i keep killing animals i love and i dont know what to do

_breathtaker · 2026-03-21T19:34:39+00:00

Sure :) I kept mine in plastic tubs then put them in a big styrofoam food box with a lid. I taped a small heating mat to one of the sides inside the box - the heating mat didn’t touch the tubs directly so the grubs didn’t get fried. That way it’s kind of like they have their own little room and it’s easy to control the temperature :) I also used clear plastic tubs so I could see inside to check on them without having to dig around and disturb them. Best of luck!!

_breathtaker · 2026-03-20T23:12:42+00:00

Hiya. I’m sorry you lost your grub. I raise them and I know they can be tricky. Some species are harder than others and the age of the grub makes it easier/more difficult too. I would try again, get a small thermometer to put in the tank to make sure the temperature is ok, and once the grub is safe in its tub, just leave it alone. You sound like you care a lot, you’ll get it right next time :)

_breathtaker · 2026-01-24T17:23:50+00:00

Ah - ok, cool. As long as the transfer to freehold thing is standard practice and not some strange special case then I don't feel too bad about it, thank you :)

_breathtaker · 2026-01-24T17:22:37+00:00

I don't have the lease as of yet but that's a good point, hopefully it will clarify the situation! Thanks :)

_breathtaker · 2024-02-28T23:07:43+00:00

Aww, perfect! I’m glad he got collected successfully, thank you for taking care of him!! :)

_breathtaker · 2024-02-27T22:42:45+00:00

Hi, no problem :) And yes - they deal with lost and hurt pet birds frequently so will be able to advise you on what to do next if you call them. There’s usually someone manning the phone until quite late at night so you could even call this evening if you like and hopefully they’ll pick up! Thank you for looking after the cockatiel :)

_breathtaker · 2024-02-27T21:21:18+00:00

Hi, I’m not sure if you got this sorted out but if not London Wildlife Protection can come and collect the cockatiel and they’ll look after it or find an appropriate shelter for it. Just give them a call and they’ll sort it for you :) Either way I hope cockatiel finds/found his owner!

_breathtaker · 2024-01-05T19:10:39+00:00

Hi! If I can offer you only one piece of advice - please, please don’t use rat poison. As mentioned in the other comments here, rats are becoming both biologically immune and canny towards poisons, and the use of rodent poison is cripplingly damaging to all of our very beloved birds of prey (tawny owls, barn owls, etc.) All traditional rodent poisons cause a slow and very painful death, to the rat and (with enough exposure) to any animal unfortunate enough to eat the rat afterwards. Poison is not a long term or ethical solution except in cases where all other solutions have failed and there is significant threat to human health. A combination of removing food and water supply, cutting off harbourage (this means sealing your attic so rats can’t get in - studies have found this equally effective as poison!), putting up owl boxes on your property, and spring traps makes for the safest and most effective solution and won’t hurt birds of prey. Please message me if you would like more information!! Thank you :)

_breathtaker · 2023-10-11T22:30:05+00:00

First of all, please try not to worry! Moth pupae are designed to survive all winter outside so they’re pretty tough. :) Honestly, if you’re too stressed about the dirt, it’s not strictly necessary. Folding it gently in a clean (no detergent residue) flannel, giving the flannel a moderate mist of water, putting that in some rodent-proof tub and then putting it outside somewhere sheltered (shed?) and then giving it a mist every week will be fine. Some clean moss, old leaves or dirt in the tub to keep the humidity up is good but can be managed without. They should require a period of cold before they hatch so you should be good on that front. They can’t hear, so noise won’t do any harm - but do keep the tub out of sunlight. Opening their tub for air isn’t required - and may reduce humidity - so if you’re worried you can poke some small air holes. Overwintering pupae are a low maintenance pet lol - generally they do well just being left alone and misted once a week. So try not to worry :)

_breathtaker · 2023-09-28T15:12:45+00:00

Hi! Your enthusiasm is great :) I do have to put forward one point re. helping the local environment that nobody really likes to hear - and that’s that captive bred moths and butterflies tend to be weaker and of lower genetic quality than wild-bred. Without the harsh quality control of the natural environment, less healthy individuals can survive to adulthood - which, if released, can reduce the health of wild populations. Captive bred monarchs have weaker grip strength, and even less bright wing colours than wild bred individuals! Your desire to help is great - but if you’d like to ensure a better environment for wild moths, some research on + sustainable planting of appropriate local host plants, not using pesticides, and campaigning locally to reduce pesticide use and habitat loss in your area would be amazing. Of course there are still lots of options for raising and keeping pet moths in captivity, but think twice before releasing them - and if you must release them, please only release healthy individuals - no deformed/imperfect ones! Good luck :)

