My Poor Gulf Fritillary

Hi all,
I just starting raising butterflies over the summer as a project with my 7 yr old son. So this is all pretty new to me. Up until this week everything has been going fine :)

I have this Gulf Fritillary that hatched yesterday. The night before while she was still hanging in her chrysalis she was thrashing around in it. Yesterday morning from her thrashing she broke off her chrysalis and I found her on the bottom of the cage still squirming around wildly inside of the chrysalis. Eventually she hatched out of it and I helped her to the top of the cage so she could hang and finish preparing herself for flight. She ended up falling a few times but was able to get up and start climbing to the top. I did help her a couple of more times as she was having trouble getting up there. I didn't touch her wings, just offered my finger which she eagerly climbed onto. She kept flapping her wings but eventually fell and couldn't stay up there on her own. So I figured by now she is probably hurt or something and I put some butterfly bush flowers in the cage near her so she could eat if she was hungry. I did see her eat .

This morning she is still on the bottom of the cage. I picked her up gently figuring she was probably dead (she wasn't moving) but as soon as she was in my hand she started flapping her wings. As you can see from the picture they are still crumpled so I am guessing the fluid that is suppose to fill them out never did and now she can't fly.

Has anyone ever had a similar experience and if so what was the outcome? Any ideas or suggestions?

I feel so bad for her and helpless ya know?

Thanks!
Lisa

A picture of her underside

Lisa, I've had that happen, it's heart breaking. What I do is keep them in the cage and feed them Gatorade from a Qtip for the rest of their short lives.

I don't know why it happens, just speculate that something went wrong and it's just nature's way.

Thanks so much for your reply! I am on my way out now to get some gatorade. I never would have thought of that!

Thanks again!
Lisa

Lisa, how's your patient doing?

Hi fly_girl,
My patient lived until Wednesday :( I fed her the gatorade like you suggested and she was very responsive to it. She seemed to get excited when I picked her up and fed her. If nothing else what happend to her made me appreciate what awesome creatures butterflies truly are :)
Thanks for asking!

Lisa

Lisa, I'm so glad she lived a bit! Sometimes if they don't eclose right they are unable to eat. I'm glad yours had some more time with you.

Roxanne

Lisa, I wasn't going to read your posts because I had a feeling this would be a sad story! I can't bear to have things go wrong, I've had some bad times with my Black Swallowtail cats and chrysalids, so I know how terrible it can make you feel. But to have a butterfly make it out of the chrysallis, and then die, that's heartbreaking and I know I have to prepare for that happening at some point if I continue with this hobby. Like you said, it really makes you appreciate these beautiful, fragile creatures!!!! Bless you, and all the other butterfly people on this forum, for caring so much about them.......

I'm sorry too. That must have been heartbreaking. But, as others have said here, just the fact that you are trying to raise these beauties, and you are successful, you are beating the odds by doing so, than by letting "nature take its course." I know, not very consoling.

Awww...Lisa that happened to one of mine while I was on vacation and Mom was taking care of the cats. I got home and it was on the bottom of the cage like yours. Mine didn't last quite as long, and I had to have Mom "take care" of it. She's so sweet - she left me a note at the table so when I woke up the next morning I would see it. It was so serious, like "Melanie, the Gulf Frit passed this morning. I'm so sorry." I mean, I was sad but it was just a butterfly. Mom is so compassionate. I was more sad to see it suffer, you know? At least I knew it wasn't in pain anymore. I hope all your future endeavours are successful ones! These things do happen, but I guess that's part of what makes it so special to see a healthy one fly away.

Melanie

Thanks everyone for your kind words :)


Lisa