Enclosure for Dhh Larva

J

JCK206

Pupa
Any suggestions on the smallest enclosure to rear the largest Dhh beetles? I have 2 sexed larva pair and the substrate is VERY expensive and hard to get in my location. I was planning on rearing them in 3 enclosures. One pair together, and the other pair seperately. The enclosures (tubs) are about 60 liters (15 gallons) each, and it will cost me a FORTUNE to fill all 3 with suitable substrate. Any feedback on my best options would be greatly appreciated.
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I have to admit that I ordered these guys on a whim, not realizing how difficult it was going to be to bring them to adulthood. My bad, but now that they are here and close to L3, I have to do whatever I can to keep them healthy and thriving. Thanks guys!

 
I have happily used Ikea plastic boxes of about 45 x 25 x 25cm - approx 28l - to rear groups of 5 or 6 Dynastes hercules larvae up to and through pupation without problems. If getting sustrate is a problem I would put them all in one tub this size. During the L3 stage the larvae are going to eat their way through a fair amount of substate, so expect to have to get through at least 2 whole tubs worth (56l) of substrate in the process. Rearing them is fairly easy - just make sure they have plenty of food. Seive out and remove the frass at regular intervals and put the uneaten substrate back, topping up when needed.

 
Thanks for the info Matt! I was hoping to raise one of the males separatley as I want to rear a gigantic male, but if I can do both males and females in one container to be able to afford it, so be it! I have about 5 gallons of substrate on the way, so I should be good for a while.

 
larvae are fine to house with each other with minimal risk of cannibalism, but there is always a chance.but you can never house adult pairs together, because they will be constantly fighting/mating which stresses the adult male and female out which leads to a shorter lifespan and passably death. i would also suggest keeping the larvae separated, if possible.

 
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Thanks for the information. I haven't even gotten to dealing with adulthood yet...LOL! This is my first time rearing these and although I have read as much info as I can.get my hands on, I still feel like an idiot on the subject! Lol You're info is greatly appreciated! Thanks :-)

 
If you are looking to rear "big" males then by all means keep the larvae separate, sometimes solitary male larvae will sit around looking fairly "yellow" for another 18 months after the females have pupated. If you rear males and females together then it is much more likely that the males will pupate at the same time as the females. You may get smaller males but you also get the chance at breeding the beetles yourself, which gives you a lot more larvae to play with, substrate permitting.

Provided the tank for the adults is large enough you should have no problem keeping pairs together, though I would recommend keeping males apart unless the tank is very big. One male will be happy in a tank with several females. Once the females have mated they spend several days underground laying eggs, surface to spend a day or so destroying a banana, then go back down to lay again. The male usually stays on the surface - with a big tank of the male bothers mated females they can walk away or dig down to the substrate and hide.

 
i kept all mine separated so they each have enough room to grow and roam around. Its is crucial especially for the male right before they make a pupal cell. It is said that by roaming around they can tell/feel what kind of environment they are in: it will also affect the size of their cell: then ofcourse the size of the adult

as for females it really didnt matter to me, you can house 2 in a 10-15 gallon easily

 
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