Blue Death Feigning Beetles won't eat anything - help!

JoP

Arachnosquire
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Aug 26, 2017
Messages
102
Looking for a little feeding inspiration here. For those of you who keep Blue Death Feigning Beetles, what do you feed them? I've had mine for about a week, and I can't seem to get the little buggers excited about any food item. I've tried tons of things, including a variety of grain-based options (dog food, oats, etc.) and fruits/veggies. Seems like I got a picky bunch, so any suggestions on food you've had success with would be greatly appreciated! At this point, I'll try anything.
 

mickiem

Arachnoprince
Active Member
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Jul 23, 2016
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1,652
Are you keeping them hot and dry? My BDFB favorite foods are grammarus, apple and Repashy Bug Burger. Others here have stated other things so keep finding different suggestions to entice them. But make sure their habitat is proper first and foremost. Keep us posted!
 

Aquarimax

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Mar 1, 2014
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Mine love dead crickets. Oat flakes are also accepted readily, They seem to prefer drier foods to moist ones sometimes...for example, they’ll go after a carrot chunk more enthusiastically once it has dried a bit. Also, just something to reassure you—remember that these beetles can survive weeks, even months, without food. They will eat when they need to.
 

Aquarimax

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Mar 1, 2014
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Are you keeping them hot and dry? My BDFB favorite foods are grammarus, apple and Repashy Bug Burger. Others here have stated other things so keep finding different suggestions to entice them. But make sure their habitat is proper first and foremost. Keep us posted!
Great point, @mickiem ! They may not be interested in food unless they feel at home!
 

JoP

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Messages
102
Are you keeping them hot and dry? My BDFB favorite foods are grammarus, apple and Repashy Bug Burger. Others here have stated other things so keep finding different suggestions to entice them. But make sure their habitat is proper first and foremost. Keep us posted!
Yep! Their enclosure is a textbook desert set-up, and they have tons of hiding spots and other natural stimuli that would be found in their natural environment too (cholla wood, etc.). I do want to try Bug Burger, but can't find it anywhere near me. Do you buy yours in a store, or online? I tried apple because lots of people swear by it for BDFBs, but they won't touch it.
 

JoP

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Messages
102
Mine love dead crickets. Oat flakes are also accepted readily, They seem to prefer drier foods to moist ones sometimes...for example, they’ll go after a carrot chunk more enthusiastically once it has dried a bit. Also, just something to reassure you—remember that these beetles can survive weeks, even months, without food. They will eat when they need to.
I'll try drier foods and see if that helps. I haven't been offering wet food, per se, but maybe I could leave a carrot out for a day first before serving it.
 

mickiem

Arachnoprince
Active Member
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Jul 23, 2016
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1,652
Yep! Their enclosure is a textbook desert set-up, and they have tons of hiding spots and other natural stimuli that would be found in their natural environment too (cholla wood, etc.). I do want to try Bug Burger, but can't find it anywhere near me. Do you buy yours in a store, or online? I tried apple because lots of people swear by it for BDFBs, but they won't touch it.
I either buy through Amazon or local expos. I definitely buy the gammarus shrimp through Amazon. They go nuts over that.
 

JoP

Arachnosquire
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Aug 26, 2017
Messages
102
I either buy through Amazon or local expos. I definitely buy the gammarus shrimp through Amazon. They go nuts over that.
Do you feed the freeze-dried grammarus? I saw something similar at my LPS so I might give that a go.
 

GemTheBirder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
46
I have only been keep my death-feigners for a little over a month so I haven't had a chance to try a ton of food, but so far I have had the best luck with cucumbers and the Biodudes Bug Grub product. They especially love the Bug Grub. I have also had luck with game fish pellets that have been moistened with water. They also seemed to enjoy homemade "nectar" made from honey and water, though that can be messy.
 

davehuth

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
278
I've been keeping BDFBs for about a year, and have been growing my group by acquiring more over time. My impression is that shipping stress can slow down their feeding, as it's a week or two after new individuals arrive before they start eating. One type of food they don't resist for long is protein rich sources, as has been suggested already. I can get feeding jump-started by using fish food pellets with a lot of protein in it. Each pellet is an easy mouthful for them (they often like to carry their food around for a bit), and I think the protein is welcomed.
 

Smokehound714

Arachnoking
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Mar 23, 2013
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3,091
they might just not have room for any food. they wont starve. it's really hard to starve these things lol
 

JoP

Arachnosquire
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Aug 26, 2017
Messages
102
Just an update in case anyone is curious. Apparently my BDFBs are way more carnivorous than I expected. In the few weeks I've had them, they haven't touched any of the many grain-based food options or fruits and veggies I've offered (seriously, I've offered so many), but I just watched one gleefully drag a wriggling mealworm into its hide to eat. Didn't even seem to mind that the thing was still alive. Honestly, I'm thrilled if mealworms are their thing, because I mainly keep carnivorous inverts anyway, so that'll just make them easier to feed with the others.
 
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