Hornworm Gutload And Pupating

Hey everyone my friend went to our local reptile shop to get pinheads for her female panther that arrives tomorrow and she picked up 2 hornworms for my 13 month old panther. Unfortunately one of the worms the guy gave her was big, 2-3 inches.

I assume most of you won't recommend ripping him in half, so my question is what kind of gutloads or foods can I give him until hes ready to pupate? I currently have apples and oranges on hand, would that work?
 
yes they can go days without food. I usually feed them the chow they come with and I remove them from the chow like every other day so they don't grow too fast.
 
A silk worm can live for up to a week without food, I imagine it's the same for a horn worm. I also feed my silk worms only every other day and the food I give them they eat the same day.
 
If hornworms are kept together without food they will eat each other after a day or so. The best way to slow down their growth is to put them in the refrigerator for a day or so at a time. I put mine in a mini frig that is set to about 50 degrees.
 
It might eat the celery leaves. other options include dandelion leaves, sweet red or green peppers, grape vine leaves, sweet potatoe (lightly steamed and cooled), squash (lightly steamed and cooled), basil, etc.

You can make a paste (blender) from dandelion, grape vine leaves, arugula, mustard greens, basil, some sweet potatoe, some carrot, a little wheat germ, a dash of spirulina and a little brewers yeast.
 
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