So I ordered some Butterworms from a bait shop that sells them. They're from Chile and part of me is worried about what they eat, but I guess the same could be said of mealworms from the US, etc. They're high in calcium than mealworms or waxworms and still fatty, but less fat than waxworms. Anyone been feeding these?

I would not feed anything that hasn't been raised in the US for the pet trade.

Mulberry Farms

Rainbow Mealworms

Above are a couple of State Side websites you might check out.

I agree with Kim/Feather about only ordering within the US for pet consumption. Even then, you still need to be careful with bugs and worms.

This is the shop I ordered them from http://bestbait.com My understanding from researching butterworms is that they all come from Chile and are under strict import regulations in that they have to be irradiated before coming in so that they don't turn into moths to make larva because they are pests. The site says they are for exotic pets as well. Any ideas about if irradiated butterworms r safe?

I'm no help, I am pretty strict with my two. I expect their nutritional needs to come from their diet, and I only feed meal worms that I have fed to purge any afloxins from being corn fed.(just extra careful). Meal worms are only given as a treat. And for nail clipping they get extras.

I'm not sure what to do about the butterworms at this point. I tried feeding the smallest least plump one in the container that came. Yuki ate them just fine and wanted more. I tried one with Kara and she shook her head like crazy for a bit and then spit it out. The ones Kara had smelled chemically after she bit them but not before. Roxie tried one and she kept shaking the juices off her hands and then eventually dropped it. This morning the pouch they had the worms in had that chemically smell to it so I washed it. Part of me wonders if the very small ones have that smell while the big plumper ones do not. I haven't tried them yet. Supposedly Butterworms have a very pleasant fruity smell to them. These worms didn't smell until they were bitten into and once they were, it wasn't pleasant at all.

I just read where someone asked if they smell like cilantro and now that I think of it, that's sort of what I smelled. I don't like that smell.

I know this is an old post, but I fed butterworms. They are safe for your glider, but as you found out, not always *wanted*. They have a horrific smell (to me) and it took me months to get rid of that smell, after repeated washings, from their cage and bedding. I would never do it again...but the worms won't harm your gliders.