C. mutabilis help needed!!!

D

Dragozap

L3
I caught like 20+ C. mutabilis and I would like to know how to sex them, just because i want to know whos who. Also, I would like some guidelines for egg laying substrate(because I dont really know sorry), just because I want to start a breeding project. And how big a container will i need for 20+ adults and how big for a single female egg laying container. Thanks!

 
These are really easy to breed, except for pupation that is. You can use a variety of substrates, e.g. rotted wood, a leaf compost, or simple compost withs ome pieces of wood in it. They are quite peaceful, and even if there are a number of males, there should not be much competition. For egg laying the important thing is normally the substrate height, so if you can provide a 5 gallon aquarium or tall tupperware container, you should be fine for the 20 beetles.

I am not sure if I remember correctly, but males should have a lengthy indentation on the underside of their abdomen, which females do not have.

Last, I am quite interested in this species, are you willing to share a few?

Cheers

Ben

 
For most flower beetles use a rotten hardwood leaf litter and rotten wood mix , keep the sub slightly moist for egg laying , but more arid for the grubs. I find the success rate and speed of growth to be much higher if you supplement them with kibble foods for predatory pets ( I use turtle pellets with great results) supplementing is much more important than sub composition for grubs. When they are getting ready to pupate, DO NOT DISTURB THEM! As it results in a 100% mortality rate every time. Not disturbing them is the single most important piece of information In rearing this species.

 
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