I think the quality of life is just fine when raising them indoors. I guess I need to add that on my blog! tee-hee...

I don't put any little containers of water in my rearing containers but others do. I think it is an individual 'foster parent' preference thing. I've gone to the method of basically snapping off the top part of a Milkweed plant, checking for Aphids and other unwanted critters and plucking those leaves/parts off, then putting the plant section in with the caterpillars. Then, the 'bug,' as you call it, can climb around all it wants!

When a caterpillar hangs out for awhile, chances are that it is going to molt (shed its skin).

I think it is rather interesting that you think the Monarch larva is more bug-like than the BSTs. My mom would disagree with you. She thinks the Monarch larvae are prettier. But, then again, she doesn't like ANY of my caterpillars, as a whole, but aesthetically thinks the Monarchs are prettier. ;)

Sherry

They generally adapt very well being brought from outside to inside, in my experience. I rip off a couple of leaves, rinse them (with bottled water; my tap water (United Water) is simply awful), blot dry, put in a new diaper (piece of paper towel), cover the container with tulle, and leave it be. They'll occasionally go to the top and hang out for a day or so, possibly moving on up in instar or just pissy, who knows. When they're ready, they'll go back to eating. I try to give them the same milkweed that I picked them from, but sometimes that's not possible, but for the most part, they'll switch to a different milkweed. I try to stick to incarnata, although I have a few cats that I found on a syriaca, which I don't have alot of. The cats don't seem to like my curassavica at all, and I'm really clueless as to why (home grown and a few purchased plants).

I'd say if they go for a few days without eating, but moving around, there could be a problem. I recently had one that didn't eat for 2 days, so I inquired, and someone had suggested that it could be diseased. Of course I put off euthanizing it for as long as I could stand, which was 5 days. Since it hadn't eaten in 5 days, I finally gave in and put it in the freezer. I just had another that hadn't eaten in 3 days, and I was expecting to have to do it again, but it started eating and pooping this morning. Was I ever relieved!!!!

What kind of container are you using?

I think your questions have been pretty well answered. Your post made me chuckle. Your caterpillars have a pretty good QOL!

I have a picture to share with you. I took it two nights ago. It's of a BST that managed to avoid being brought in to be raised. Since I already have 30+ cats, I left this one to fend for itself. It seemed to be doing a pretty good job. But, I noticed that it was quite a beauty, especially in the evening sun. I agree that BST cats are quite beautiful. I'm not sure if they are my favorite as all caterpillars are so unique, and I revel in the beauty of all creatures! (Some creatures fascinate me with their absolute ugliness!)

Black Swallowtail larva on dill

{{gwi:522099}}

Sandy

Oh what a pretty little BST cat...just love those colors.

Now, down to Bug.

I have him in a gallon plastic jar where I cut out 2 sides so I could clean and put in new food, filed the edges to smooth out and put smooth clear packing tape over the edges so he didn't get hurt. Wrapped the whole thing in bridal tulle I thought I might need for BSTs. Put in newly purchased wooden shish kabob stick in case he wanted to climb.

He stayed perched up on indentation at top of container for almost a day but never shed skin...and didn't dirty the clean white paper towel anywhere...LOL.

I'm wondering if he's having an adverse reaction to the milkweed because I didn't think and washed leaves in tap water from well which goes through water softener and is heavy on the salt.

I figured he was going to molt as Miss Sherry mentioned but he didn't.

Salt overload???

He looks dehydrated...thinner than when I got him and his antennae are drooping to the point of curling at times.

Checked his sibling out in butterfly garden and he's still plump and eating like a little piggy. There's 2 more tiny cats I found but hesitating to see what happens with Bug before I endanger any more of the poor little things!

This morning Bug had finally pooped once and found him munching a little but not chowing down. I went outside and got a fresh leaf that I washed with bottled water. When I moved him from old leaf to new he was kind of "stuck" to it beyond feet hanging on tenaciously and I saw a teeny, tiny bit clear gooey subtance when he separated from old leaf.

Since around 5 this morning he ate the tiniest bit and now he's just sitting there again looking all pathetic and dehydrated.

