Caterpillar ID please - hes scary!

chilly · #1 (**permalink**) 19-08-2011, 06:47 PM

Hi my cat has found this caterpillar in the garden and i dont know what he is or what to do with him as i dont want my cat or a bird to eat him!. hes kind of brown with what look like eye markings onone end and a little sticky up spur on his bottom. If you even slightly go near him he goes rigid and starts throwing himself around

He's quite scary really!

Oy · #2 (**permalink**) 19-08-2011, 07:05 PM

Hi Chilly

Looks like an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar.

chilly · #3 (**permalink**) 19-08-2011, 07:19 PM

can i keep him in a fish tank? or is that cruel?

Ladywell · #4 (**permalink**) 19-08-2011, 07:23 PM

My adivce would be leave him where his is. He will pupate in the soil and turn into the most beautiful moth next year. Was he near fuchsia or bog bean?

Kreacha · #5 (**permalink**) 19-08-2011, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilly

can i keep him in a fish tank? or is that cruel?

He might be alright if you give him a snorkel

chilly · #6 (**permalink**) 19-08-2011, 09:43 PM

LOL He is now residing in said fish tank with soil to burrow in and a rather large amount of fuschia although he doesnt seem interested in eating it.

Will keep him for a few days and see how he goes but we dont have many flowers in the garden just a whole load of 10 yr old footballers who were tramping about today and had the cat not been throwing "wormy" about on the lawn they would have probably stood on him.

We also have alot of birds in the garden so i'm gonna try and rear him myself so he doesnt get eaten or squashed - bless em he's horrible but cant bear the thought of him being killed.

"wormy" by the way is what my 4 yr old daughter has named him!

Kreacha · #7 (**permalink**) 20-08-2011, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilly

LOL He is now residing in said fish tank with soil to burrow in and a rather large amount of fuschia although he doesnt seem interested in eating it.

Will keep him for a few days and see how he goes but we dont have many flowers in the garden just a whole load of 10 yr old footballers who were tramping about today and had the cat not been throwing "wormy" about on the lawn they would have probably stood on him.

We also have alot of birds in the garden so i'm gonna try and rear him myself so he doesnt get eaten or squashed - bless em he's horrible but cant bear the thought of him being killed.

"wormy" by the way is what my 4 yr old daughter has named him!

Hi Chilly, he probably won't eat now as he is looking for somewhere to pupate. I reared one last year too - "Ern". After being in a tank for a day he dug into the compost and pupated and this year he emerged into an absolute beauty. I felt really proud when I released him and he flew off into the night

chilly · #8 (**permalink**) 20-08-2011, 01:38 PM

awww you brought a tear to my eye then ! Wormy isnt very happy i dont think. He's not eating despite the fact ive trawled every local country lane to find what google told me he likes to eat!

You may be right and hes about to pupate, is there anything i should do for him? Sprays with water? also how deep soil will he need to bury himself in.

Cant bear to just let him free and not know if he makes it. I'm also a little concerned the cat may have harmed him before i got to him although there are no signs of damage.

Cant believe i'm so hooked on this creature - normally they have to have fur for me to like them!

Did you take pics of your moth so i know what to expect if we managed to get him to that stage?

Kreacha · #9 (**permalink**) 20-08-2011, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilly

awww you brought a tear to my eye then ! Wormy isnt very happy i dont think. He's not eating despite the fact ive trawled every local country lane to find what google told me he likes to eat!

You may be right and hes about to pupate, is there anything i should do for him? Sprays with water? also how deep soil will he need to bury himself in.

Cant bear to just let him free and not know if he makes it. I'm also a little concerned the cat may have harmed him before i got to him although there are no signs of damage.

Cant believe i'm so hooked on this creature - normally they have to have fur for me to like them!

Did you take pics of your moth so i know what to expect if we managed to get him to that stage?

I put about 2 inches of compost and then a layer of leaf litter on the top. I also put a couple of sturdy twigs for him to climb up and dry out when he eventually emerged. I housed him in my shed over the winter (the house is too warm). In the spring, I started to occasionally give the compost a light spraying of water. And here he is.......

chilly · #10 (**permalink**) 20-08-2011, 06:18 PM

aww he's a beauty! really hope this one makes it. Ev1 keeps telling me to let it go but i really think it'll get eaten - we back onto a mown school field thats full of gulls and crows all day if he ventures on there hes a gonner!

he's now on deeper soil with some fuschia and other stuff googled but still doesnt appear to be eating although quite active.

When you say leaf litter where do i get that? or are you talking just dead leaves from undergrowth - if so its another expedition down the back lanes or canal

We have a large conifer i could put his container under which would be dry but cool or would he be better in the shed bearing in mind we could still have a few warm days?

Sorry Kreacha - youve become my caterpillar guru - bet u wish u didnt reply now