Tale of Tails
Posted by tanner leeman on October 24, 2005
Q: How can I hand-train my woolly bear caterpillar???
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Oregon
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: It's highly unlikely that you can train your Woolly Bear to accept your touch without curling. For an animal to get used to being petted - like a cat or dog or even a snake - most soon realize that they aren't going to be hurt and accept this kind of touching without flinching or trying to get away. But your caterpillar doesn't have the mental ability to "understand" that you aren't going to hurt it so it automatically curls each time you touch it. If you did this often enough, and I mean a LOT, it might stop curling but only because it was too tired to curl anymore.
Your Woolly Bear needs to overwinter in some cool/cold place so you may want to allow it to find a sheltered place outdoors. In the spring it will emerge as a moth. Hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( October 25, 2005)