Caterpillars?
 

I have a 3 year old nephew that really really really wants a pet caterpillar. We have spent the last month or so searching for one outside with no luck, and everything I read online says that even if we find one, it'll probably die if I don't know exactly what type it is to feed it.

So, I want to purchase one. Somewhere. I've tried searching on google for entomology suppliers, and can't find anything.

Shot in the dark, but has anyone here ever bought a caterpillar? Or know where I could possibly get one? Thanks so much. :D

My kindergarden teacher/mom's good friend invested a lot of time and energy into raising silk worms. (Yearly class project was to study coccoons and butterflies and stuff.)

So she'd bring over her project to our house so she could get mulberry leaves from our back yard tree. Then they'd all make coccoons, become silk moths, mate and die. And there would be eggs for more silk worms left behind.

It's a neat project to see... but silk worms get pretty big as adults. But they don't last very long. I don't know where my mom's friend got them, but they might be easier to find through teacher resources than in your back yard.

TEaching supply places. Look for butterfly kits.
My kids school had several this year, they raised them to butterflys then released them. Took a grand total of about 3 weeks :-)

The teaching store idea sounds great, thanks!

I just ordered some for the lower grades in my school. I choose this one: https://www2.carolina.com/webapp/wcs...y_rn=&crumbs=n

Carolina Biological is very reputable. I've ordered live things in the past, and if it didn't arrive alive or didn't hatch, they were always willing to take it back.