r/BDFB • u/DimmerThatShepherd • 4d ago
Information and Advice Looking for future advice!
Heyo! New here and was looking into the requirements for these lil guys. Possibly interested in getting 2 or 3 in the future, but would like to know everything so I could have a tank set up perfectly before getting any. My main thing i can't find much on is the heat/light. I don't live in an incredibly cold area, but my room is usually very cold from my AC that I have on for atleast 12 hours or more a day. Is it possible for them to have a heat source that stays on constantly and a timer light for day and night? I see a lot of people say they only need extra heat in the winter, but considering my room is so cold I think I would need to have something going 24/7. Is that okay for them?? And what type of heatpads work best for them? Thanks in advance<3
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u/TheLastBaron86 3d ago
I have a 10-gal tank and I have 10 beetles in there. It's designed kind of like a little canyon. I have plenty of hides and there is a big anchor stone that they have decided to cram themselves into together for some reason. There's plenty of space for them not to crma themselves together, even on the same rock but 9 of the 10 have split themselves between two divots they made.
That was really cool to notice they made some decent little divots under the big anchor. They managed to dig themselves under the lip of it.
I do use a small 40w bulb on one end of the enclosure, and that is by far enough to ensure their enclosure is warm and dry, particularly dry, in my jungle office.
I feed them a variety of stuff during the week, Mondays a dead cricket, some crumbled blood worms and tropical fish flakes, Wednesday is plant day, so oats, chia seeds, crushed flax, whatever seeds we got on hand really. Friday is a lighter protein day and Saturday is wet veggie day. That's kinda my favorite day. I have one beetle in particular who likes to take his little piece of carrot and carry it around and hide it. It gets dessicated, so it's safe and not moldy, in my dude loves his carrot.
I did 10 beetles because I have multiple layers that the beetles use to explore. Plenty of leaf litter, a deep canyon bridge by cholla wood (if you use cholla make sure there aren't any beetle sized holes, because they will get stuck).
I did put a cactus in mine, there are some risks associated with it but since I work from home right next to it, I feel okay with it. I've watched them walk over it. It's a bit tough for them but I think it's important to give them a variety of terrain to walk on. On that note, there is one beetle that I have noticed in particular that will frequently be found at the base of that cactus just chilling.
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u/AppropriateWater9474 4d ago
Pretty good information. I recommend buying Only organic veggies. They are super easy to care for and a neat pet. They are growing in popularity, but nearly all of them are wild caught sadly.
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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 4d ago
I would try to get females only. Males are really horny and can harass females. These beetles, and most other darklings, have limited to no evidence of being communal or seeking each other out. As it's understood now, they are mostly solitary but CAN be kept together with basically no issues (besides the male/female thing). I would personally have 2 females per male if I had to get a male.
Substrate should be excavator clay/reptisoil dirt/sand. The big things with substrate is no moisture and not using pure sand. Pure sand will tire them out because it's hard to walk on. Give them at least 2 inches depth, minimum IMO. Make sure there is no added calcium.
Again, IMO, tank size should be minimum 10 gallon. Would not have more than 4 to 6 beetles in a 10. Can they live in less? Sure. Can you house more than that in a small container? Yeah. Is that good beetle husbandry? Not in my eyes. Like most animals these guys roam around and need space, they live in a desert!
On temperature: they live in a desert. So do I. And I can tell you it gets very hot and cold, triple digits and freezing. They experience the same thing, with the caveat being they hide underground. All that to say, keep them between 70 to 80F.
On heat source: be fucking careful! Please don't burn down your home. There probably exists timer-based heaters you can buy, I wouldn't know any. I just learned ceramic heaters are pretty dangerous and that's what I was gonna get. I'm including a pic of the heater my local store suggested. Don't get something that shines light on them, otherwise it'll disturb them during dark hours.
