Silkworm Care Guide Australia
Silkworms are a nutritious feeder and a great addition to the diet of many animals. Unfortunately they're also one of the trickiest to keep on hand.
This guide covers what silkworms offer in your reptile's diet, what keeping them day-to-day involves, and where they fit alongside the more mainstream feeder insects. For the full lineup, see our complete guide to feeder insects in Australia.
Quick takeaway: Silkworms offer an excellent calcium-to-phosphorus balance and easy digestion, but they eat only mulberry leaves, don't keep for long, and cost noticeably more than other staple feeders.
What Are Silkworms
Silkworms are the larvae of the domestic silk moth. They're soft-bodied, pale, and slow-moving compared to most feeder insects, which makes them easy for smaller or less food-driven reptiles to catch and eat.
Nutritional Profile
Their standout feature is a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio that is far superior to crickets, woodies, mealworms and superworms. They have strong protein content, low fat, and their soft exoskeleton is easier to break down than harder-bodied feeders — a combination that suits hatchlings and smaller reptiles particularly well.
Diet and Care Requirements
Here's the catch: silkworms eat mulberry leaves or a specialised mulberry-based chow, and nothing else. There's no swapping in vegetable scraps or grain the way you might with other feeders. Keep them at a mild room temperature, and check on them daily — they're not a "set and forget" feeder.
Storage and Shelf Life
Never refrigerate silkworms — cold temperatures cause them to die off rather than simply slow down, unlike mealworms. Kept at room temperature, they only last a week or two before moving toward the next life stage, so plan to use them quickly after they arrive rather than stockpiling.
Cost and Availability in Australia
Silkworms typically cost several times more per animal than mealworms, crickets, or black soldier fly larvae, and supply is generally seasonal and inconsistent. For most keepers, that rules them out as a staple and puts them in the "occasional extra" territory.
Where Silkworms Fit With Other Feeders
Think of silkworms as a rotation item rather than a base feeder — useful for variety, useful for fussy eaters, and a good option when a smaller or younger reptile needs something soft-bodied or high in moisture. For an everyday staple that carries the bulk of a feeding schedule, crickets, woodies and BSFL are more cost effective and frequently available.
Getting Started
Reptifauna doesn't currently stock silkworms, but we do stock all other standard feeders. You can view our range below:
Browse the wider range here: Live Insects
Final Thoughts
Silkworms are a great feeder and very nutritional, but the mulberry-only diet, short shelf life, and higher cost make them impractical as an everyday feeder for most keepers. Used occasionally alongside a reliable staple, they're a nice addition.
For more information to help decide on a practical, everyday choice, browse the complete guide to feeder insects in Australia.