r/BDFB

These guys have gotten so active since I upgraded their enclosure. I can't sing their praises enough. Incredibly easy and fun to take care of. I could watch them all day.

Ok I might be a helicopter keeper but, my BDFBs have sometimes been doing this thing where they seem to kinda jam their face into the dirt and then just, hang like that for a while. Are they sleeping? Trying to burrow? The humidity in their space is around 60%, which seems way too high but I don’t know how to lower it. Advice welcome 🩵

Unfortunately, one of my beetles has died. I found him upside down under a rock and when I tried to to move him I noticed his joints were curled inwards and moved with motion. His antenna have not moved. I set him away in a container with honey water on a paper towel but I think he's already gone. I'm going to give it a few days before I do anything but once I'm ready, I'd like to pin him. He's the first death of my colony of 8. I've had them about a year.

I'm not exactly sure how he died, but I'm guessing old age. The first batch of beetles I got was from a local seller who I forgot to ask about whether they were captive bred or wild caught. I haven't introduced any new items or food for a bit and my other guys are doing good.

Anyway, how do you guys pin them? I have a bit of experience and how the basics of making a rehydration chamber and posing. How do you keep the blue coloration? Whats the best way to display them? Do you have specific frames or anything like that.

Secondly, should I be doing anything with my remaining beetles? Cleaning their cage thoroughly or reorganizing or something? I attached a photo of the current setup (this photo is from maybe a month ago?). Any tips of advice appreciated. I am very saddened by this

this is my first time attempting to breed bdfb and so far my larvae are doing great i see lots of fat ones and some that look close to pupation like it’s crazy i would have never thought i would get this far

got her almost a year ago now and i thought she was gonna die off soon because her shell was severely damaged and literally had a hole in it. she ended up living all this time, idk how she died but she was so cute and unique 😔

ive built a small incubator with a heat mat and i put the three large ones (3-5 cm) into cups filled with a compost/coco fibre/sand mixture and gave them fish flakes and bee pollen but it immediately molded.

im now considering either having them without any substrate as i saw in a 2024 yt video by bugsnstuff, or to keep them in organic substrate but not give them any food that would mold immediately. idk what the better course of action would be because i dont know wether they are really ready to pupate yet.

or do they really just start to pupate once they are in the incubator?

TLDR: food but no substrate, substrate but no food, or is there a way to keep food from molding on substrate?

thx

she was sleeping on it like this…

My best friend made me a beetle cake for my 22nd!

i'm so happy they're so cute and cool ... little guys ❤️❤️❤️

Couple days ago I found two of my beetles lethargic. So I left them be maybe I spooked them. Then the next day no movement so I made up some honey water and they seem to making an improvement then one died. But the other one idk I’ve given it honey water, water, I got one of the beetle to climb nothing . When I do pick her up she seems to play dead but idk