Malformed butterfly

[lyndsiesal]

Our caterpillars sat in the mailbox in 108 degree heat for several hours, but survived! They seemed to transform really quickly. 4 of the 5 attached themelves to the paper lid. The 5th stuck itself to the side of the plastic cup. My husband tried to move it but it was really stuck on there. We thought it had died because the chrysalid looked like it had an oozing hole in it, but a butterfly actually came out. The poor thing only had half of one wing and legs on one side. It could not move around at all and just laid on the bottom of the habitat upside down, so we put it in the freezer. Did this happen from being stuck on the side of the cup? What can we do in the future if that happens again? We also had one that's wings didn't open but otherise it seems fine so we'll let it live it's life out inside.

[vb-insectlore]

It seems the temperatures have caused them to form abnormally. Additionally, they have formed the chrysalis while still in transit , the constant moving about the container does while in the mail will not allow them to form as they should. The container should be at rest while the larvae pupate. Otherwise their bodies will not form symmetrically, causing the defects you have noticed. Please contact our customer service department at 800-548-3284 and we can provide you with a prepaid certificate for the larvae. This certificate should be mailed in (or phoned in) when the temp's have dropped below 90F degrees. We would like you to enjoy the project starting from the tiny larval stage, not just from the pupal stage. Please let me know if you have any trouble receiving your replacement. Thank you for allowing me to help, have a great day.



Victor
Insect Lore Customer Rep.
800-548-3284

http://www.shop-insectlore.com
http://www.insectlove.net

[jazzystar]

i have 2 butterflies one has a curled wing with a hole in it he was the first to come out and the second who had such a hard time comin out that he fluffed his wings to get out he all bent... the other 8 were let free and are gone... one never made it past the coccoon stage but we hate to let these two go to kno they wont live... but how beautiful they all are

[ponygirl17]

I have one Butterfly that has one wing deformed and did not open fully, I am going to release them outside. Should I go ahead and release the one with the Malformed wing anyway and let it enjoy its time outside? or should I keep this one in the enclosure?

Thank you!

[vb-insectlore]

Unfortunately, there is no right or wrong procedure for this type of situation. But,if you are willing to house the butterfly a bit longer, it's definitely much safer within the habitat than it is outdoors. Outside, the butterfly would be easy prey for birds,ants, spiders and many other predators that would make a quick meal of it given the opportunity. Feeding the butterfly oranges within the net will allow it to live a long healthy life. I hope this helps, have a great day.

[GeminiMama]

We were lucky to have 9 out of 10 caterpillars form chrysalis; the last one was dead on arrival. And all of the butterflies came out beautiful, even the one malformed butterfly my 4yr old daughter named Minnie. We let the butterflies go at two weeks on a rare cool day in Phoenix last month. I figured it would be selfish to let these beautiful creatures live in captivity when there is so much beauty out there. One didn't want to leave and hung around for about an hour. It even let my daughter hold it before it flew away. Our little Minnie has one wing that is wrinkled so she cannot fly, but she also climbs towards my daughter's hand and lets her hold it. Each day for the past 4 weeks we feed and talk to Minnie. Several times I thought we lost her, but then I see she has climbed the netting and hanging out! I make sure and explain to my kids that in nature things aren't always perfect and we should do our best to help living creatures in need. I also explained to my oldest that if Minnie had come out like this in her natual habitat she would have been eaten by a predator. This experience has been both educational and humbling. Thank you InsectLore!