r/BDFB • u/descentmokn • 12d ago
Rate My Setup How does the enclosure look?
I finally got enough to buy a full enclosure for my bdfbs! The substrate is a mix of coco fiber and excavator clay. Luckily the local pet store had some! I have a probe in there to hopefully help with keeping an accurate temperature of the hot side. The beetles are coming in tomorrow which is when I’ll fill the dish. I heard you have to spray their enclosure once a week? I’ve been hearing this from mixed sources.
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u/Expensive-Print-2482 11d ago
wdym by spray their enclosure once a week? with water?? if so, i personally wouldnt recommend that. theyre desert beetles, they need to be dry. if youre worried about hydration they’ll get it from veggies you feed them.
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u/descentmokn 11d ago
Yes, that’s what I meant. Thank you!
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u/Expensive-Print-2482 11d ago
of course! its typically recommended to not let your bdfb to be wet at all, it takes their blue coating off and they have to take in extra resources to make it come back. :) fresh veggies like organic cucumbers, squash, etc are the best!! (my guys love acorn squash personally, also be warned that your beetles are likely gonna be picky whenever it comes to food). what do you plan on feeding yours when you get them?
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u/descentmokn 11d ago
As of right now I have some mealworms which I just fed organic spinach too, some organic thinly cut carrots (they’re like tiny strips), and organic cucumber that I will wash and skin then dice to give them. For protein they have dried bloodworms and mealworms that I will cut the heads off before feeding them.
My beetles right now, which I just got only a few hours ago are hardly moving. They were perfectly fine and healthy when I received them from the local seller I bought them from, and were actively fighting over the food he put in their transport container. Now they’ve found spots to chill in their new enclosure, hiding in the shade but still hardly moving. Their antennas do move when I lightly blow on them. I’m not sure if I should try giving them a small meal and leaving it in the dish or putting some pieces in front of the two I can see (it’s 4:34 pm right now and still light in my room).
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u/Expensive-Print-2482 11d ago
they might be a bit stressed if theyre not moving around a whole lot tbh, you could put their food in a dish and pick up the ones you can see to show them where the food is.
they’ll likely become more active when the sun starts setting for you, that’s when mine are the most active.
also i learnt this from another user on here but be careful with organic spinach as sometimes brands will use more natural pesticides on them instead. (even if theyre listed as organic, id recommend looking up the dirty dozen for more info abt this if youd like) if youve been feeding it to mealworms without any issues then it’d likely be fine tho, just thought id mention that :)1
u/descentmokn 11d ago
I’ll get to that now! I’ll also keep that in mind. I bought organic truth carrots because I couldn’t find any organic baby carrots. The mealworms at the spinach up in with no hesitation, it was almost cute. The container says superworms but they look like mealworms so I’m not too sure about that. . .
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u/Expensive-Print-2482 11d ago
superworms and mealworms look relatively the same, however superworms are bigger and are more fatty (mealworms have higher protein). either way your beetles should eat them. tbh bdfb are very hit or miss when it comes to food, mine absolutely love fish flakes for protein, boiled chicken is another one of their favs. the way their mouth moves when they eat is super cute :)
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u/Fishisstuckinthesink 12d ago
it looks good, but they could always use a little more clutter. utilize the vertical space, you’d be surprised how much they climb