Manduca-sexta.../dp/B00ENWXC2E

If you ever grow tomatoes you'll see one sooner or later.
 
Old 09-16-2016, 03:15 PM   #10
Karl_Mcknight
Can you believe that? They want a buck a piece for those critters. Anyone with a garden can't get rid of them.

I'm in the wrong business.
 

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