# Blue/Smooth Death Feigning Beetles



## Socfroggy (Mar 10, 2017)

I found some at my local pet store and I'm wondering what they require in terms of enclosures. I know they need sand and a hide but are there specific dimensions required?


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## arizonablue (Mar 10, 2017)

Sand and a hide is basically it. Size for an enclosure depends on how many you want. You could use a small critter keeper for just a few. They're very active, though, and love to explore, so floor space is fun for them. I have a 20-gallon long tank that I use as a giant communal darkling beetle enclosure, and my blues will go wandering off in all directions and climb all over everything. They will eat jellies happily but their favorite food seems to be dog kibble and a bit of fruit.


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## Socfroggy (Mar 10, 2017)

Good to know. May I ask the dimensions of your tank? And is dog food and fruit a suitable diet for them? How often and how much? Are they communal?


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## RTTB (Mar 10, 2017)

Would they be good as a clean up crew in my desert scorpion enclosures?


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## Anoplogaster (Mar 10, 2017)

RTTB said:


> Would they be good as a clean up crew in my desert scorpion enclosures?


Wouldn't a scorpion eat them?


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## arizonablue (Mar 10, 2017)

Socfroggy said:


> Good to know. May I ask the dimensions of your tank? And is dog food and fruit a suitable diet for them? How often and how much? Are they communal?


Mine is approx. 30 x 12 x 12, but it's overkill unless you have a ton of beetles in there. I have 50+ darkling beetles in mine. I have housed blues in much smaller tanks. I'd say about 12" of floor space would be ideal for a couple of beetles but you could definitely manage with less. 



RTTB said:


> Would they be good as a clean up crew in my desert scorpion enclosures?





Anoplogaster said:


> Wouldn't a scorpion eat them?


I've never used them in that way since I've never had a scorp, but there have been people who have done this. The blues will enter the scorpions den and clean up, but the scorpions won't sting or eat them. I have no idea if that would work with the smooth beetles, I've only heard of it done with the blues.


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## dragonfire1577 (Mar 23, 2017)

Hadrurus arizonensis will not attack blue, black or smooth death feigning beetles I've kept all 3 with the species previously.


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## InvertsandOi (Mar 23, 2017)

My blues seem to enjoy freshly killed crickets and roaches the best. I feed them cat kibble and fruits and veggies too, but they really pounce on those dead insects. I've even seen them pounce on ones that hadn't stopped moving yet.


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## Socfroggy (Mar 23, 2017)

Oh wow, I had no idea they would eat other bugs as well!


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## InvertsandOi (Mar 23, 2017)

Socfroggy said:


> Oh wow, I had no idea they would eat other bugs as well!


Yeah. There was a thread like this one last summer where someone either talked about, or posted a link to, a study on A. Verrucosus where it was discovered that they ate mostly dead insects in the wild. Soon after that I got my first blues, and sure enough.. I'll try to find that thread when I have a little more time.


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## InvertsandOi (Mar 23, 2017)

Hear we go. It's the comment by Dean Ryder. I guess it was a study of wild caught adults, not a study conducted in the wild. And it wasn't posted last summer, that was just when I read it. 
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/asbolus-verrucosus-feeding-question.257115/


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## Socfroggy (Mar 24, 2017)

Nick H said:


> Hear we go. It's the comment by Dean Ryder. I guess it was a study of wild caught adults, not a study conducted in the wild. And it wasn't posted last summer, that was just when I read it.
> http://arachnoboards.com/threads/asbolus-verrucosus-feeding-question.257115/


Thank you! Is it recommended that I crush dog food and boil veggies prior to feeding?? What do they need in terms of humidity?


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## InvertsandOi (Mar 24, 2017)

Socfroggy said:


> Thank you! Is it recommended that I crush dog food and boil veggies prior to feeding?? What do they need in terms of humidity?


No you don't need to crush the dog food. Boiling veggies is also unnecessary. Veggies should be organic, but if they're not, you should wash them very thoroughly to get rid of any pesticides. It's hard to say if they prefer humidity because these things are SO hardy. If they prefer humidity it's hard to know that because they survive just fine without it. I heavily mist one corner of the enclosure about once every week or two. That way they can choose to hang out in that corner or not. So far they seem completely indifferent to it.


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## Socfroggy (Mar 24, 2017)

Good to know! I'm assuming they don't require heat, right?


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## InvertsandOi (Mar 25, 2017)

Socfroggy said:


> Good to know! I'm assuming they don't require heat, right?


They do just fine at room temperature.


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