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Help! Injured caterpillar!

14 years ago

I have in my possession a caterpillar which was found on the floor with green gook coming out of it's behind. It's moving quite a bit, but that green stuff looks pretty discouraging. Can caterpillars survive with part of their insides sticking out? I'm not sure what I should do.

Featured Answer

jean001

14 years ago

Probably a parasite in it.

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Comments (13)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
You might consider posting this in the Butterfly Forum but what your describing sounds pretty lethal to me.
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I am so sorry this happened. You'll never forget about this chance meeting, will you? Some caterpillar stings are terribly painful and can cause severe reactions. Are you hypersensitive to other insect 'bodily fluids' such as those from ants, mosquitoes and the like? My own experience was with the Saddleback caterpillar. I thought that I had been shot when my arm brushed against the stinging hairs. The bad thing about the buckmoth caterpillar is that they are often found in numbers. So be watchful. Wear gloves. Keep some meat tenderizer with you when working outside. Make a paste of the granules to apply directly to the site right after you've been stung. It will help. Purchase some benadryl to keep on hand for such incidents, both oral and topical. I've seen people develop what looks like broken blood vessels where the spines entered the skin. Took several days for the whole thing to clear up and go away. Tell us how you are doing!
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send a picture
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Tauryn Payne
8 years ago
Hello Julie don't worry about the caterpillar, these symptoms sound like bruising on the inside, it's good that it's moving. It needs to stay on a plant and rest, try to restrain from making much contact with it so it can heal up
HU-585729540
4 years ago
Hi all, thanks for your helpful comments. I know it sounds silly but I felt bad for it. I usually don't interfere with nature but it was going to be eaten. It was lovely and walking around on my hand for ages. Tauryn, I left it on a dock leaf as this is what the Ermine moth in my region eat. I checked on it a couple of times and it was moving. It fell off the dock onto the soil so I left it instead of touching it again. ( I hid it slightly so birds wouldn't get it) Anyway, I went out to check on it today and it's gone so I am hoping it healed up and went to pupate !
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
4 years ago
HU....I believe that you posted this response in the wrong thread, lol.
PPenguinn Playz
4 years ago
Is it ok to pull out the gook?
Mars SC Zone 8b Mars
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I need help! I have a pet caterpillars and they were dancing and then something fell down on one of them! its eye is injured and black goo is coming out! Its name is Crystalline, she is still moving a lot. Edit: I can't find her.
HU-206061712
2 years ago
Same
KATHRYN VOGT
2 years ago
sounds like pesticide poisoning, but i'm no expert
Samantha Maselli-Jackman
2 years ago
It seems like anal prolapse. It's
HU-190015011
2 years ago
My catapiller has it's but part sticking out of it's body but it's still attached and it's Alive it's outside of it's body but it's still moving I dropped it by accident but it appears to be Alive and it's eating leaves does it go back inside when it heals or should I leave it alone until it turns into a chrysalis?
HU-190015011
2 years ago
It's but part is sticking out the part where it poops from
Samantha Maselli-Jackman
2 years ago
Just keep it separate and monitor it. If you have reddit i would ask the monarch butterfly group for some better advice

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