I brought him out here to the garage with doors open so he could get some fresh air but he's still just sitting there with those droopy antennae. One antenna is even bent which I don't know is normal or not.

Don't know if he's just not happy with unnatural surroundings, if he was harmed by salt in softened water used to wash milkweed leaves, if he's sick from something else or just "pissy" as Tracey said.

When I checked his sibling in the garden his antennae weren't droopy at all so I'm thinking it's a sign of dehydration because they flex and flick antennae but I haven't seen photos of them droopy or curled up.

I know no one can diagnose my little Bug from afar but just let me know if you've seen droopy, curled or bent in the middle antennae on any of your Monarch cats and if they've bounced back or there's something wrong.

Can't post pics since don't own camera and wouldn't know what to do anyway.

I'm all "vaclempt" over my little Bug!

First, no need to wash the leaves. Your cats out in the garden aren't getting clean leaves. If there is any soil on the leaves or aphids, etc, I just brush them off with a paper towel.

Make sure the leaves are staying hydrated by sticking the stems in a container of water. Milkweed dries out rapidly.

Raising BFs is a learning process. Actually, other than providing them with a clean environment that they can't escape from and fresh food, there isn't much else they require. But things can go wrong.

Monarchs that are found in the wild can have problems as Tdogmom has written about in her blog. Her blog is probably the best info on Monarchs. She has done a lot of research into problems that occur when raising Monarchs.

Good luck, I'll be reading your posts and keeping up on the progress of your babies.

Sandy

Yeah, all you can do is keep feeding Bug and hope for the best. It's impossible to tell what's wrong. I honestly don't know why I rinse my milkweed, lol. They're rarely dirty, unless I had to pull the leaves from a short plant (like my baby syriacas), which are usually a mess. For the most part, I pull from the top (especially my pink incarnatas, which basically are either yellow or burnt looking on the lower leaves). I don't use pesticides. Maybe I'm just subconsiously trying to hydrate the leaves. I dunno. I did just realize that the last 2 days I haven't been rinsing the leaves that I've been bringing in for my lastest 2 big guys.
Just be sure to keep Bug isolated, in case he is diseased :(

I've got him outside on a chair in his enclosure.

He freaked out when the sun hit him so I moved the chair into a shady spot but he's getting a fresh little summer breeze.

He's eaten about a leaf in the past 3 hours and is just sitting now.

It's so different from the BSTs who just kept getting on tip of a little fennel, chomping down and doing the same thing over and over and over again even when I lifted or jostled the plant...LOL.

My little Bug freezes if I move the container one little bit.

If I bring the others in to raise I'll keep the 2 little babies in their own container and I can even take them back and forth with me so I can home more often.

Off to cook and prep for Dad's 81st! :)

Perhaps he needs a new pair of Anne Klein sunglasses? LOL!

Happy Birthday to your Daddy!!

Susan

Tell your dad Happy Birthday from all of us on the BF forum.

Thanks, guys.

I couldn't believe how he arched his back and was flicking his head back and forth in a paroxism of panic as if I'd trained a magnifying glass on him for goodness sake...LOL.

My niece said he had a right to freak out since he's usually under the milkweed leaves and not used to direct sunlight. This from one of the many people who think I'm nuts for raising the cats let alone having Bug in the house...LOL.

Bug seems to be doing much better than when I first brought him inside. Either that or he's tired of my talking his antenna off everytime I pass him and pretends to ignore me...LOL.

Now I'm taking a little piece of milkweed stalk off the plants and putting it in a cup of water in the fridge to harvest as needed for a day or two. Warned people in the house NOT to toss anything green into their salad that's standing in a cup of water in the fridge...LOL.

I also started putting the wooden skewers through folded or rolled milkweed leaves and Bug seems happier being able to crawl around and between suspended leaves as he would outside on the plant itself.

He's started the serious chowing down, has gotten longer and more plump. I think he just needed me to be patient and figure out his preferences during his "transition phase" from being free outside to his confinement inside.

It's for his own good and he'll thank me someday for it...
ROFL!!!