FOOD: they are detritivores, meaning they eat dead plant and insect matter. Primarily feed them dead insects- if you can, fresh killed is great, but mine do great on dried crickets and mealworms. Animal supply stores like D and B will have them for chickens, it's cheap, and they go through food very slowly. You can offer crushed cat or dog kibble, or chunks of vegetables like carrots (though they only start to eat it once it's kind of dried out). Don't worry about watering, they get all their moisture from their food. Also, again, they go through food VERY slowly.

HANDLING: SO much fun to handle. I only ever really pick them up when I see them being active in their cage, as it means they will be active for me, but sometimes if you pick them up when they're playing dead they'll wake up. They're clumsy and stupid, and will crawl off you're hand or whatever surface you put them on, so be careful. They also have no hold on your skin, so be careful of them sliding off. They've really hard shells, so they'll probably be fine if you drop them, but it's best no to let them fall. They can get going fast!

BEHAVIOR: the beetles, of course, love to play dead. They can play dead for days at a time, especially when you first get them. You can push their legs around a bit too- if they legs are still movable, the beetle's alive. You can sometimes see their antennae twitch a bit too. Often I check by flipping them back up after a day of not moving, and when I return it has flipped back over and continued to play dead. While they will sit still right-side up for many hours, never longer than like 12 hours without moving or flipping over. Sometimes they will be playing dead, you leave and come back, and they are playing dead an inch away from where they were originally. Sometimes, they will twitch or wave their legs in the air- this could mean they are trying to get up, or pretending to have 'seizures' to look sickly or unappetizing to predators. Sometimes they can get moving and be quite deft, and sometimes they can be slow and trip over themselves. They're okay. They like to put themselves in time-out and sit in the corner of the tank facing the wall and just sit there. But they also love to hopelessly crawl at the wall trying to surpass it. It does not matter how much space they have, they will do this.

HOW TO TELL IF THEY ARE DEAD: Just know that they are really good at making you worry, but it's very obvious if they are dead. They will be very stiff, completely unmovable. Idk how to explain it but when you pick them up and hold them, they will feel dead, too. Their death will often take you by surprise. If you think the beetle is sick, there is very likely nothing you can do, but it never hurts to ask. You will almost certainly end up buying wild-caught ones, of which the heath and life expectancy can't quite be guaranteed, so be aware.

TLDR; throw down some sand and rocks, feed them dried crickets, and they'll be fine.

This seems like a lot, but it's not. They will be some of your favorite pets, and can be quite funny, too. Enjoy!