Goliathus goliatus grub not eating

K

kevink

Fresh Imago
Anyone have any experience with goliatus? I've got a grub that's stopped eating at about 34.8 grams, weighed on the 8th, it's previous weight was

36.7 on 11-24.

For some inexplicable reason, it decided to go topside and wander. I emailed Peter at Bugsincyberspace, and attached a photo, he thought the

container seemed a bit small. So, I mixed up some fresh coconut substrate(recommended) and put it in a container deeper and bigger. He went for the bottom, 

and then decided he didn't find what he was looking for and  now has a racetrack with a few holes that it's been going around and around and around...

Not interested in the food it's been eating since 10-1.

I know what is going to happen soon. It's going to die and there isn't anything I know how to do to stop it. I'm used to raising lepidoptera, so I know all too well

when these things happen, it's most likely unfixable. I figure it'll lose weight and starve, maybe it'll change it's mind, but it's not like I can take it to a vet.

When a person is doing what has been working for months, and the animal changes behavior to it's detriment, it's something I'm overlooking. With the

newness of this species in the hobby, it's a tough one to get information on. Quote a book "when you have live animals, sooner or later, you'll have dying and dead animals"

 
Kevin I believe you use flake soil and decaying oak to raise them. But, I'm not very sure about that. It can be because it is looking for better food. I'm actually worried for you.

 
Oak said:
Anytime a goliathus larva wanders in the L3 stage, it is most likely looking for a place to pupate. You can't stop this wandering. 

This topic is discussed further here: https://kaeferforum.com/forum/index.php?thread/16002-g-goliatus-larve-wandert-mit-29g/

For this person, the larva managed to build a cocoon at 29g.
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For any number of reasons, I can't view the link, it could be my software. At any rate, your conclusion is what I've been afraid of. I'll give it the pupation

mix and see what happens. this is my first Goliathus, I've followed the care sheets and read what's available. But that's what seems to be happening, in any event,

what's to lose? Really, except the larva which will either die or be a dwarf. 

 
kevink said:
For any number of reasons, I can't view the link, it could be my software. At any rate, your conclusion is what I've been afraid of. I'll give it the pupation

mix and see what happens. this is my first Goliathus, I've followed the care sheets and read what's available. But that's what seems to be happening, in any event,

what's to lose? Really, except the larva which will either die or be a dwarf. 
Click to expand...
It's probably because you didn't register. This is a german beetleforum that I look at to learn about Goliathus and other exotics. A lot of information if you just use google translate 😁. Here are some screenshots of that link.

image.png

image.png

 
Thanks Oak,

I've fed the grub as much as it could eat, at least I think so, sometimes several times a day, I'd give it koi pellets and koi sticks, up to the total suggested

for a late L3.

So, now I've read 3 different "recipes" for pupation soil. I've got the Georgia red clay, 3 pounds of it, and now it seems like I need some good coarse sand, and living

within earshot of the ocean, doesn't mean I get free sand. I'll probably pick up something at the pet shop that's sterile and salt free tomorrow and

mix up something that seems like a meld of the differing pupation soils that are described in what I've read. At any rate, I'm getting the experience, the only

way I know how to get it, and a lot of goliatus supplies...

 
I mixed up my pupation soil using the red clay, peat and sand. Filled a container with all of it, put the grub inside and it's dug in. The wandering has stopped.

So, apparently I did something wrong between the time I received it and the time it started wandering? Or- is it as I read in one caresheet, that the grub was

doomed to failure because of an issue with the original breeder? I'd hate to think that. I suppose I'll never know. Bugsincyberspace is clearly raising Goliathus successfully,

as I see adult males being sold on the site. The only thing to do is start over...at around 80.00 a grub with shipping. Quote from Homer Simpson-"trying is the first step

towards failure". Well, even a dwarf goliatus would be something, so, I'll find out. The grub did have a slight color change, it's subtle, and easily overlooked.

 
Oak said:
Could you explain what you mean by "doomed to failure?"
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In some of what I've read, poor care in the L1 and L2 stages can prevent any subsequent care, no matter how good, from preventing the

beetle maturing properly.

 
kevink said:
In some of what I've read, poor care in the L1 and L2 stages can prevent any subsequent care, no matter how good, from preventing the

beetle maturing properly.
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That is interesting..I'll keep that in mind when I'm raising my goliath larva..

 
I read that in Mcmonigle's Ultimate guide to breeding beetles. Now, the author is sometimes lacking on details, but it looks to me like he's been

busy raising insects, including beetles. This is why, for me, I try to absorb as much information as I can from whatever source presents itself.

His assertion, is that in L1 and L2, poor care can lead to the ultimate failure of the animal. Without years of experience, and either living in a different

country or putting yourself in the hands of the feds with permits, any help with exotics is useful.

 
Interested to know what happened here. Did your grub successfully create his/her pupal cell after the substrate change? This was a little over 8 months ago so has the imago emerged? 
One of my Goliath larva seems to be entering the wandering phase and I am wondering how early is too early for the substrate change. He’s been knocking at the top of his current enclosure but still eating and relaxing at the bottom consistently so it’s hard to tell when exactly to make that change. Perhaps it will become glaringly obvious? Or perhaps it’s better to move them earlier rather than later?

 
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