TLDR: is mixing kinshi with flake soil 50/50 okay for rainbow stags? Also, how long can small larvae stay in small delis (to-go sauce cup size, 1.25-2 oz)
I got a bit of a preamble here, but I was put in a little bit of a predicament and would like insight from more experienced keepers.
I'm new to keeping beetles but have been doing extensive research for 7/8 years. I recently ordered a few L1/L2 phalacrognathus muelleri larvae along with some flake soil online. The larvae and flake soil arrived the same day. I anticipated rehousing the larvae when they arrived, but the dry ready-to-use FS smelled heavily like ammonia. The seller told me to discard the batch- which I anticipated- and I'm waiting on a fresh replacement. That's left me in a bit of a situation where I'm keeping the larvae in their travel delis for longer than I anticipated.
In a pinch- I ordered some kinshi because it was quoted to arrive quicker than the FS replacement (albeit by a day or two) and I want to get the larva out of their travel delis ASAP.
In a week from now, I'll have a pound of FS and 2 pounds of kinshi. I don't solely want to use the kinshi if it's going to render the FS unusable down the line, and vice versa.
Would it be okay to mix the flake soil and the kinshi together? The larvae I purchased were reared on flake soil, so I don't want to shock them by putting them in kinshi alone (I also am going to incorporate the FS they were shipped to me in regardless of the substrate I use)
Sorry for the wordy post, I haven't been able to find info for my question anywhere online, so all input is welcome. TIA
I got a bit of a preamble here, but I was put in a little bit of a predicament and would like insight from more experienced keepers.
I'm new to keeping beetles but have been doing extensive research for 7/8 years. I recently ordered a few L1/L2 phalacrognathus muelleri larvae along with some flake soil online. The larvae and flake soil arrived the same day. I anticipated rehousing the larvae when they arrived, but the dry ready-to-use FS smelled heavily like ammonia. The seller told me to discard the batch- which I anticipated- and I'm waiting on a fresh replacement. That's left me in a bit of a situation where I'm keeping the larvae in their travel delis for longer than I anticipated.
In a pinch- I ordered some kinshi because it was quoted to arrive quicker than the FS replacement (albeit by a day or two) and I want to get the larva out of their travel delis ASAP.
In a week from now, I'll have a pound of FS and 2 pounds of kinshi. I don't solely want to use the kinshi if it's going to render the FS unusable down the line, and vice versa.
Would it be okay to mix the flake soil and the kinshi together? The larvae I purchased were reared on flake soil, so I don't want to shock them by putting them in kinshi alone (I also am going to incorporate the FS they were shipped to me in regardless of the substrate I use)
Sorry for the wordy post, I haven't been able to find info for my question anywhere online, so all input is welcome. TIA
