Hello from Utah! In love with Blue Death Feigning Beetles. :)

[KasuKasu]

Hello from Utah! For a long time I've been trying to find the perfect pet. I wanted something that was active quite a bit that would be amusing to watch, very little waste to have to clean up frequently, easy to clean enclosure, able to be left unattended for stretches of time when I'm on vacation or forget to feed, not require live foods since I'm squeamish, and have a dry environment with low risk of pest infestation. In the past I've had gerbils and dabbled in aquariums but found the former cleaning-intensive and dusty and the latter a money-hole with a delicate balance easily disturbed. Then I found a praying mantis outside my apartment a couple years ago and thought about adopting it, but then realized live foods are required and gave up the idea. The world of keeping insects opened up to me, but I couldn't find one that met all my requirements. I finally randomly found Blue Death Feigning Beetles while browsing the Bugs in Cyberspace site and was amazed--they eat small bits of fruits and veggies and dog food and just need jellies or the water in their food to survive! Their enclosure can be completely dry, low dust, and requires little cleaning. They are fine if left alone while on vacation! They don't require any special humidity needs and are fine at normal room temperature variations!

 

I ordered five from Bugs in Cyberspace in December and have greatly enjoyed them ever since. They are so much fun to watch--while they do "zone out" quite a bit, but I often see them exploring the levels of cholla, "wiping" the glass, walking on top of each other, and I can take them out and play with them on my hands whenever I want! They have never feigned death once, so they must be pretty happy.

 

I plan to post about this in more detail, but I have been surprised by how much poop accumulates (I have them on light-colored sand) and how...amorous they are. The warmer weather seems to make them the most active!

 

And I never tire of the look on people's faces when I reveal I own "blue death feigning beetles."

 

 

[arizonablue]

Welcome to the forum! Blues are one of my favorites too. I highly recommend all of Peter's desert beetles. They're fascinating to watch and are quite communal -- I have a desert tank with blue and black death-feigning beetles and various assorted desert beetles (and occasionally velvet ants) from Peter and they have no problems living together.

[Ratmosphere]

Welcome!

[Hisserdude]

Welcome to the forum!

 

I'm a big fan of Tenebrionids myself, they are my favorite group of beetles, most species are super easy to keep as adults, and can be easy to breed too!

 

I'll actually be getting some BDFB larvae from a friend soon, I've never kept this species before, and the larvae are notoriously difficult to rear, so I'm looking forward to the challenge of keeping them!

[Beetle Mania]

Is anyone breeding Blue Death Feigning Beetles in Utah?

[Dynastes]

I don't think a lot are being bred, they're a little touchy and so plentiful in the wild.

[Ratnarök]

Breeding BDFBs is rather difficult to do reliably, so the odds of them being bred enough for trade/sale are slim.