I don't know what to do.

[Grey]

This is very cool! LOL! I love beetles. I kept a trio of sun beetles a while ago and gave them a tank with derived peat (dredged, not mined) substrate, some driftwood and fed them a substance called beetle jelly; if you can find out what species of beetle this is you'll likely have more success taking care of them.

Beetles can be absolutely hilarious, especially if they are a flying species. Mine used to ricochet off the sides of the tank in trying to fly; they never hurt themselves doing it but boy did it make me jump. The species I kept weren't overly good at flying...

[racinghamster]

Well done Colby, they look happy! Not sure if you might end up overrun with them and their larvae though? I know these things can be bred for other purposes but some research might be a good idea in case they need freeze dried or the larvae removed? What are the adult beetles called? Once you know the species, you can probably go from there.

I know captive snails lay eggs that need removing and....well, I think the eggs need to be frozen to kill them but I`ve never kept snails so I`m not too sure. Like snails though! x

[slatted]

The Larvae will be mealworms wont they?

I find it puzzling that you were prepared to kill them when they were mealworms, by feeding to your gecko, but determined to keep them alive when they became beeetles.

[celmoy]

This is great, Colby! Can't wait to hear more updates hopefully they don't escape though... They look quite big!

@slatted I think it's more killing them unnecessarily that seems cruel. I wouldn't mind feeding live bugs to a lizard because that's what the lizard needs, but killing bugs just for the sake of getting rid of them just seems a bit cruel.

[chinesehammy]

Originally Posted by celmoy

This is great, Colby! Can't wait to hear more updates hopefully they don't escape though... They look quite big!

@slatted I think it's more killing them unnecessarily that seems cruel. I wouldn't mind feeding live bugs to a lizard because that's what the lizard needs, but killing bugs just for the sake of getting rid of them just seems a bit cruel.

Personally to me either way is cruel.. But I'm vegan, so you know!

[celmoy]

Originally Posted by chinesehammy

Personally to me either way is cruel.. But I'm vegan, so you know!

I don't find the idea of feeding live things to a pet very appealing, but I'm sure most lizards will only eat live prey, so if you want to keep one then you don't get much of a choice

[chinesehammy]

I'm sure if thy had nothing else on offer they would eat vegatiaon, and BTW I'm not trying to start an argue net, I was just putting my point across.

[celmoy]

I think most insect-eating lizards are exclusively carnivores or insectivores, so I don't think they would eat veggies even if they were starving, and if they did it wouldn't be very good for them... and I'm not trying to argue either, just pointing out that lizards are awkward

[celmoy]

Colby and the Dwarfs, I found some RSPB tips for breeding your own mealworms! The RSPB: Advice: Breed your own mealworms

[Pollaay!]

I know you've decided to set up a breeding tanks, but for anyone else who might be reading:

The beetles are fine to feed to your reptile
Most won't eat them in large amounts though, they're not as tasty as mealworms (apparently )

Also for breeding, I would stick a heat mat to half of the back of the tank. They need warmth to breed and a deep layer of bran flakes usually gets them breeding well.
They can be fed any vegetable scraps, dog biscuits, cat biscuits, cereals, non-acidic fruit such as apple, strawberry etc. and don't put water in, no matter how shallow the bowl is they always manage to drown themselves. Put slices of carrot in instead

Don't mist the cage, the bran will get mouldy & they won't breed. Don't let any of the food get mouldy, the bugs smell bad enough as it is lol!

I started off with about 20 mealworms & now have around 200 beetles breeding. Supplying food for my bearded dragons & chameleons I regularly chuck a few beetles in as food for the reps, keeps the numbers down so I don't get over run. The beetles will also kill each other, then eat the body. If you notice that your numbers are decreasing then give them some crusts off of bread & a few more bits of dry dog food.

Oh & try to separate the beetles from the mealworms, the mealies just love to devour their parents. :/

Hope I've helped!

Xx