Phalacrognathus Muelleri

Ratmosphere

Ratmosphere

Moderator
Moderator
When I first obtained a few pairs of Phalacrognathus Muelleri, their appearance was perfect. I housed them in enclosures with white rotting logs and jelly holders. This was a huge mistake. I notice now on all of the males they have significant wear on their backs due to trying to lift the logs and jelly holders to lay under them. I am severely disappointed. If you are trying to breed these types of beetles, please do not make the mistake I made by providing them any hard objects inside their habitat. Note that females were less prone to having these marks and would need the rotting wood inside of the egg laying tank when the time comes.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's a better idea to provide them with buried logs and substrate above the logs that they can dig into and hide under. All they would need on the surface are some sticks for them to grab ahold of if they flip over. It's not necessary to provide logs on the surface, and they generally dry too quickly from being exposed on the surface for the females to want to oviposit in them.

 
I did bury them. They were more interested in burrowing under the jelly holders out of everything. Yesterday I took out everything and they just have moss now. I put in a beetle jelly and the freaks even tried to bury under it.
default_mellow.png
They insist on moving everything.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
No Alex is right.

I dictated this to my iPad and it contracted it in properly. I meant "were they" not we're they.

LOL

 
I could help with substrate in trade for larvae.

I'm fermenting a big batch right now. It's got about three weeks to go, I think.

 
I appreciate the offer but I don't see it happening man. I know a few people already breeding this species perhaps they can help you.
default_smile.png


 
P. muelleri females need soft decayed Wood.

Soft decayed Logs are nesessary to.

Put the Female alone in the Breeding Container, after waiting for two mounths you can look for L2 /L1 grubs.

If you look to early, you maye destroy some eggs...

fermenting Flake Soil are the best Substrate for this species.

 
I just got a male P. muelleri! I'm trying to make sure I can take care of him well, so if you don't mind, I have a few questions, since you've raised them.

- Is 65F - 69F too low for them? I read they prefer it 72F or higher, but that the lower temperature won't hurt them, just make them move less. My parents keep it ridiculously cold in this house. Right now, he doesn't move around very much. Should I get some sort of heating apparatus? I have a heating pad from a snake we used to keep.

- How often should I mist his enclosure? Right now I've been doing it 1-2 times a day. Should I avoid misting the beetle himself?

tumblr_o0wyacEZFu1r6eh9no1_540.png


Here's his enclosure right now. Any tips? (he hasn't been digging, presumably bc he's too cold to move much. he'll stay in the same spot for hours and hours)

 
It's alright to keep stag beetles a little cooler, it'll keep them a little inactive, but it will usually extend their lifespan rather than decrease it as long as it's within their tolerable range. You will want to cover most of the holes in that critter keeper unless you're keeping him in a humid room, since dehydration can quickly become an issue. The substrate should also be kept moist for the purpose of providing humidity and giving him a place to burrow into to rest without drying out.

Avoid heating the enclosure directly with something like a heat pad or light since that's a good way to dry out the enclosure and increase the risk of dehydration.

 
Shade of Eclipse said:
It's alright to keep stag beetles a little cooler, it'll keep them a little inactive, but it will usually extend their lifespan rather than decrease it as long as it's within their tolerable range. You will want to cover most of the holes in that critter keeper unless you're keeping him in a humid room, since dehydration can quickly become an issue. The substrate should also be kept moist for the purpose of providing humidity and giving him a place to burrow into to rest without drying out.

Avoid heating the enclosure directly with something like a heat pad or light since that's a good way to dry out the enclosure and increase the risk of dehydration.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info!

I tried using some cling wrap, please let me know if this is an okay idea... There's slightly clingy stuff on one side, unlike plain seran wrap. Are there other usual methods to keeping humidity up? I've been sprayed once at morning and once at night, and plan to get a humidity meter for both cages tomorrow. Spraying only seems to get the top layer of dirty wet at all. Should I spray a lot?

7e26c9ff52107ca9449b771f97e9199f.jpg


6f4aa9b3a040f855fa038fcbe115d689.png


The P. Muelleri is in the green kritter keeper, while the other is Prosopocoilus fabricei takakuwai (origin :Taliabu Is,Indonesia). In another thread I mentioned the takakuwai was damaged, so I'll be getting a Dorcus curvidens curvidens (origin: North India) in the mail soon. Should I just generally try to keep the humidity high for all the stag beetles? I haven't found much specific information about those kinds.

Sorry for hijacking the thread! Here's cute pictures of Genki to make up for it.
default_wub.png


42a5546867945657031238efe0b72c27.png


7c6ae392a09c6e1eb6ebb2d43f40f571.png


 
The substrate should have been properly hydrated prior to being used. Once dry, substrate with fine particles are extremely difficult to irrigate due to the hydrophobic nature of fine, dry particles. Take out the substrate, put it in a bucket, and mix it together with water until it's moist before putting it back in. If squeezed in your hand, it should only drip one or two drops of water--more than that and it's too wet. Sphagnum moss is also a good substrate since it provides a good grip if they flip over and since it has the ability to hold a good amount of moisture.

If the substrate is evenly moist throughout and you've properly reduced ventilation to improve retention of moisture within the enclosure, you do not need to spray. There'll be enough humidity to keep them from drying out when coming to the surface to feed, and they'll be able to maintain their moisture levels by burrowing into moist substrate.

 
Wow, I had no idea! Thanks so much for the information. As soon as I mixed them up a big batch of damp dirt in the kitchen (and made a huge mess, lol), both beetles absolutely loved it. Or at least it seemed like it, since they burrowed in right away!

Is it normal for beetles to only go a little bit below the surface? I have several inches of substrate in both enclosures, but both beetles like to hang out so you can sometimes see a bit of their bodies. With the P. muelleri, it's usually his mandibles, which is pretty cute.
default_tongue.png
I also covered most of the enclosures with clear wrap, leaving a bit of ventilation. You're a huge help, I super appreciate it!!

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top