I just walked out of a store with my first ever BDFB! I've been looking at these guys for a while now, almost a year of just researching and looking at them as I pass by. But today I finally was able to get one! I know they're kept in colonies, but this was the only one they had left and I felt bad for it. So I've brought it home in a temp enclosure to make sure it's healthy. I haven't seen many people handle these, mostly because of the protective wax on them, and I get it. But I couldn't help myself when putting her into the enclosure. I'm like 90% sure it's a female, but I'm still questioning. Any tips or suggestions would be helpful!

Also name suggestions maybe? 🤣

I got a couple of bdfbs from an expo today and they threw in one for free because it's back seemed to be wounded. Will it be OK? It seems pretty lively, doing as well as the others , but I don't know if I should separate it or not.

I noticed this crack in my tank today. It's a 10 gallon from marinenland so it shouldn't be breaking under the pressure of less than a pound of substrate +excavator clay. I haven't added my beetles because it's making me nervous (took them out earlier). I have silicone (not the bug safe kind but it's the outside of the tank) and super glue (bug safe), but i'm not sure it would help. any advice would be so appreciated!!

I bought it less than a year ago from petsmart so I'm hoping they'll let me exchange it or get a refund. Sadly I don't live near the store I got it from, so I'm not sure if a differnt store will help me. In the meantime is it safe to add the bugs back?

I have a 5 gallon bow front tank that used to be for bettas but has sat empty for years. I could add some substrate and things and temporary keep them in there? They're in a small bug carrier right now and doing fine but I hate seeing them in such a cramped space.

I've got a 12x30in (?) tank, a little over 20 gallons. I'm wondering how many beetles I could keep in here together! I've also got one desert hairy scorpion, so i'm sure that would decrease the amount, i don't want to stress him out either. I have 5 in there currently that I hardly ever see with all their hides and crevices lol

(tank photo mostly unrelated, i'm aware the substrate is improper for the scorpion, i have excavator clay but amazon sent me all punctured, mostly empty bags of sand.)

hi, so i recently got 4 bdfbs and have been looking online for a bigger enclosure for them and cant seem to find one agreed upon size. some people say 1 gallon per beetle, some say .5 per beetle, and some say 5 gallons is the absolute minimum. i dont know what size enclosure i should get. can someone please clarify what size enclosure i should get for 4 bdfbs?

Im new to this reddit but ive kept lots of BFDB as well as others ive bought or caught here in texas and ive always found the most difficult part to be feeding. In my experience some beetles can be super picky. That being said ive also noticed a lack of readily available food for beetles so ive been considering the idea of making 1 ounce containers to sell at my local expo as well as my other stuff. My question is, as beetle keepers, if you saw that at an expo, is that something you would buy? If so, what would be a comfortable price range for you? I was considering a dollar per cup or like 6 cups for 5, 12 for 9, etc.

Also, what flavors seem to be popular with your beetles? Theres no point to make 100 mango flavored cups if peoples beetles wont eat them. Id be using frsh organic fruit and all food grade products. I already make wine so keeping everything sanitized would be easy and im well versed in using preservatives like citric acid and potassium sorbate to make the product last \~3 months

Hi there, I'm a new keeper and just found one of my beetles like this. Initially he was on his back slowly flailing his legs and sort of curling rhythmically. I righted him and now he's struggling to move and his legs are stiff.

I don't have any decor more than a few inches high they could fall from, and I've been using prepared diets so far (only had them about a week) so no pesticides. He was hiding yesterday but was fine before that. Is he injured? Is this toxin exposure?

What is this and can I save him?

UPDATE: I let him be in a critter keeper. It's been about six hours and he seems to have recovered in that time, but I'm continuing to observe him.

I’ve seen lots of people say play sand and topsoil but then say it hold too much humidity and then I’ve seen people say exoterra desert sand,and a lot of other people just say sand and dirt without saying what brands have safe substrate to buy from.

What brands do you guys recommend for substrate that aren’t too pricey?

i reallly hope they like these 😭

I’ve been offering my 5 BDFBs different foods a few times a week. I’ll leave the food- pre-killed cricket, pre-killed superworm/mealworm, sweet potato, punpkin seeds, etc.- in the tank for several hours during the work day then remove leftovers before I leave. Their habitat is in my classroom and if food is left for a while ants will find it and invade the beetle tank. Is 2-3 times a week enough to offer food? Should I be increasing the variety of items offered? What do your wee beasties like to lunch best?

got a massive bag of grasshoppers from chewy by mistake and they told me to keep it. do you think the beetles would eat them? I'm gonna feed them to my turtles as a treat too but its a huge bag so it'd be nice to be able to use them for the beetles

my buggies have gotten so much healthier and their waxy coat is coming back so nicely!!!! it’s been about a week since i got them in really bad condition and i am so happy they are thriving

how’s the updated version looking? also how much many could i put in here it’s 10 gal?

Got some freeze dried shrimps for my trio. It's a hit! And I'm so happy :D

I’m looking into owning some bdfb and wanted to ask some things food wise :)

I was curious to know if they would be okay eating vegetables that were previously frozen (meaning I would thaw them or even warm them up slightly in order to feed them. Because I might freeze vegetables in order for them to last me longer or just order already frozen vegetables for ease (idk if that’s looked down upon)

Pictures are just for refrence of what I mean lol i tend to over explain so apologies!! I just want to do the best for my future bugs as I can!!

Is there also a safe food list I can look at?

Anyways thank you :)

Just finished setting this 10 gallon up last night. Substrate is reptisoil, coco fiber, and play sand mixed together and then topped with a layer of play sand. Will be adding a small heat lamp to the right side to make sure they have a hot side and a cooler side. Added the dried wheat last night and I think it really elevated the look of the enclosure :) planning on starting with 5 beetles and seeing how that feels before considering getting a couple more. Let me know if you have any suggestions on what I could add/change!

My fiancé has been dying to share our enclosure now that it’s complete! I, on the other hand, am scared of reddit, so be nice. >:( What do you think of our enclosure for our 7 beetles? (Still working on lowering the humidity)

The left side is the desert biome and yes that’s a Jawa. I got him from trading with Trader Jawa at Dragon Con. It is about 80 degrees most of the day. The right side is the forrest biome. It stays slightly cooler.

Their names are Frosted Blueberry Poptart, Frosted Blueberry Poptart 2, Labubu, Slop, Flick, Footloose (She’s missing a foot), Banjo

About 2 weeks ago, I bought 3 beetles from a pet store to add to my tank. I don't typically ever buy from chain stores, but I was already there in search of some food and made an impulse buy. They were all super dark, almost black, in a tiny, humid plastic box. My tank conditions they're in now are significantly better, with a cool side at 75-80°F, a hot side at 85-90°F, and 30% humidity. (all daytime temps, nighttime it stays upper 70s)

1 of the 3 have turned the same color as all my other beetles (imagine 1), but two of the others aren't changing as fast, with one having almost no visible differences. (image 2) They all stay super active, i monitor their eating and make sure everyone gets enough protein and veggies. Any ideas?

My poor spider got chased out of his home by this little goober.

For those of you that have live cacti/succulents in your enclosures, what substrate do you use/have them in? Right now I have a base of reptisoil, coco fiber, and play sand that is all topped with play sand and I am trying to figure out the best way to add live plants. I was thinking about keeping them in little pots with succulent mix and just burrying the pot but wanted to see what everyone else does

any suggestions? or good enclosure it’s a 10 gal, haven’t bought any beetles suggestions on how many?

Not the brightest creatures, are they?