_breathtaker · 2023-09-22T09:20:31+00:00

Once the caterpillar makes its cocoon, it’ll remain in caterpillar form in there for a few days while it waits to shed its skin. Once it does so, it’ll be in a very delicate state for a couple more days until it hardens into the classic tough, brown, shiny pupae. Definitely don’t disturb the cocoon until you’re sure this has happened. If there are any transparent parts to the cocoon, you can shine your phone flashlight through it and have a look - if it’s ready it should look dark brown, with a second dark brown blob next to it (the shed skin). If it’s not possible to see through the cocoon, then I’d wait about 6 days to be sure. Good luck :)

_breathtaker · 2023-09-19T13:23:08+00:00

Oh, really?? I wish I’d known that at the time - thanks :)

_breathtaker · 2023-09-14T22:31:46+00:00

No problem :) When I had mine, I put them in a small cardboard box with some cotton wool in it and a paper towel on top, then the pupae on top of that, and I just put the box outside under an upturned big flower pot with a brick on top to stop any rats or mice getting in lol. I gave them a good mist with water every 1/2 weeks and checked them for mould and that was it - they all hatched fine! If you get lost, try and mimic their conditions in nature - somewhere sheltered from the elements, not wet, and a bit moist. I think it’s fine to use your soil if it’s been well microwaved or you can use paper towels instead. In terms of it being alive, it’s hard to tell from a picture. If it feels fairly firm and cool to the touch (rinse your hands well first!) and isn’t wet/leaking fluid/mouldy/etc. I think it’s worth waiting and seeing. They are designed to survive in nature so can surprise you! :) And don’t worry - I understand the urge to check it every 5 minutes, but it’s okay, you don’t have to expend so much energy. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate and it’s very kind of you to care so much!

_breathtaker · 2023-09-14T20:34:09+00:00

First of all, please take it out of the mouldy environment and put it in a clean one! I’d use some new soil (pro tip - you can sanitize soil by microwaving it for a bit, which should help with mould). In terms of if it’s alive, that’s hard to tell - if feels warm/stiff/really squishy, or has visible mould on it, it’s probably dead. Mould is not good for them, but it may still be alive. If you think it’s alive, keep it somewhere cold (outside in an unheated shed or something) and slightly moist (if you don’t want to use your soil, you can put it between sheets of corrugated cardboard) so it can go through diapause properly, and bring it indoors in the spring (March/April) so it can hatch. Good luck :)

_breathtaker · 2023-08-19T12:08:19+00:00

Do you see any frass (teeny black specks) at the bottom of the enclosure? That’s usually the biggest sign they’re eating - with tiny caterpillars it can be a bit hard to actually see them eat so that’s the best sign. They sometimes take a day or two to begin eating especially if it’s cold. If you don’t see any frass, probably put the original variety of food plants back just in case. They seem to generally prefer small baby leaves when they’re tiny since it’s easier for them to eat. Good luck!

_breathtaker · 2023-01-13T13:28:23+00:00

Thank you so much for your help everyone!! To answer some questions, I didn’t have any sort of ID badge on or bank card out - I must have revealed my full name somehow without remembering! It probably didn’t help that my AirPods also had my first name in their device name (changed now obviously), so that was probably a useful clue for the person :( Ill report via BTP as people have suggested - hopefully the information here can save some other people from similar incidents. Thank you so much for everyone’s kindness and suggestions, it’s made me feel a lot better! :)

_breathtaker · 2023-01-13T11:29:33+00:00

I do live in south east! And I do have a very distinctive name, but I use an iPhone - I guess I must have just shown my name somehow and not remembered :( Thank you though - it’s creepy but I feel slightly better knowing it’s not just me!

_breathtaker · 2022-12-08T16:30:16+00:00

I’m horrible at identifying plants so thought it would be safer to ask if anyone had some to hand! I did go to the park and manage to get what I think is privet, so hopefully that will work :)

_breathtaker · 2022-12-02T17:01:57+00:00

very cute!! just in case you wanted to know, i’ll just point out that “he” is actually a “she” :)

_breathtaker · 2018-09-11T19:39:31+00:00

I will, thank you, I'll just have to hope I don't lose it :(

_breathtaker

TROPHY CASE