Cat food for carabid larva?

Hisserdude

Hisserdude

Dynastes
Can you feed cat food to groud beetle larva instead of dead insects? I am feeding them darkling beetle larva but my darklings cannot catch up with all the larva I am feeding. If they cannot eat cat food does anybody have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 
No. They need fresh, liquid protein. Pupae of mealworms can also work (you can crush them at one end to "lure" the larvae to feed on the liquid that comes out).

 
wizentrop said:
No. They need fresh, liquid protein. Pupae of mealworms can also work (you can crush them at one end to "lure" the larvae to feed on the liquid that comes out).
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Just a thought: Waxworms are slow movers. Would they have enough protein for Hisserdude's ground beetles, though?

 
Dang. Unfortunately I just do not have the money to keep buying waxworms, or any feeder for that matter. Oh well thanks guys.

 
You might want to try soaking dog food into water than feeding the larvae. Haven't tried this myself but it might work.

You can also look for worms in soil to feed your larvae.

 
I was about to suggest the same thing with the earthworms. Seems to be a good source of food (and free) that no one thinks about. You may even try snails and slugs but be careful and alert because some carabid species are not adapted to deal with the slimy mucus of molluscs, and this can stress the larvae and even cause death.

 
Hisserdude said:
Thanks guys for the tip about the worms! Can you breed worms in captivity? Again thanks!
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Yes, you can breed worms in captivity. Set up a compost pile, buy some "RedWigglers" from your local pet store and put them into the compost pile. They breed like rabbits!

Cheers

 
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