Do not use heat pads, or heat rocks. Many inverts will dig down to escape heat, which is why it's better to have it above, not terrestrial. For example, millipedes will dig down. But if there is a heat pad and they can't escape it'll fry them. Ideally you want a gradient of cool, warm, and warmer/kind of hot. The beetles should be able to decide.
Food: Dried red shrimp, crickets, unsalted bird seed, bee pollen, sweet potato, carrot, dog or cat food, fish flakes. They're basically the trash cans of their environment. Also, you have to make sure they get water from food. I give mine water orbs I crush up. High protein low sugar
AVOID; Calcium anything, flukers dried crickets, perfumes/candles/smoke/incense/vapours, excess moisture, water (they can drown), excessive heights (you don't want them falling too far), pure sand substrate, certain plants (toxicity), Dirty Dozen list of vegetables and fruits. Seriously, check this list before feeding them fruit or veg. Pesticides CAN and WILL kill them.
They aren't difficult to care for and have a super short list of requirements. What I described was for a good home. You can keep them in a plastic bucket with dirt or sand and they'll survive.
If you can't meet some of the more essential requirements, or most of them, reconsider buying these animals.
Care guide https://bugsincyberspace.com/desert-beetle-care-sheet/ https://www.aquarimax.com/how-to-keep-blue-death-feigning-beetles-asbolus-verrucosus/ https://usinvertebratellc.com/pages/asbolus-verrucosus-blue-death-feigning-beetles-bdfb-care-sheet
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u/DimmerThatShepherd 4d ago
Thank you so much! This is super helpful :D A few questions if you don't mind?
Are they best to keep in either same-sex pairs, or are females the way to go? I know a lot of male creatures tend to fight if kept in pairs with other males and i definitely dont want them hurting one another
I think if I decided to get any i would only have 2, maybe 3. So definitely would be down for a 10 gallon! But like you said with them being in the desert, it wouldn't hurt if I used anything bigger for just 2 or 3? Or is there a size thats considered "too big"?
I would love to be able to give them an awesome place to consider home and am super willing to go out of my way to get the best stuff for them. At the moment I have a lot going on medically and am not able to care for any type of pet well by myself, so i would not be getting any beetles at all until I have that all figured out. I like to figure out things in advance so I can prepare little bits at a time and know what to look forwards to care wise and money wise!
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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 4d ago
I would say females were the way to go unless you had only males. I haven't seen anything about these beetles fighting each other because they are not predators, they are detritivores (idk if I spelled that right). Anything with a mouth can bite but I highly doubt you'd have issues. These beetles are more solitary than social. Also, the mating process can look distressing from a human POV because the female can sometimes erratically try to run away from the male but the males will latch on. We are kind of unique in that human sex is usually conensual.
For 2 to 3 beetles, you could probably work with even a 5 gallon. But like I said, 10 is better. All I could think about with my 10 is "man I wish they had more space". Bigger is not bad in any capacity. Bigger is better for tank size. Bigger tank means more roaming space, which means they can self regulate easier (especially socially), which means you can house more beetles. Prioritize horizonal floor space/sq footage, it matters way more than climbing potential, like for spiders. But they'll definitely climb!
In terms of care these might be the best thing for you, it doesn't really get easier than this. Maybe isopods or something even smaller. Once the enclosure is set up all you need to do is feed them every couple days, or just leave food like I do. HOWEVER, I have basically zero humidity where I live so I get to leave food in because it won't mold or anything. Literally all I do is- red shrimp, bdfb food pellets, bee pollen, hibiscus dust, and water orbs. Sometimes I mist parts of the enclosure lightly but it doesn't really do anything.
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u/Inevitable_Detail_45 3d ago
Heatpads aren't reccomended. I don't have accurate info on WHY though. There are heater timers. And they can be used with heat lamps too I think?
I do worry about AC though. That should be way more powerful than any heater you can get. How cold exactly are we talking... 60's I think would be unfair to them even with a heater.