Small Hornworms

*OUR SMALL HORNWORMS WILL BE EGGS OR VERY TINY HORNWORMS WHEN THEY ARRIVE AND WILL NOT REACH THE SAME SIZE AS OUR MEDIUM. THESE ARE MEANT FOR VERY SMALL PETS. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE EGGS OR TINY HORNWORMS IN THE CUP. WE SEND THEM SMALL BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ORDERING THEM HAVE VERY SMALL PETS TO FEED, AND IF WE SENT THEM AS WORMS INSTEAD OF EGGS, YOU MIGHT RECEIVE THEM TOO LARGE. HORNWORMS GROW VERY FAST, AND IF THE SHIPPING CARRIER IS EVEN 2-3 DAYS BEHIND, THEY CAN GROW TOO LARGE IF WE DON’T SEND EGGS.

IMPORTANT: Our small hornworms come in a small 8oz cup. These are an “economy” cups that no other seller offers. They are not meant to grow very large in this cup, and we expect you to feed these off quickly to avoid them growing too large or running out of food.

Hornworms are the larvae of the Hawk Moth/Sphinx Moth (Manduca sexta). In the wild, they feed primarily on the leaves of plants such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, tobacco, and others, which makes them a common garden pest. However, they are much more desirable in captivity as food for insectivorous and omnivorous reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

NEVER feed wild hornworms to your pets, as the tomato leaves and plant they like to eat in the wild, are toxic and can make your pet very sick!

How often can hornworms be offered?

Hornworms can be offered as feeders somewhat consistently, however, we never recommend feeding only hornworms to your pet. As long as you are feeding more dubia than hornworms, your pet will be just fine. But hornworms are lower in protein and fiber, so feeding a lot of hornworms will result in runny stools. When your pet eats a varied diet of insects that includes hornworms as part of the rotation, your pet will receive more balanced nutrition and produce more normal stools.

Do hornworms need to be dusted with calcium?

Hornworms generally have a good calcium to phosphorus ratio, so you don’t need to worry about dusting them with calcium before feeding them to your pet.

Tips on caring for your hornworms:

Each cup contains at least 12-24 worms and enough food to grow them to 1-2" within a week. They may start small, but they grow fast!

The habitat provided is a fully functioning enclosure for hornworms. After receiving your hornworms, place the cup with the lid facing down. The hornworms will crawl up the screen to the food and the feces will drop to the lid for easy cleaning. Make sure to provide airflow to the lid for adequate ventilation.

The reason we choose to send smaller worms is to provide the customer with a fresh cup and the ability to grow them to the size they want, as quickly or slowly as desired. If you would like them to grow fast, keep them 80°F+; for normal growth, 72°F; for slow growth, 50°F.