Tomato hornworm?

[Treebiscuit]

Just wondering, we have an infestation of tomato hornworms. They're very pretty caterpillars but they're killing our tomato plants! So would these (organic) caterpillars be OK lizard food? Anybody tried this before?

--> They range in size from a child's pinky to almost a hotdog...

[louiedog32]

Eh...organic is thrown around all too often these days. Here's the thing, I have worked in a nursery for 5+ years and my supervisors are both very knowledgeable horticulturists...I'm telling you this not because I think you care but to let you know that I'm comfortable with such a subject.
Here are a few things you should ask yourself before you say your tomato plants are organic:
1) Did you grow your tomato from seed
2) if you grew them from seed did you buy the seeds from a brand name company?...most brand name seeds are not organic even if said to be
3) do you use any fertilizers to grow your tomatoes and if so are you sure the fertilizers are organic?
4) have you sprayed or used granular applications on your tomatoes for insect control and if so what kind?

If you are confident that your tomato plants are organic after that checklist, I survey the area you live to see if they may have come from a close by food source that is not organic.

Lastly, if you think the hornworms are pesticide free do not have high doses of man made fertilizers in them then they are safe to eat. HOWEVER, the smallest ones would be acceptable and no bigger, and one should be plenty for a whole week to two. Also, the actual horn can be damaging to some reptiles if swallowed and my local exotic reptile store will even suggest some people to clip the horns off before feeding.

If you ask me...too much work, I'd rather go a pet store and pick up some crickets or wax worms because I know what I'm buying is safe and of appropriate size for my geckos

[Treebiscuit]

1. Yes, the tomatoes are from a home garden and yes, they are organic by these standards.
2. The "horns" of the hornworms are soft (they look scary but are squishy).
3. The geckos completely ignored the one we put in their enclosure.

[ice gecko]

rule of thumb is not to feed anything from the outside to your geckos for the possibility of carrying something like a disease or pesticide. i dont know if there good to eat or not but personally i wouldnt feed your geckos them.

[Paradon]

I believe the tomato worms are poisonous if they have been feeding on tomato leaves because tomato leaves are poisonous. So, do not feed them to your animals. The one raise for reptiles are fed a different diet, some kind of chow, so they are perfectly safe.

[louiedog32]

Originally Posted by Paradon

I believe the tomato worms are poisonous if they have been feeding on tomato leaves because tomato leaves are poisonous. So, do not feed them to your animals. The one raise for reptiles are fed a different diet, some kind of chow, so they are perfectly safe.

Paradon you are right about the leaves making the hornworms toxic, I have completely forgot about that.

Originally Posted by Treebiscuit

1. Yes, the tomatoes are from a home garden and yes, they are organic by these standards.
2. The "horns" of the hornworms are soft (they look scary but are squishy).
3. The geckos completely ignored the one we put in their enclosure.

I may be mistaken about the "horns" it may have been even the mouths they tell come customers to clip off because they do have a nasty bite. Sorry, it was far past my bedtime and I not thinking clearly