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Please help with Giant Swallowtail Chrysalis

Hi all,
My husband and I are complete beginners and we have a Giant Swallowtail chrysalis attached the the potting container of a small fruit tree. It has been cold so we have been bringing the tree inside at night (we live in Southern CA but it's been cold lately). We have done some research to familiarize ourselves with this little creature. Sometime in the last 24 hours he came down from the tree and attached himself to the side of the container. His position looks exactly like the photos I have found online of a caterpillar about to go into his chrysalis, but the process is not complete. My questions are:

-do we need to refrigerate him until spring (if so, how should he be moved/stored etc)

-if we don't need to refrigerate can we leave him on the plastic container, should we enclose him in one of those netted laundry containers I've seen online that people use as caterpillar "hotels".

-if he emerges in January will it be too cold for him?

-should I keep him outside, inside?

Very interested in helping this guy along, please help! thank you!

Chrysalis
You should probably keep it outside in some covered container, but not airtight or it'll suffocate. Don't keep it indoors where it is warm, or it might hatch early. Instead, keep it in a sheltered place such as an unheated garage or under a porch. Put it in a large container with mesh over the top. I use plastic peanut butter containers with butterfly netting. Check it every once and awhile to make sure it doesn't get dehydrated.

 
Thanks For the advice. Unfort
Thanks For the advice. Unfortunately because we Are not experienced in this we have kept the chrysalis inside. It's been there since the first of this year. Should we move him outside and how do we know if he's dehydrated? Thanks for your help.

 
Hydration
You can mist the chrysalis occasionally with water from a spray bottle to make up for its not being out during rainstorms.

 
Chrysalis
Yes, I would say you should still move him outside. If the chrysalis feels very light, thin and papery, it might be dehydrated. I lost several Question Mark chrysalises the hard way, so learn from my mistake!

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