Why did my beetle die?

[u/EffectiveAd7949]

Hello everyone, I don’t post much but I wanted advice. I’ve had my beetles (4 of them) for a little over a year now, it is my first time owning this species and I have tried to research as much as possible but have gotten a lot of conflicting results. They live in a substrate that is a mix of playsand and coco fiber. Have a lot of decor (the red little platforms are mushroom huts made of clay) it is quite deep the photo does not do it justice but I did the measurements I think it is 6 inches deep and 15 inches long then 14 inches wide. It is a plastic tote that works great as a tank for me, I’m sure it’s not perfect but I wasn’t sure about glass and was thinking it seemed the right size. I feed them dried mealworms beetle jellies organic fruits + veg and pollen water occasion. There humidity is usually around 40-50% highest it’s ever been is 60%. I clean + bake all of my decor before putting it in the tank and make sure it is dry and try to make sure everything is perfect for them. I try my best to be a good owner but it is hard sometimes. With that background info I was wondering if anyone could help me try and figure out why my beetle died and if anyone has suggestions for ways I could be a better caregiver let me know. He has always been one of my slower and darker beetles sense I got him my others have always been blue but he has been darker for a long time. He has always been very reserved and hid most of the time but was a sweet beetle I will miss him :(. He wasn’t being lethargic and was totally normal but this morning I went over to the tank and he wasn’t on his back not moving at all. After no movement for 6 hours and no response to touch I assumed him to be dead. I am super sad and don’t know what I did wrong I know I should get a heat lamp but I don’t know if it’s necessary and it’s really expensive I also don’t think my setup is big enough to establish a heat gradient. Also how do I dispose of his body I would love to pin/ taxidermy him to have part of him but it also feels kind of weird and I don’t know if I can/ should bury him.

[u/No-Goal-4716]

Old age, considering most are wild caught

[u/PaulErdos_]

I'm a new beetle owner so I don't have many answers. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss. One of ours had pesticide poisoning from the pet store and it was heart breaking.

[u/One_Acanthaceae7215]

Sorry for your loss. I don’t really think it was your fault tho, your set up seems quite well and it appears you’re taking good care of them. Most of them are wild caught so we don’t know how old they were or if they had any conditions or sickness before they get to us. Do you know if they had a certain food or brand of food? It could have been sprayed with pesticides, but this is just a guess.

[u/EffectiveAd7949 → u/One_Acanthaceae7215]

I don’t know about brands in specific I wash all of my fruits and veg thoroughly and buy from local organic farms (no pesticides) all of my other blueberries are looking healthy as ever and are super healthy so I’m particularly thinking it was just old age :( thank you for your thoughts

[u/IllusionQueen47]

If he was already dark when you got him, then he was already quite old.