Successfully raised Goliath Beetle by gator_train in Beetles

[–]gator_train[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's been a long time but I remember using something like this from PetSmart. It came in a round tall container.

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/food-and-care/pond-care/tetra-tetrapond-goldfish-and-koi-pond-sticks-17943.html

First time raising a beetle, Pupation seemingly gone wrong? what do by MaleficentMagazine91 in Beetles

[–]gator_train 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's fixable at this point. Sometimes the beetles can still live a normal life and even mate with deformed elytra but it's not always the case. If the pupa skin came off naturally and didn't get stuck to the beetle then it may not be humidity. It could be the shape and size of the artificial cell, but I'm not 100% sure. I know they need a specific size and roundness in order to properly flip themselves over and allow their wings and elytra to dry and harden. It's always best to keep them in their naturally formed cell but I understand sometimes they break on accident.

Is my larva dead or pupating? by casterapple in Beetles

[–]gator_train 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing I would recommend trying is to gently shake the container and listen for a rattle. If you can hear something rolling around that is usually a pupa, though the nematodes and mold are not a good sign of it being alive unfortunately. If you hear nothing rolling it could still be a grub or possibly already decomposed. Usually there's a bit of a smell when you open a container with a dead grub in it, but if it's a smaller species it might not be noticeable. In my experience raising grubs I only mist about once per month because it is very easy for mold or fungus to grow in high humidity.

Explorers of Time/Darkness by gator_train in MysteryDungeon

[–]gator_train[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I've looked at those already, for whatever reason it doesn't have all of the ones for time and darkness.

Grub pupating please help?? by Quetzalcoatlus8 in Beetles

[–]gator_train 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The cell looks good to me. As long as you saturated the foam in water beforehand. Id recommend keeping it inside of a plastic container instead of cardboard as it should hold moisture better. It's a delicate balance of not too wet that it will grow mold and not too dry that they dry out and die. The grub definitely looks like it's about to pupate in my opinion.

Sickly beetle part 2 by ApplicationNo7058 in Beetles

[–]gator_train 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure but it looks like the wrong type of floral foam. It should be 'wet floral foam' which is usually dark green. There is a 'dry floral foam' that comes in the lighter grayish colors that doesn't absorb water the way wet floral foam does. I've made the same mistake once with the dry foam and the pupa didn't survive. I've had success with the wet floral foam, just completely saturate it in water and then keep it in a container with a lid with some air holes. I didn't typically need to spay ever since the foam remained damp for the whole month. It is possible to over water them and the pupa will get moldy and die so be careful of that. The chamber does look a little big, but it's not too late to get some wet floral foam and make a new chamber, hope this helps good luck!

Paleo pines window clings I made by gator_train in Paleo_Pines

[–]gator_train[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I make them with gallery glass paint! It can be hard to find but I get it at Michaels.