Has anyone ever had a Rhino beetle as a pet? Whats your experience?

aspenentomology said:
They make good pets but usually don't live very long (a few months at least). If you want a large beetle to keep as a pet, large stag beetles like Dorcus have slightly longer lifes (a year or two).
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I assume that the original poster is in the US, because BugsInCyberspace does not export. The only legal US beetles are ones native to the area, and big Dorcus do not live here.

If my interpretation of the Ultimate Guide to Breeding Beetles is correct, adult Megasoma, Dynastes granti/tityus, Lucanus, and small US Dorcus only live a handful of weeks/months outside any diapause periods they have. This seems to be the general rule for most scarab species.

 
Aquietsoul28 said:
6 to 7 months is good for me.
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They spend much of their adult lives in diapause, though. Diapausing tityus can walk, but they will refuse to eat, mate, or fly until it is over. I imagine they are probably completely motionless in this state unless disturbed or handled (not 100% sure on this last part, so ask people that keep them).

 
They will sometimes move around under the substrate, but for the most part they arent active. Some specimens can survive up to a year if kept with specific (maple syrup) foods, are kept in diapause for longer periods, and arent bred with other beetles (breeding decreases the lifespan of beetles). D. Tityus is one of the (if not the longest) longer lived rhino beetles in the US, lucanus elaphus can be kept even longer if kept in diapause (Orins female that started his string was 16 months old when she started breeding).

 
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And yes, they only live a few months outside diapause, and this can be decreased if theyre taken out of diapause (by warm temps) too early. I believe D. Tityus live four months (I think) when active, and L. Elaphus males can live five, while females may live longer. I wonder how long you can hold onto a L. Elaphus female in diapause (if Orin could hold onto one for a year and a third, and still breed it, what is the maximum?)?

 
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There is Hemiphileurus illatus and Phileurus truncatus that are known to live a long time as adults. I think Orin mentions a year or more? I know they are not as spectacular as Dynates and Lucanus but still pretty cool.

 
Garin said:
There is Hemiphileurus illatus and Phileurus truncatus that are known to live a long time as adults. I think Orin mentions a year or more? I know they are not as spectacular as Dynates and Lucanus but still pretty cool.
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oh yeah I forgot about them, I think they can live two to four years
 
Orin says that Phileurus and close relatives last a yr or two as adults.

But of course, these are no ordinary scarabs. In addition to long life, they are also predatory on slow prey as adults. Most scarab adults feed on sugar, plants, etc.

 
Fun for a while but after it becomes a job more than a hobby, it gets old. Stick to what you can handle and you will enjoy them a lot.

 
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