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:eek::eek::eek: Oh, the horror! I don't know why but I thought you'd let the moths die naturally. I'm glad that you had a good learning experience, and I am glad that I got to help in some way. Turtles eat moths? I didn't know.

So you are not putting them in the fridge? I mean, they turned dark, so you could have. Man, if they all hatch, you'll be up to your armpits in caterpillars. The eggs you sent me aren't here, yet. Today's a holiday up here, so no mail delivery. I am definitely worried that they'll hatch before...

Wow you've been busy! It's funny to see that you have been squirted on. Good job removing the leftover pupal casing. I've had a few like that as well. Too bad he has stunted legs. I had one female who still had the head capsule on after emergence. Look! I held her down and used a toothpick to...

Funny how both your double and my double both had one male and one female each. It's almost like they know.... They lost some hair because they were having some trouble getting out, I guess. Happens with mine whenever they have more trouble, even if they get out on their own. We had one that...

Ha! Sometimes they do the strangest things. Keep an eye on the double cocoon; I've read that sometimes if they are opposite sexes they might just mate while they are in there...and never bother to emerge. Mine didn't do that, they made a big mess and I opened the cocoon for them and then they mated.

That's a wonderful thing to say. I feel the same way. I love having silkworms. I had one female who came out too early, dumped her eggs, only for the males to emerge a few days later. She ended up mating, but it was probably for nothing. At least she got to experience it. @redhorse, Since...

@redhorse You're welcome for the new word. Thanks for the shout out. @dinomom That is sad to see. It's like they give up when they realize it isn't going to happen for them.

I sure hope those slackers are not all one gender. They are late to the org...er party. How'd you do that with the coloured dots?

I would wait. It's possible that they will hatch at different times. I think you should ask Spyro; he's an entomologist. :)

The process of mating is fast because their lives are short.

Actually they have interlocking apparatus that hold the pair together. Yeah the males are very active. I noticed that some of them will wander off if not mating. They also slap each other. I haven't read anything about males physically fighting, but I've seen them do it. One time, a male tried...

I was going to say the same thing MissSkittles just said about the one with the brown spot. They secrete a fluid called cocoonase from their mouths to dissolve the cocoon. Other brownish liquids squirt out the other end. @redhorse, another good way to identify gender is to look at the back...

That's amazing! I didn't think they'd be already this far along after only one week! Haha, nice "tail".

On closer inspection, I also see the outline of the legs folded up nicely under the eyes.

Wow are those the eyes showing through in pic #2?

Lol, or Pleasantly Plump? Or Super-sized? Hehehe.

Yeah two together can happen! Not sure how they coordinate in that situation. Would be funny if it is just one really fat female.

It's great to see you invest so much interest in this. Funny how there's always some stragglers at the end. I often have just one caterpillar left after all others have cocooned. Its sad because if it takes too long, it might hatch well after its siblings have passed away with no one for it to...

Generally, I've read that's the case, and often that is true. However, there are exceptions to the rule. I did have one small cocoon that I was positive was going to be male, but it was a tiny female. I was very surprised since most of my girls are much bigger than that. Even some of the boys...

You are very lucky. Mine didn't. I've heard that many don't. @redhorse thank you for your kind words. The chicks peeping sounds cool. How long do they take to hatch? The ones that don't make a cocoon sometimes they go through the motions as if spinning silk in random places but nothing comes...