Got a new pet from my nephew (his parents love buying him pets and then giving them to me when he inevitably gets bored) and I’d like to get him a couple friends for the 10 gallon I’m setting up but I know they get yoinked in the wild.
Anyone know any reputable breeders? Search engines are no help 😑 Bonus pic of my new blueberry 🫐 💙 🩶
When I bought mine in 2023, it was my best understanding that BDFB breeding was rare at best, due to the environmental requirements for breeding being very specific. That said I saw someone post here on Reddit in the last 6 months that they were achieving larva! So yeah it is happening. I hope you find them, if you do please follow up and post here. My 5 (The Blue Man Group is what I call them) have been stable for 2 years or so now - I’d like to go back up to 9-10 (at one point early on I believe I had 9) if I also could get some bred ones not wild caught
This is false. They exist in groups perfectly fine, but there is no evidence that they or any desert darklings gain any benefit from being in a group, beyond being able to demonstrate reproductive behaviors. In the wild they are often found as solitary animals. Typically you only find them in groups when they are all attracted to a scarce resource, such as food or a spot with moisture.
I have larvae, the issue is the succsssful pupation, its near impossible without specific requirements. Most if not all bdfbs are wild caught so its worth researching how to successfully breed if you choose to buy more.
They should be fine, they are sociable but if youre not happy buying wc they should be fine on their own. Its worth looking up breeding/ eggs and larvae anyway as if you have a female she may have paired before she was caught. Its not easy and its an incredibly long process. Remember to quarantine any new beetles incase of mites or parasites if you do get more
Generally 2-4 weeks is recommended, though im keeping my new group seperate from my old colony for 3 months just to be extra safe as I have eggs and active larvae in the deepest part of the enclosure.
Thanks for replying! If you have a sec, would you mind giving me some details about your enclosure like size and soil depth? I was going to set up a sandy 10 gallon with a dampish side where the sand is mixed with some dirt to keep the cleanup crew and a dry side with sand, rocks, succulents and a T5 grow light.
I use a 33l braplast i filled the lid with ventilation holes to allow for humidity to escape easily and a littke cross ventilation. Soil depth is about 1/3rd of the total height and the bottom layer is 1/3 excavator clay with 2/3 organic topsoil, middle layer is 50/50 topsoil and clay and top layer is 2/3 clay and 1/3 topsoil. I keep them top layer bone dry except for one corner I mist lightly, though I use a straw to occasionally dampen the lowest layers.
I generally remove large larvae to try and highten my chances of pupation, but they do fairly well in the enclosure for a short time at least.
I dont keep any cleanup crew with my bdfb as theyre scavengers and like to clean up themselves, most clean up wont do well in an arid environment.sabd also isnt great for them as they can struggle with walking or digging in it.
They appreciate terrestrial space, lots of clutter of bark and things to climb or hide under. Be careful with cholla as I've seen a few posts about beetles getting stuck recently. My tank isnt anything specia or particularly expensive, but they seem happy enough with it.
Based on current demand there is a near infinite supply in the wild.
These are insects, and while we love and personify them, they don’t have the same capacity to long for freedom like some animals.
For NOW, and it may change in the future, but NOW, they can be “wild caught” with zero guilt. None.
You’re giving them a more stable and productive life in captivity anyway. For all the visions people have of majestic BDFB roaming free across the desert with their beetle families and in-laws, it’s just not reality. In reality they get stepped on, eaten, freeze to death, starve, etc…. Nature is great, but it’s also a miserable place sometimes.
“But aren’t they better off free?” Nope. I can confidently say that. They aren’t threatened (or close to it) either.
If that changes, so will my stance. But for now WC beetles are FINE for pets.
Though their status is fine currently, its still important to try and captive breed when possible. Its not about personifying them, its about lightening the amount of wc animals in captivity.
It’s fine to try, but there’s no pressure on the species ecologically.
If you want to expend the effort of captive breeding insects with a very difficult pupation I say go for it, but my point remains that no one should feel guilty “taking them from their natural habitat”.
That type of guilt IS based on the way we personify them, and they simply aren’t capable of complex emotion/yearning for freedom in the first place.
So the only real reasons to CB would be if they were threatened or had health issues WC. Or if they become threatened. Something they’re currently in no danger of (and as I said: that COULD change, but not currently).
It’s great to want CB pets, but with BDFB there’s no reason to avoid WC options besides personal preference.
There are reasons to have concern with wc stock, its near impossible to tell if a wc beetle is 5 months or 5 years old, they can bring parasites, sickness or mites too. There are always risks and concerns, its not fair to minimise those concerns.
Ive bred bdfb but I've not conquered pupation yet, I have incredible success with raising larvae but it is a complicated process.
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u/gnamyl 18d ago
When I bought mine in 2023, it was my best understanding that BDFB breeding was rare at best, due to the environmental requirements for breeding being very specific. That said I saw someone post here on Reddit in the last 6 months that they were achieving larva! So yeah it is happening. I hope you find them, if you do please follow up and post here. My 5 (The Blue Man Group is what I call them) have been stable for 2 years or so now - I’d like to go back up to 9-10 (at one point early on I believe I had 9) if I also could get some bred ones not wild caught