Hello everyone from CA!

ChrisB

ChrisB

L1
Happy to be part of this forum. I got into the beetle hobby last year. I love all beetles but the one closest to my heart are Strategus aloeus, simply because it was my first beetle. My female lived over a year and recently passed...so heartbroken. Most beetles just die, but Jill, I watched her age and become more mobile challenged, like a person. Anyways, I love this beetle so much, I am now stuck with almost 50 larvae and not sure what to do with them all  - they grow so fast!

 
Welcome to the forum! May you find all that you seek here.

Sorry to hear about your S. aloeus female, the invertebrate hobby is definitely not like keeping tortoises or many parrots, which may outlive you. But congratulations on the 50 larvae! 

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 
Thanks, and thanks for the welcome! It still blows my mind that the bulk of their lives is as larvae, not adults. Seems backwards, right? They are pet larvae!

 
Welcome Chris! I'm from California as well. 50 larvae is fantastic from S aloeus, they can sometimes be not that easy to eggs from.

 
Hi Garin, thanks for the welcome! I'm just a casual hobbyist so I wasn't even really trying to breed them. Very unexpected!

 
ChrisB said:
Thanks, and thanks for the welcome! It still blows my mind that the bulk of their lives is as larvae, not adults. Seems backwards, right? They are pet larvae!
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Ha ha, yes, it is both the bane and the boon of beetle keepers the world over. Sometimes I wonder how people who keep Megasoma and Dorcus do it...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 
Is Megasoma particularly short-lived as beetles? I have a few sleeperi larvae - they take forever to grow.

 
Are your sleeperi from recent captures.  I was thinking about heading out to the dunes sometime in September.  Are you rearing on beetle flake soil?  I just find it fascinating that the larvae can find any food in that area of the desert.

 
In their natural habitat, M. sleeperi larvae feed on the roots / lower trunks of dead, decomposing Cercidium spp. (Palo Verde) trees.  In captivity however, they can be reared on flake soil made from oak and other deciduous hardwoods.  To reach the particular areas in which this species is found, a 4WD, off-road vehicle is usually needed.

 
I'm sorry for your loss, Chris.  It's true that some beetles just die, but others slowly age and are more mobility challenged.  That happened with one of my Blue Death Feigning beetles.  She/he used to hang from the screen at the top of the terrarium.  Then there was one time where five legs were hooked onto the screen, but one back leg couldn't make it -- the beetle kept trying to get that leg up there, to no avail.  Then I noticed it getting slower and slower, then not eating fresh fruit.  It must have been hungry, because one time I put down some fresh apple bits; it went over to the apples but then went away, like it couldn't manage to chew.  Shortly after that, I put down a food dish including beetle jelly.  She/he dragged itself out from under the half-log hide towards the jelly, and ate some.  It must have been starving; the jelly was easy to eat.  But it only ate a little jelly.  When she/he finally passed away, it was sad but a relief, since she/he went to a better place.

 
Awwww thank you for your thoughts and for sharing that story. We clearly see them as more than just bugs. We know when there’s a change in behavior and can see the signs. Jill lost all her tarsi and a couple of her legs locked up and was no longer useful. But she was a tough girl, she still tried to get around.

I currently having an aging male S aloeus. He is slow as well so I put him a smaller enclosure. He’s not as strong as he used to be and his main issue is that he ends up upside down a lot and can’t right himself. I put several items in there to help, but he’s weak. So I take his enclosure with me everywhere and watch him so I can flip him over. He is on my nightstand when I go to sleep and I check on him throughout the night. I don’t set an alarm or anything but I naturally wake up a few times a night so that’s when I check on him. Last night was tough as he emerged at 12am and from 12 - 2am he kept moving around...I flipped him over about 5 times last night. I was so worried I couldn’t sleep! Finally he burrowed so I had the opportunity to go back to sleep.

it seems males don’t live as long as females as they always seem the first to go. My other females are still going strong.

Thank you for reaching out! I appreciate sharing stories.

 
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