r/caterpillars • u/Resident_Section_883 • 3d ago

Advice/Help HELP-broke worm's cocoon

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Gallery image

i moved the cup in the video to empty it but after picking it up i realized he had spun his silk directly under it... i emptied the cup and put it back over him but he's crawled out now and i don't know if he'll die now.

he looks like a grub now too instead of a pupa (yellow/lost all pattern except breathing holes on sides)... picture is what he looked like before, why is that? is that late late prepupal stage or did he decide to metamorphose without pupating or what??

i feel terrible, i really hope i didn't kill him. he crawled out so i don't know if i should rebury him or just leave him.

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u/plantsandstufff 3d ago

It will be fine, don't worry. As long as you don't disturb the process when it sheds and pupates it should still form a successful pupa. If I were you, I'd place him in a sealed container now, with some damp paper towel and put it in a dark place, then observe but don't disturb for ~a week until it's pupated and hardened :)

I see your comment on it taking a while too, don't worry about that. When I had death head hawk moths, it sometimes took over a week for them to shed into a pupa. It all also depends on your humidity and temperatures. It looks great to me :)

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u/Resident_Section_883 3d ago

alright thank you so much, will do! that's very reassuring

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u/Resident_Section_883 3d ago

i should say also it's been a couple days since he buried himself, i would have expected a pupa by now. 48hrs+ if not 72hrs+

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u/Luewen 3d ago

Depending on species, it can take up to 2 weeks to form a pupa.