Raising a Luna Moth for 50 Days

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]A while back, I came across this huge moth online called the Luna moth. It's easily one of the most beautiful insects you'll ever see and truly captivating.

[00:00:08]Actually, Luna moth refers to several species, all in the Satineia Day family.

[00:00:12]They look dreamy and beautiful, like fairies scattered on Earth.

[00:00:17]I couldn't wait to get this mysterious pet, so I searched on a shopping site and found someone actually selling Luna moth larvae. Unbelievable. I bought two for less than 10 bucks. What a great deal. Paid right away.

[00:00:31]3 days later, my package finally arrived. I'm so excited. This is my first time trying to raise such an amazing species. When I was a kid, I saw one in the forest and was blown away by its beauty. I never thought I'd actually get the chance to keep one as a pet now.

[00:00:45]It's truly cool. Wow, the Luna moth's droppings are huge.

[00:00:51]Um, the funny thing is they actually smell good, just like the sweet gum leaves they eat, giving off a strong, fresh scent. This guy is really big, about as thick as a finger. They eat leaves very quickly and need a lot of food everyday. In fact, these are Luna mods from Asia. They are somewhat different from the American Luna mods, but their appearance and living habits are pretty much the same.

[00:01:14]Now, let me weigh the larvae and see how heavy it really is.

[00:01:21]Wow, 14.1 g. What a chunky little guy.

[00:01:26]Next, let's measure the length and see how long it is. Uh, it's about 10 cm. A true giant caterpillar.

[00:01:36]All right, I'm heading outside now to pick some fresh leaves for these two little guys. They really love sweet gum leaves. Luckily, there are two huge sweet gum trees right behind my house.

[00:01:45]These larvae aren't picky eaters. They also feed on leaves from trees like walnut and campher. Um, this type of caterpillar has a big appetite. To keep their food fresh, I go out and pick leaves every 2 days.

[00:02:00]All right, now let's build a new home for these two little guys. To keep the leaves as fresh as possible, I put the branches I picked into a glass bottle with water. Actually, this kind of leaf dries out pretty fast, so I need to replace the branches every 2 days.

[00:02:18]Now, try placing the two Luna caterpillars onto the branches we've set up. These guys have big appetites. They eat non-stop and grow really fast.

[00:02:28]Day four. Oh my goodness. One of the caterpillars has changed color, which means it'll pupate soon. At this stage, it seems pretty restless, crawling all over the place as it looks for a good spot to pupate.

[00:02:41]It didn't take long for this little guy to start spinning its cocoon. It'll stay inside for a while, then break out and emerge as a moth. Actually, these two Luna moth caterpillars are one male and one female. You can't tell their sex before they emerge, but after they come out, their colors and patterns are different, and both are absolutely beautiful. In this video, I'll document the entire lives of these two Luna moths. A few things happened along the way, so I hope you'll stick around to see the end. I think this has been a really interesting experience. Day 30.

[00:03:14]Both larae have been pupating for a while, but they still haven't emerged.

[00:03:18]It's already over a week later than expected and I'm not sure what's going on. I tried to remove the leaves from the pupa so I could watch for emergence more easily, but the branch was too fragile and I accidentally broke it.

[00:03:30]I put the cocoon on the desk. The little guy was wriggling like crazy and looked full of energy. I attached it to a branch, hoping it will emerge smoothly later.

[00:03:44]Day 33.

[00:03:46]Wow, this Luna moth is trying to emerge from its cocoon. It secretes something that softens the cocoon and keeps using its mouth parts to tear through the silk. I watched for a long time. It kept trying hard but didn't make much progress.

[00:03:59]I wonder what's wrong.

[00:04:03]5 hours later.

[00:04:05]Under normal conditions, the emergence process takes less than an hour. But now 5 hours have passed and it still hasn't come out. It seems to have given up.

[00:04:14]Maybe it took too long and wore itself out. I can only try to get it out by hand. I have no idea how it will turn out.

[00:04:25]Fortunately, it seemed to be alive and couldn't wait to get out. After some effort, it finally emerged from the cocoon.

[00:04:35]Wow, this is a female Luna moth. If it can spread its wings properly, it will show unmatched beauty.

[00:04:41]I put it on a branch to let its wings expand. And I've been watching to see if a miracle might happen. But unfortunately, it never spread its wings. The emergence failed.

[00:04:51]Maybe it used up too much energy earlier and just couldn't expand them. In fact, female Luna moths are more beautiful than males. Such a shame.

[00:05:01]However, a fellow insect enthusiast shared a video of a female Luna moth emerging and spreading its wings. Let's see how it transforms. Also, I'm documenting the emergence process of another male Luna moth. So, please stay tuned.

[00:05:22]Oh my god, it's really beautiful. Such a huge transformation.

[00:05:31]Day 36.

[00:05:34]Incredibly, this little guy was so resilient. Not only did it survive, but soon after it even laid eggs. What a sad story. The truth is, this kind of moth only lives for about a week after emerging from the cocoon.

[00:05:48]Its only task after emerging is to mate and lay eggs.

[00:05:53]Day 37.

[00:05:56]Wow. Before long, another Luna moth emerged. This one emerged perfectly.

[00:06:01]It's a male Luna moth, and it looks beautiful, too.

[00:06:12]Um, I tried to get the Luna moth to crawl onto my hand, but oh my god, the little guy actually pooped a ton. Well, time to clean the desk.

[00:06:22]The English name for the Luna moth comes from Luna, which means moon in Latin.

[00:06:26]This poetic name refers both to the beautiful crescent-shaped markings on its wings and to its cool, pure moonlit green color. The Luna moth has a striking look that easily stands out among most insects. Its wings are a soft plaster green or pinkish green, blending perfectly with leaves for natural camouflage. The hind wings extend into long ribbon-like tails that are not just elegant, they're a clever defense against predators. Those flowing tails are designed specifically to confuse the sonar of predators, especially bats.

[00:06:57]The life of a Luna moth is a dramatic transformation and a grand farewell.

[00:07:02]Once the adult emerges from the cocoon, it has only one mission, to mate.

[00:07:06]Because of this, its mouth parts are highly reduced and it cannot eat, surviving solely on the energy stored during its caterpillar stage. From the moment it pupates, it begins its journey toward the end of its life. The Luna moth is mainly distributed in North America with differences in shape and color between those in Asia and Europe.

[00:07:25]The two Luna moth shown in the video are from Asia, living in deciduous broadleaf forests. Um, it only lives for about a week. If placed outside, it can easily be eaten by birds, so I plan to keep it indoors. It doesn't need any food and is harmless to humans. I hope it can spend its final days here in peace.

[00:07:45]All right, that's it for this episode.

[00:07:46]We're planning to film more fun pet series. If you're interested in this kind of video, please leave me a comment. I look forward to your suggestions. Thanks for watching and see you next time.