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How to Keep a Caterpillar As a Pet

Keeping a caterpillar as a pet can be fun and fascinating. You can enjoy and learn about them as the go through their life cycle, eventually turning into a butterfly. To successfully keep and care for a caterpillar as a pet, you must do some preparation to ensure your caterpillar can live a healthy life. When you are ready to start raising a caterpillar, you can order one commercially or simply look for one in the wild.

Things You'll Need

Large glass jar
Jar lid
Paper towels
Leaves
Spray bottle
Distilled water
Stick

Instructions

- 1
  Take the lid off of your jar and poke some holes in the lid to allow air to vent into the jar.
- 2
  Place a layer of paper towels in the bottom of your jar.
- 3
  Add some small branches or sticks to the jar, so the caterpillar will be able to climb on them and use them when it is time to pupate.
- 4
  Add your caterpillar to the jar gently.
- 5
  Soak leaves in a bowl of water, and then place them in the jar for the caterpillar to eat.
- 6
  Take the leaves out and replace them with new ones often or when the caterpillar has stripped them bare.
- 7
  Add distilled water to your spray bottle and mist the inside of the jar each day.
- 8
  Clean out the caterpillar feces often and replace the paper towels at the bottom of the jar.
- 9
  Leave the jar undisturbed when the caterpillar pupates. It can take weeks for a butterfly to emerge from the cocoon.
- 10
  Release the butterfly within a day or two after it emerges, so that it has a better chance at surviving.

Animals & Science