Acherontia atropos feeding

[butterflygirl]

Is there a less stressful way for me to feed my DH Hawkmoths than force-feeding them? I have difficulty hand-feeding them because my hands are unsteady and I'm prone to muscle jerks which makes me afraid I'll decapitate the moth or stab it when I'm unfurling the proboscis with a toothpick. I also don't want to rub off all their fluff and scales. I love them too much and would cry my eyes out if I hurt one. I don't want them to starve either. I saw a reddit post where one of the users got their moth to feed from a honeycomb so I bought a couple of them to give my moths. I THINK they may be feeding on the comb because there is moth dust on the comb and in the honey leaking out. Does anyone know what to do?

[kevinkk]

Try asking this question at this website- Actias.de
it has more users in the EU, who are going to have more experience
with non- natives.
Hand feeding is a little stressful for all involved, some species will
get used to the process, and may feed themselves from a fake
flower or dish. The honeycomb is a logical approach.

[butterflygirl]

Try asking this question at this website- Actias.de
it has more users in the EU, who are going to have more experience
with non- natives.
Hand feeding is a little stressful for all involved, some species will
get used to the process, and may feed themselves from a fake
flower or dish. The honeycomb is a logical approach.

Thank you! I actually managed to get the oldest ones, all males, fed. Since I have too many to recognize except my two massive females and most of them aren't old enough to be hungry, I plan on marking them in a non-toxic way. I really do hope that they will feed on the honeycomb once they get the idea. I feel bad for rubbing off their scales, but I don't want them to starve. They're one of the cutest moths. <3 I'll take a look on actias.de.

[butterflygirl]

Update: My moths have laid eggs while I was sick (I've been feeding them, the ones that will eat) after pairing for a couple of days. I want to keep some of the eggs but I'm not sure what to do with the rest as I have no idea when the eggs were laid. Would they travel well as small larvae on food? I cannot hope to feed as many caterpillars as my babies have laid.

[Chuck]

Are the eggs fertilized? Did you observe adults copulating? If not, I'd keep all the eggs to see if any are live.

[kevinkk]

Atropos can be raised to maturity on artificial diet. I have seen pictures of the operation, but haven't tried it myself.
Ova should hatch fairly quickly, maybe 7 days.
You can buy artificial diet easily, typically it's used for Manduca sexta rearing for reptile feeders.

[butterflygirl]

Atropos can be raised to maturity on artificial diet. I have seen pictures of the operation, but haven't tried it myself.
Ova should hatch fairly quickly, maybe 7 days.
You can buy artificial diet easily, typically it's used for Manduca sexta rearing for reptile feeders.

Sadly, I couldn't get the artificial diet in time and had to start them on lilacs. I'm not sure they'll accept the diet now as most caterpillars will not after being started on plant hosts.

Are the eggs fertilized? Did you observe adults copulating? If not, I'd keep all the eggs to see if any are live.

Yup, my moths all copulated enthusiastically. So often I had difficulty feeding them as they were constantly pairing. Even though, I had some accidental spider-related casualties I've still got a lot of babies. Oddly, my second generation has green some larvae displaying the green morph as opposed to the standard yellow morph.

[kevinkk]

Don't give up! I raised a brood of atropos last year. I started them on potato, they ran through that and I finished them on olive.
It was stressful though until I found an alternate for the potato they'd accept. One can never tell until you try.
They may be more receptive to switching food plant after a molt.

[butterflygirl]

Don't give up! I raised a brood of atropos last year. I started them on potato, they ran through that and I finished them on olive.
It was stressful though until I found an alternate for the potato they'd accept. One can never tell until you try.
They may be more receptive to switching food plant after a molt.

I'll see what I can do with the artificial feed then. Which feed would you recommend? I've had certain brands come out too watery despite following the instructions. They quickly ate through my pepper plants and the leaves have mostly turned now.

[kevinkk]

I have read reviews of some of the artificial diets, and while I had no problems with my choice and the subsequent math problem
of reducing the amounts, other buyers had issues with nearly every brand.
If it's too runny, I just adjust the amount of liquid you're using.
There is a supply company called "Carolina Biological" that also has artificial diets, they are a Science supply for schools, but private can buy,
although it may be more expensive than Amazon.