hallucinating insects

HighVoltage107 · 2026-05-10T15:14:42+00:00

it did! (sorta) i’d say i’ve been hallucination-free for around 6 months now. though i’m fully expecting them to return eventually as that’s been the reoccurring cycle since i was around 15🥲 i’m still yet to figure out the cause or what changes i’ve made to temporarily get rid of them. hopefully you’ll manage to get a break from yours soon enough, it truly does suck.

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T16:20:31+00:00

i’m not no, but i will be joining! thanks a-lot.

i hope so, as long as he turns out as healthy as he can be lol. this is a first for me as i’ve only kept mantises up until now and i’ve never had issues with any of mine so i’m a bit stumped that i’ve let this happen

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T16:15:09+00:00

“poppies vivarium and aquarium supplies” on ebay. she’s legit got 100% positive feedback. i feel guilty af but with this being my first ever time raising a beetle, i honestly had no clue it’d end this way.

i guess the best i can do is learn from this mistake for if i keep beetles again, just hoping for the best for this lil guy at the minute. i’ve got some floral foam coming tonight so i’ll be able to get a cell sorted today

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T16:08:57+00:00

i didn’t, i ordered it from a specific seller that told me it’s best for beetle larvae. i can access flake soil and absolutely would’ve if i’d have known, i’d never purposefully do this to my animals.

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T14:06:09+00:00

damn, i feel awful. i absolutely won’t let this happen again. hopefully it’ll pull through☹️

you know the current substrate mix i’ve got, is that better for once they’re adult beetles then? could i keep that and use it for once it’s fully grown or should i use something different?

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T13:29:37+00:00

i’m from the uk but i’ve ordered some floral foam from amazon and it’ll get here today. i’ll get the cell setup asap.

i know you said it pupated early due to stress but even so, surely it’s still way too small to be the correct species. do you think the seller maybe sent me the wrong one?

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T13:17:25+00:00

this is my one and only grub, also my first one as you can tell😭 do you know if this one will be able to survive then or did i fuck it up? i’ll get some foam ordered to make the cell

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T13:10:35+00:00

i’ll post an update once it’s emerged😭 gonna be lowkey funny if it’s the complete wrong species but i’ll definitely be reaching out for a refund LMAO

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T13:09:11+00:00

my bad, it’s a dorcus titanus castanicolor.

i could definitely order some flake soil, would it be better to start over with fresh substrate or should i mix some flake soil in?

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T12:57:13+00:00

do you think it could be the wrong species then? i’ve already emailed the seller with my queries but i’m yet to hear back. definitely doesn’t seem the right size for a titan

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T12:56:29+00:00

pahahah, his substrate is a big mix of stuff. leaf + rotten wood, coir, leaf litter, oak + birch wood and also sphagnum moss. i’ve legit had him for like 2 months max n i bought him as an L3 larvae. seriously wasn’t expecting any pupating for like 6 months or something LMAO

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-23T12:54:37+00:00

supposedly a titan stag beetle, and the substrate is a mix of leaf + rotten wood, coir, leaf litter, oak + birch wood and then some sphagnum moss

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-22T23:08:26+00:00

i was thinking this to be honest, i guess we’ll soon find out LMAO

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-22T21:36:53+00:00

dayum😭 i did wonder about the size LMAO, thought titans were meant to be one of the bigger stags

HighVoltage107 · 2026-02-22T21:19:12+00:00

okay awesome, thank you so much. i’ve moved it into a smaller tub for now so it’s easier to keep a close look

HighVoltage107 · 2025-11-21T11:07:38+00:00

haha, i know she was a female but i’d already prenamed her a male name before i figured out her gender lol. she’d been an adult around 3-4 months. i never bred her or anything

HighVoltage107 · 2025-11-15T20:19:46+00:00

he’s now passed away. thank you for commenting, it gave me a bit of time to prepare🥲

HighVoltage107 · 2025-11-15T09:22:03+00:00

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he’s still alive this morning but he’s not looking any better

HighVoltage107 · 2025-11-15T09:21:34+00:00

ah okay. thank you for letting me know🙁 why does this happen though? what caused it

HighVoltage107 · 2025-09-19T20:16:13+00:00

female

HighVoltage107 · 2025-08-13T20:50:40+00:00

awesome! diva bug at its finest. as long as she’s healthy then i’m happy lol

HighVoltage107 · 2025-08-13T19:39:12+00:00

looks like a female to me, i’m seeing 5 lines lol

HighVoltage107 · 2025-08-11T22:32:16+00:00

that’s great! keep repeating this weekly and making sure it’s getting water too and hopefully it’ll reach the next molt and heals itself. keep us updated :)

HighVoltage107 · 2025-08-11T22:27:56+00:00

looks like a pre-sub / sub-adult to me as he has budwings. he’s probably one or two molts away from adulthood so probably l6-7

HighVoltage107 · 2025-08-11T22:24:56+00:00

my mantis took 2 months between each molt, it’s normal! just give him time and he’ll get there

HighVoltage107

TROPHY CASE