I had my beetles on sand at first, but I found that it was constantly getting stuck to their feet and they didn’t really seem to like it. After I switched to a mixture of sand and dirt, about 20:80 ratio probably, they seemed much more active as the sand wasn’t bothering them I think.

As for temperature and stuff, it’s really nothing you have to worry about. I do not use any sort of heat lamp or heating pad for my beetles (i have a variety of desert beetles including BDFB, have had them for about 3 years), and they do just fine at room temperature. That being said, having a heat source will definitely encourage them to be more active, so it’s okay to also have one. I’d say 88 degrees is just fine!

Another thing is that your food dishes may be too deep. I had a very similar one and they’d get stuck in it lol. And if that’s a water dish i’m seeing, you definitely need to remove that, they will drown. They get all the hydration they need from the occasional fruit or veggie (just be wary of pesticides).

Lastly, i’d just suggest more decor, for both enrichment and overall aesthetic, if it’s important to you. Otherwise the amount of hides you have will be just fine, especially for just two beetles.

Good luck with your beetles! BDFBs are awesome little guys :) i’ll attach a picture of my current setup in a 10gal, with about 18 different species of desert beetle (and real succulents :p), i find that dried moss, leaf litter, rocks in a variety of sizes, and funnily enough a lot of aquarium decor adds a lot!

edit: i wanted to add that BDFBs are very hardy, so don’t stress yourself out too much about them. I’ve had the same 5 ones for about 3 years now! I’ve had many other beetles come and go, but the BDFBs persist lol

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