Adopted a caterpillar

[the_brave_wimpod]

This is my first post ever, bear with me please.

I believe I have found a Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) larvae and I was hoping for tips on keeping them as a pet (and name suggestions, if that’s allowed). I’ve raised caterpillars before as a very young child, but it was a VERY different species and none of them were in bad shape when I caught them.

I found them in the Dollar General parking lot on the cold concrete, unmoving and unresponsive to stimuli. I immediately warmed them up with my body heat and they took much longer to stir than I expected. I figure they probably haven’t eaten well in this concrete desert, so I have placed them in a clean Mayo jar with 2 types of dandelion leaves and celery leaves. I will upgrade the enclosure to a huge cheese puff jar later as I have no access to proper tanks or bug boxes.

Unfortunately, despite the heat and food provided, they’ve barely moved around in the enclosure and certainly haven’t eaten yet. They appear uninjured and moved about on my hand without issue after the initial warming, even defecated on my mother, yet I’m worried. Any advice from those with more experience?

[dlevitis]

One of these papers on https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=“reared”+Noctua+pronuba&btnG= might have information about rearing this species.

[aditya_puthenpura]

I suggest observing it for a bit longer, keep the food plant leaves around :)

[ra_teo]

Yes! At least I’m not the only one around doing it!

This is one I adopted a LONG tine ago, (fox moth) but I also did it with garden whites now and then, just for fun!

They usually need leaves, some room to move (depending on the size ofc) and I add some branches to my terariums, as well as some water, even though I don’t think it is really useful… I added some tomatoes once, and I was pkeased with the results!

[aditya_puthenpura]

Recording lepidopteran lifecycles are very enjoyable to me :D

though I cannot really afford to maintain terrariums (I have tried)
lepidopterans in general need less care than lets say a mantis or centipede

also what a cute and fuzzy moth

[ra_teo]

I don’t have a proper terrarium myself

I have a decent sized box equipped with whatever I want :)

[aditya_puthenpura]

Since this is in the nature talk category

I’ll share the lil fuzzball that Im raising rn

Calliteara sp.

[tiwane]

FWIW, here’s a video interview I did about rearing caterpillars for research: https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/96561-mucking-the-stalls-an-interview-with-laura-gaudette