containers for tiny cats

[jen]

Hi all,
scott and linda mentioned rearing tiny cats in containers with snap on lids, no airholes. How big are the cats when they leave this container? In what then do You put them in? Can they breathe? I'm asking because right now I have ten tiny hatchlings. % each in two butter tubs, but I have a piece of netting across the top, held on with rubber bands. This seems to work out for the older cats I found, but the tiny guys can get through the netting! I accidentally killed a TINY cat this morning when he got caught in the tulle, as I was taking it off to clean out the container. I was so upset!
Also, the new cats were found on swamp milkweed in my garden ( as eggs) and the swamp milkweed leaves in these containers are drying out much too fast, curling up, I'm having a hard time finding the little guys on all those curles up leaves! Does rearing in a closed up container work well for you? How many cats can you put per container? And again, when do you move them and to what? Could any one please share their rearing methods once the eggs hatch? How many per container? Linda, is putting one cat per container working out o.k? Seems like aLOT of work ( Sorry Linda, forgot you were in vegas) I'd appreciate any input from everyone! Thanks,
Jen
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[Stripe]

You asked for any rearing techniques. I asked a question earlier about coffee filters and answered my own question by just giving it a try. I use clear, tall, 32 oz deli containers with a coffee filter on the top to begin with. I raised 20 + to chrysalis stage (they are in chrysalis now) and I did not poke holes in the coffee filters. I pick leaves with eggs and just lay my leaves out in the open and watch them enough to tell when they are close to hatching and then I put them in their own deli container. When they are larger, I change the coffee filter to a fine gauge screen because I've never been so sure that they would spin their silk button on the coffee filter. Plus, you can see them better from the top with the screen. I find the coffee filter works really well when they are tiny because you can look up through the clear container to the inside top of the white coffee filter and you can see easily whether one of the little guys is up there on top. Sometimes I use smaller clear solo cups for the early instar stages, but then I have to switch to the deli cups so to lessen the transferring and switching, I often put them right into the deli cups. 30 deli cups at a time does take up a lot of space and it is a lot to open, clean, and feed, but they are really easy to keep track of that way. I also can then give people a caterpillar or chrysalis if they are interested in doing it with their children or in their classroom.

[karebear]

To keep the leaves fresh I use water tubes - the kind that florists use to hold fresh flowers in planters. These keep the leaves fresh and sometimes I even take part of the stem to stick through the rubber top.

[monarchlady]

For the past six years, I have used successfully the "baby cake" containers from the grocery store. (I convince them to sell me a dozen for nature's sake. My stash has been growing over the years!) I punch four to six holes in the top with a baking tester-small enough so that little critters cannot get out-usually. A 1/8" cat usually just stays on leaf-larger ones might be more adventerous. Full size cat goes to top-after a day, makes button, hangs a day and then, chrysalis! The container is deep enough so that when our butterfly emerges there is enough room (depth-about 6") for them to pump their wings. I release them after about 4 hours. I have always kept only one in a container. It's more work cleaning them daily, but I feel I give them all the help I can to go through the growth process. I would love to hear other methods. Thanks for sharing.