Blue Death Feigning Beetles

[mickiem]

Somewhere I heard these guys will eat carrots but mine didn’t love them so much. They do love
Gammarus. Today I gave them Bug Burger and they were pretty happy about that. I’ve only had them a few weeks what else do they eat?​

 

[davehuth]

Mine always snarf fish pellets. They also take squash (uncooked), sweet potato peels (cooked), and will nibble apples if they're thirsty. I've also found that they'll gnaw half-heartedly at carrot, but they don't really seem to be into it.

 

[mickiem]

Mine always snarf fish pellets. They also take squash (uncooked), sweet potato peels (cooked), and will nibble apples if they're thirsty. I've also found that they'll gnaw half-heartedly at carrot, but they don't really seem to be into it.

Thanks! I just baked a sweet potato today - I will share a little of my leftovers with them tomorrow. Do you offer any water source? I feel like I am depriving them. Although a few times I have spritzed the enclosure they don't pay it any attention. They are a lot of fun. The only appropriate sand I could find is orange and the blue looks awesome against the sand. I got a 5 gallon tank and I am going to do a throwback sandpainting on the back and keep them there.

BugLove! ​

(Good to see you!)

 

[ShyDragoness]

Theyre so pretty omg

 

[draconisj4]

I feed mine apples, carrots,romaine, crushed unsalted roasted organic soybeans, dried crickets, organic oats, roach food, and crushed dog food. They have a buffet, lol. I do offer a small shallow water dish and there is a moist corner under some cork bark in their tank. I've never seen them drink from the dish but have seen them hang out in the moist area on occasion.

 

[Aquarimax]

Somewhere I heard these guys will eat carrots but mine didn’t love them so much. They do love
Gammarus. Today I gave them Bug Burger and they were pretty happy about that. I’ve only had them a few weeks what else do they eat?​

View attachment 282174 View attachment 282175

Lovely beetles, @mickiem! My little colony of desert tenebrionids, (including blue death-feigning beetles, of course) enjoys Bug Burger as well. I toss dead crickets from my cricket bin in, and they really go after those! They have devoured watermelon, apple, oatmeal, and raw sweet potato. I offered applesauce yesterday and they nibbled on that as well. Because I keep velvet ants with my beetles, I offer diluted honey water, often mixed with a little bit of crested gecko diet. The beetles sip at that, too.

 

[pannaking22]

I'll throw in dead roaches from time to time and they take care of the cleanup for me. A piece of apple every now and then. What they really seem to enjoy are oats and dry cat food. Mine will chase each other around over oats, even though there's a pile for them all to get their own piece from. Eventually everyone settles down, but it's entertaining in the beginning.

 

[davehuth]

Thanks! I just baked a sweet potato today - I will share a little of my leftovers with them tomorrow. Do you offer any water source? I feel like I am depriving them. Although a few times I have spritzed the enclosure they don't pay it any attention. They are a lot of fun. The only appropriate sand I could find is orange and the blue looks awesome against the sand. I got a 5 gallon tank and I am going to do a throwback sandpainting on the back and keep them there.

BugLove! ​

(Good to see you!)

I know it's hard to believe they can take it so dry, but they should be able to get the moisture they need from the occasional moist food tossed in. Some people who can't help themselves (i.e.: ME!!!) will mist a part of the glass and let the droplets run down. I dribble water once a week in one corner because the other beetles in there will lay eggs -- but it seems even the larvae spend most of their time in the dry sand at the periphery of this damp corner. The majority of the enclosure should be bone dry. Over time their color should turn pale blue as the waxy coating they produce builds up to conserve moisture. I've also found that if you give them structure, they'll climb around on it entertainingly! These were my very first invert pet and I love them.

 

[mickiem]

I'll throw in dead roaches from time to time and they take care of the cleanup for me. A piece of apple every now and then. What they really seem to enjoy are oats and dry cat food. Mine will chase each other around over oats, even though there's a pile for them all to get their own piece from. Eventually everyone settles down, but it's entertaining in the beginning.

This is so funny. Mine are doing that with the gammarus. One will grab one and take off and hide in a piece of cholla or under some bark. There are 14 beetles in an enclosure about the size of a 5 gallon tank and they all find a place to hide with their prize.

 

[mickiem]

I know it's hard to believe they can take it so dry, but they should be able to get the moisture they need from the occasional moist food tossed in. Some people who can't help themselves (i.e.: ME!!!) will mist a part of the glass and let the droplets run down. I dribble water once a week in one corner because the other beetles in there will lay eggs -- but it seems even the larvae spend most of their time in the dry sand at the periphery of this damp corner. The majority of the enclosure should be bone dry. Over time their color should turn pale blue as the waxy coating they produce builds up to conserve moisture. I've also found that if you give them structure, they'll climb around on it entertainingly! These were my very first invert pet and I love them.

Mine are a lot more blue than they appear in the photo. You know me and cameras....