{"id":8573,"date":"2022-07-27T13:55:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T13:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/?p=8573"},"modified":"2022-07-27T16:59:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T16:59:11","slug":"stag-beetle-care-practical-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/stag-beetle-care-practical-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Stag Beetle Care [Practical Guide]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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You’ve come across the magnificent stag beetles and you found that you can keep them as pets \u2014 and yes they make good pets indeed. But how do you care for stag beetles? There are many different types of stag beetles, one even more stunning or surprising than the other. The good news is that the care between the different species does not differ much, if at all. So in this practical care guide, we will look at how to care for your stag beetles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stag beetles can be housed in a terrarium or plastic container with a size of at least 30cm by 30cm by 30cm high that contains a good layer of flake soil, coconut fibre or topsoil substrate. Most stag beetles do fine at room temperature, in a humid environment and can be fed solely on beetle jelly. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will discuss in detail how to house, feed and care for them. Hopefully, this care guide will help you to give proper care and that you enjoy keeping these amazing creatures. But first, let’s have a closer look at stag beetles and their biology. Let’s go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About stag beetles (Lucanidae<\/em> spp.<\/em>)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, a little more about stag beetles. The lucanidae<\/em> family exists of around 1200 beetle species and all have more or less two antlers, while some species have quite huge ones. Specimens that are kept as pets are generally around 5cm (2″). Some wild specimens can grow up to 12cm (4.7″). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like all beetles, they have that typical build of the head, thorax and abdomen. And as with all insects, they have 6 legs. The species that is most familiar in Europe is known as the<\/em> stag beetle (Lucanus cervus<\/em>) and is the largest terrestrial insect in the whole of Europe. This species has a typical brown\/black appearance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with all stag beetles, only males have large extended mandibles and although they look frightening, they are too weak to inflict any pain or damage to humans (and other stag beetles). Males use their mandibles to fight with other males and try to knock them off branches to eliminate the competition for breeding. Females have much smaller mandibles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stag beetles come in all sizes, shapes and colours but all have those typical mandibles. The Giraffe stag beetle (Prosopocoilus giraffa<\/em>) is the largest stag beetle in the world. One very popular stag beetle in the pet industry is the rainbow stag beetle (Phalacrognathus muelleri<\/em>), one of the most spectacular coloured stag beetle of them all. However, there are multiple colour variations of the rainbow stag beetle, as well as other stag beetle species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The adult beetle \u2014 also known as the imago \u2014 is only one of the four stages of the beetle life cycle. And although generally stag beetles live from 3 up to 7 years, the adults last a couple of weeks or months. For most of their lives, they live underground in the substrate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can buy stag beetles online at several breeders or at reptile\/invert expos that are held in many countries. Some exotic pet shops have stag beetles as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What about other species?<\/strong> There are many more beetle species that you can keep as pets. You one the other popular family is flower beetles. A species that I can highly recommend to start with is the sun beetle<\/a><\/strong> (care guide). They are easy to keep and a colourful beetle species. <\/div>