Beetles not eating?

C

charx53

Tenebrio
So, a week or so ago I moved my D. tityus male in with my females that were hibernating still. The females have surfaced, or at least one of them has, but has not eaten. The male didn't seem to have any issues eating prior to moving him. However, now he doesn't seem to be touching his food or surfacing as much as he was (at least that I've noticed). I am confused as to why this is.

I did offer maple syrup/water, but the result was the female on her back struggling to get out...so I have not done that again. The male has not touched the beetle jelly in at least a week.. No eating or drinking... I am imagining the worst will happen.

What else could I do for them?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Coming out of hibernation is a gradual process. Even after they surface it may take a week or more for them to become really active and start feeding. Anytime I see them at the surface I place them right on their food. Oftentimes they will remain there for an entire day feeding. As they become more active and agile they will find it on their own. I still continue to place them on the food when I see them at the surface.

As far as the female on her back, make sure you have plenty of large flat sections of tree bark and heavy sticks so they can get hold and right themselves. They are sluggish and clumsy coming out of hibernation. It took mine over a month to even surface once they were brought out of cold storage. The last two weeks they have been very actively feeding and mating. This whole process takes patience.

 
Thank you..definitely lessens my worries. However, I am still puzzled why my male hasn't eaten as he ate perfectly fine prior to me moving him in with the females.

 
Usually they stop eating and wander the cage in looks for a mate. I use to have to force my males to eat; put their face right in the beetle jelly. Have they mated yet? Is the male WC or CB?

 
Honestly, since it is unknown when the male will pass, I would dig up the females. I then would put them in a separate breeding tank where they can't burrow, preferably a moist sphagnum moss substrate. This way you can witness them mate and put the females back in the breeding box when done. By this, you can insure that the legacy can live on.

 
Not sure what you mean. You could have Dynastes tityus lay eggs in 100% organic potting soil and raise the larvae on that until they are a good sized L1, then you should move them to a rotted hardwood substrate. You could even mix in some of the organic potting soil with the rotted hardwood substrate.

 
I thought they needed a rotted wood substrate in order to lay eggs. And a log to mate? I apologize, this is a new venture for me.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Most organic potting soil would have decomposing wood of some sort in it so they would probably lay eggs in it. I use a mix of rotted oak, compost and decaying leaves so I don't have to question whether or not they will lay. As long as the male is healthy and ready he will breed the females no matter what the substrate you're keeping them on is made of. He won't really care what's going on around him either.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Luckily, Dynastes tityus doesn't need a pure wood substrate to lay eggs like a stag beetle would. A breeding log is optional but is really not needed.

 
All depends, I let my males mate at least 3 times before transporting the females into the egg laying container. Everyone is different though.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top