How to Keep Caterpillars As Pets

While caterpillars are not particularly active or exciting pets, watching them grow and transform into a cocoon helps you gain the responsibility that comes with pet ownership and is also a very rewarding experience when your caterpillar finally undergoes its metamorphosis into a butterfly or moth. Many teachers use caterpillars in the classroom to teach their students about butterflies and how they transform. Caterpillars are basically free if you are able to find one in nature; however, they are temporary pets that should only be kept until they turn into butterflies.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic aquarium
  • Branch
  • Leaves
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a container to house your caterpillar. Caterpillars don't need a great deal of space, so you can use a small plastic aquarium to house your new pet. They can even be kept inside a shoe box with air holes if you don't have an aquarium.

    • 2

      Place a tall branch or stick inside the caterpillar's new home. This branch is necessary for the caterpillar as it will use it to build its cocoon on.

    • 3

      Find a caterpillar that you would like to keep as a pet. Caterpillars typically live on the underside of leaves. If you're looking for a certain type of caterpillar, research what they eat and look for those plants or bushes in your region. You'll know a caterpillar has been around if there are several eaten holes in the leaves of nearby plants. You may also be able to get a caterpillar from an entomological supplier.

    • 4

      Gather a large selection of plants that were located near the caterpillar. The caterpillar will need to be supplied with the right type of food -- typically you can find this in the same spot where you found your caterpillar.

    • 5

      Place the caterpillar and leaves inside the home you built. The caterpillar will gradually eat away at the leaves so you will need to replace them when they become withered or eaten.

    • 6

      Keep the lid on the container and avoid shaking it. The caterpillar should be kept indoors at room temperature, but not in direct sunlight, until it is ready to turn into a cocoon. This will typically happen after seven to 12 days.

    • 7

      Release the butterfly or moth back into the wild in the same place you found the caterpillar immediately after it emerges from its cocoon.