Feeding different varieties of milkweed

[stacyb]

Can you switch cats hatched and living on one type of milkweed to another variety?

[Mona Miller]

I have, but be careful. Some of the native milkweed has been stress by drought. What types are you trying to transfer them to?

[NickiM]

I've found that cats hatched on swamp milkweed will transfer to common just fine, but they don't want to switch from common to swamp.

[Mona Miller]

In my tent I they were laid on swamp and common and ate swamp, common, and tropical.

[branduin]

I only have common Milkweed and then the orange butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa?) and I only found one cat on the butterflyweed. I cut off the section that he was on and put it in a rearing container with a few other same-size cats and leaves of common milkweed and they all pretty much ignored the butterflyweed. Mine definitely prefer the common but I am guessing if they didn't have it they would eat the second choice.

[Mona Miller]

The butterfly weed also does not have enough toxins to protect them. The leaves are a bit rough and hairy, too. You are right about caterpillars having no choice eating what is there, but I have heard of caterpillars refusing some species of milkweed and dying.