Feeding cucumber to cats

[skates4marty]

Hi Folks

I got a second-hand report of house-raised monarch caterpillars in San Diego eating cucumber in a pinch. The person who told me then found this:

http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/cucumber

[Mona Miller]

I used pumpkin and it worked, but only with 5th instar.

[sbannister]

I have fed them summer squash and zucchini. If I remember right, the older ones were fine eating that.

[lcbergan]

Are we talking the leaves or the actual fruit?

[sbannister]

I fed them the fruit. You cut it and they eat the inside part. I don't think they eat the skin, if I remember right.

[Mona Miller]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1907&p=9470&hilit=feeding+pumpkin#p8999
I took pictures one year and posted information. I have only fed 5th instars pumpkin. I do not recommend it for younger caterpillars.

[Mike1624]

I'm so new I don't know the language yet. My first post concerned aphids on my Marsh Milkweed, posted this morning. I've been removing some plants from my kitchen garden that were damaged by Irene on Saturday. While taking down my 10 ft. cucumber cage, I found a Monarch chrysalis attached to the rebar cage. This location is about 45 feet from the milkweed plants and the cat would have to cross an open heavily grassed yard to get to the cage. Is it possible that eggs were laid on the cucumber vines? The foliage was so thick I lost several large cucumbers, so I wouldn't have seen this if it occurred that way.

[Mona Miller]

I have never heard of them using cucumber to lay on so I can't give you a 100% yes or no answer. But, I can tell you that they can and will travel pretty far to pupate. Some don't travel that far, but others do.

[Mona Miller]

Just found a picture of some fifth instars eating watermelon rind:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/update/2006/0831.html#5

[skates4marty]

My first year of monarch raising (two butterflies), I put a piece of cantaloupe in the cage and the fifths ate that. But it was just one day, as I recall.

[Mona Miller]

Interesting. I've heard cucumber, squash, watermelon, pumpkin....