Silkworms vs Hornworms: Which Soft-Bodied Feeder to Use
I keep both silkworms and hornworms in rotation, and the question I get most often, "which one is better," has the wrong frame. These are premium feeders that sit a tier above roaches and crickets, but they do different jobs. Understanding those jobs is how you use them well instead of wasting money on the wrong one.
Nutrition: they split the wins
| Nutrient | Silkworms | Hornworms |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~9% | ~9% |
| Fat | ~1% | ~3% |
| Moisture | ~83% | ~85% |
| Calcium (mg/100g) | ~34 | ~46 |
| Phosphorus (mg/100g) | ~44 | ~15 |
| Ca:P ratio | ~0.77:1 | ~3.07:1 |
| Chitin | None | Minimal |
| Serrapeptase | Yes | No |
Protein is a tie at ~9%, and that's the headline both feeders share: these are not protein sources. Their value is in moisture, fat profile, and calcium. For protein your animal still needs a staple like roaches.
Fat: silkworms win. At ~1% fat they're three times leaner than hornworms. For fat-sensitive species, chameleons above all, that gap adds up over months of feeding.
Calcium: hornworms win, decisively. A ~3:1 Ca:P ratio means hornworms actually contribute to calcium balance instead of working against it. For animals at risk of metabolic bone disease or in high-demand phases like growth or egg-laying, that matters. The Merck Veterinary Manual covers why calcium balance is central to reptile bone health.
Hydration: hornworms, barely. 85% vs 83%. Both are excellent; for a dehydrated animal hornworms give marginally more water per gram.
Serrapeptase: silkworms only. Silkworms contain this proteolytic enzyme, which no other common feeder offers. Whether it delivers clinically meaningful benefit to reptiles is still debated, but it's a unique dimension.
Shelf life is the practical divider
This is where they diverge most in daily life.
Silkworms keep for 1-2 weeks at room temperature on mulberry chow. They grow steadily but manageably, and you can slow them slightly by keeping them cooler. Predictable.
Hornworms grow explosively. A small hornworm can triple or quadruple within days at room temp, so you're in a constant race to feed them before they outgrow your animal's prey size. Refrigeration slows them but is risky: too cold and they die. For a feeder you want to use over a week or two at a controlled pace, silkworms are far more forgiving.
Feeding response
Silkworms move slowly and deliberately, gripping with their prolegs. That works beautifully for chameleons stalking prey on a branch and for methodical hunters like leopard geckos.
Hornworms are bright blue-green and move actively. The color and motion trigger intense strikes, especially in bearded dragons and chameleons. They're the "excitement" feeder that gets a picky or off-feed animal lunging across the enclosure.
The real answer: use both
Silkworms and hornworms complement each other. A strong rotation built around a protein staple looks like:
- 3-4x/week: discoid roaches (protein staple)
- 2-3x/week: silkworms (low fat, serrapeptase)
- 1-2x/week: hornworms (hydration, calcium, enrichment)
That spread covers every macro and micro your animal needs while keeping variety high. If you want to start on the leaner side, browse silkworms at All Angles Creatures for mulberry-fed worms.
For more depth, see Silkworms 101 and feeding silkworms to chameleons.