Beginner's question

K

Kenneth exoexo

Egg
Hi beetle peeps, im new to this hobby cause i'm really an arachnid person and wanted to try out beetle keeping.

So i got

2 Xylotrupes philippinensis L3 and 3 L1

2 L2 Chalcosoma Atlas

2 L2 prosopocoilus occipitalis occipitalis

I've been having a hard time looking for caresheets and what substrate do i need for them.

I've been giving a few flakesoils but i think that would'nt be enough when they grew more. So i thought i should create my own subs. Right now ive tried to create a sub using 2/3cocopeat + 1/3 potting mix + wood chips + all purpose flour + sugar + yeast, its been 1 week and the sub is heating up now and its just me experimenting on the subs because i don't know if cocopeat is right and i haven't gathered sawdust as of the moment.

The other thing that i'am trying on is rotten leaves and rotten wood that are already easy to crumble that ive gathered in the woods, what more should i add on this substrate(soil or etc)? And does this substrate sufficient than the cocopeat substrate one?

Or should i create another sub? What ingredients should i use?

And also i've been keeping my sp's on my cabinet and airconditioned room, which goes from 20-30 degrees depending if its on.

Thanks in advance for the tips and guide you will give me!

 
If you reared arachnids, I'm sure you have noticed that not all species has its own guideline to rear and breed. Unless they are completely different, most of them works similarly. I'm sure that's why you haven't been able to find the specific guideline for each species in your list, although, all those three are surely very well known.

Kenneth exoexo said:
I've been giving a few flakesoils but i think that would'nt be enough when they grew more. So i thought i should create my own subs. Right now ive tried to create a sub using 2/3cocopeat + 1/3 potting mix + wood chips + all purpose flour + sugar + yeast, its been 1 week and the sub is heating up now and its just me experimenting on the subs because i don't know if cocopeat is right and i haven't gathered sawdust as of the moment.
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Cocopeat... Not sure about that. None of these, except Xylotrupes philippinensis may actually feed on coconut fibers. There is actually a case of Xylotrupes species feeding on coconut tree, but two other species hasn't been reported for the damage on coconut. Adding it wouldn't cause much problem, however, won't do any good on development. Also, adding sugar can attract A LOT of pests including fungus gnats, I would not suggest adding it next time. Brown sugar does help fermentation process, but I still wouldn't...

If your substrate is getting warmer, that is a good sign. Just mix them well in every couple days to a week to provide and add some fresh air throughout the substrate.

Kenneth exoexo said:
The other thing that i'am trying on is rotten leaves and rotten wood that are already easy to crumble that ive gathered in the woods, what more should i add on this substrate(soil or etc)? And does this substrate sufficient than the cocopeat substrate one?

 Or should i create another sub? What ingredients should i use?
Click to expand...
That is good too as long as it is pest free especially the wood boring beetles like longhorn beetles or darkling beetles. You may not know their existence even if you crumble it especially if they are small sized or in stage of eggs. I would suggest you to purchase oak barbecue pellets to actually ferment it. However the way, you can still feed your beetles. I would say, it is difference in convenience and the level of effort.

Kenneth exoexo said:
And also i've been keeping my sp's on my cabinet and airconditioned room, which goes from 20-30 degrees depending if its on.
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I hope that 20-30 degrees is in Celsius. That should be fine range of temperature, but I would suggest you to keep it in somewhere 22-27˚C as this is much more appealing for those three SE Asian species.

Good luck, and reach me via PM if there is any question!

 
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