Hornworms

🔤 Taxonomy

Manduca sexta is the accepted scientific name used for this feeder guide.

Common names used in the feeder trade:

Hornworm
Tobacco hornworm
Manduca larva

📌 Description

Hornworms are large, soft, moisture-rich sphinx moth larvae. They are very useful for hydration support and for animals that need a soft feeder, but they grow extremely fast and become too large for many pets within days.

Feed a clean base diet plus fresh plant foods where appropriate. Gut-load for 24-48 hours before feeding when the feeder will be offered to predators. No feeder species is a complete diet by itself.

🌍 Distribution

The tobacco hornworm is native to the Americas and is associated with solanaceous plants. Feeder cultures use controlled diets and should not be released near gardens or crops.

For keeper practice, biosecurity matters more than a precise range map: commercial feeder and cleanup-culture invertebrates are moved far outside their natural ranges, and escaped animals should never be released or treated as harmless.

⚖️ Regulations and safety

Manduca sexta is not listed in the CITES Appendices in the official CITES checklist reviewed for this guide. No specific EU wildlife trade Annex listing was found for the species.

The EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation restricts species on the Union list; this guide does not treat Manduca sexta as a Union-list species. Local and national rules can still restrict live invertebrate imports, transport, breeding, sale, use in schools or workplaces, and disposal.

The Bern Convention is not normally relevant because this is not a European native protected-species care issue. Keep cultures secure, never release live feeders, and freeze surplus or unwanted invertebrates before disposal where local rules allow.

🤌 Husbandry

A practical culture needs correct temperature, airflow, clean food, controlled moisture, and a container that prevents escapes. Keep feeder cultures away from pesticides, aerosols, cleaning fumes, and wild invertebrates. Do not mix fresh shop tubs into a long-term colony without quarantine.

Good setup:

Smooth-sided plastic tub, cup, or ventilated culture box
Fine mesh or fabric ventilation sized for the feeder
Dry food or base medium separated from wet food where possible
Sorting container for feeding and cleaning
Clear date labels for cultures and purchased batches

💡 Lighting

Feeder invertebrates do not need UVB. A normal room day-night rhythm is enough. Keep cultures out of direct sun because small containers overheat quickly.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Recommended ranges:

Short-term holding: 15-18°C to slow growth
Active feeding/growth: 22-27°C
Avoid overheating sealed cups
Use before larvae become oversized

💧 Humidity and water

Moisture should be controlled rather than stagnant. Remove moldy food quickly, keep dry foods dry, and give moisture from safe foods or a small controlled damp area.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Use enough surface area and ventilation to prevent crowding, condensation, and odor. Keep cultures simple so dead animals, spoiled food, and mites can be spotted quickly. Clean small holding tubs between batches and refresh long-term cultures before they collapse.

🪳 Feeding

Useful foods:

Commercial hornworm chow in clean cups
Do not feed tomato, tobacco, or other solanaceous leaves to pet feeders
Keep frass and wet chow from smearing over larvae

Feed a clean base diet plus fresh plant foods where appropriate. Gut-load for 24-48 hours before feeding when the feeder will be offered to predators. No feeder species is a complete diet by itself.

🥚 Breeding

Breeding requires adult moths, flight space, host plants or prepared diets, and careful egg/larva hygiene. Most pet keepers should buy cups and manage growth speed rather than breed them.

Do not let breeding goals override feeder quality. Cultures that smell sour, contain many dead animals, or show heavy mites should not be used for sensitive animals.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems:

Mold from excess moisture or stale food
Mites from damp waste and old cultures
Escape through poor lids or oversized ventilation mesh
Nutritional imbalance when one feeder is used alone
Predator injury or impaction risk when feeders are oversized
Culture crashes from heat, crowding, pesticides, or contamination

📌 Conclusion

Use this feeder as part of a varied rotation, keep the culture clean, and match feeder size to the animal eating it. Culture hygiene is part of nutrition and safety.