Dynastes tityus Easter Hercules Beetle

[Bianca Martinez]

I recently acquired some at the Hamburg Reptile Expo without much thought and now Im attempting to breed them. Its been two weeks and I see no eggs. They have about 9-10" of coco fiber and some leaves on the top with a piece of wood and some jelly. Its room temps 70-75. Its not too moist in there but not dry. Ill see either the male or female eat occasionally every other day but no eggs. Any tips?

 

[Ratmosphere]

Females will not lay in coco fiber. They need organic potting soil or flake soil with leaves on top. The proper setup should be a deep tub with adequate ventilation, 7-10 inches of slightly compressed organic potting soil, leaves on top as well as a food source. The substrate should be damp but not wet enough to squeeze water out of it. Too much water can cause an ammonia smell in the substrate.

It is best to keep the beetles in an enclosure with food and damp sphagnum moss for mating, this way you can witness if they mate or not. I do this with all of my beetles so I don't waste time. After a mating session you can put them in the breeding container I described above. Once you do this, you are most likely going to see eggs in the substrate around 2 months. It is important not to always check for eggs until the female is done laying.