Does anyone here have any experience keeping insects as pets?

>>2201759
Problem is, most insects don't like long enough to be worth having as pets.

>>2201765
*live


Also, I'd check Japanese sites. Even with shitty google translation, they'll probably tell you more than most people on /an/ could.

>>2201759
Phalacrognathus muelleri is nothing for beginners

beetles in general are not really for beginner

I would suggest starting with easy phasmids like Medauroidea extradentata, or easy mantids like Hierodula membranacea

but do your research long beforehand, as with all animals
try to get as much info as possible and allways make sure they have enough vertical space to molt

>>2201759
forgot to mention that P. muelleri pairs cost about 90 bucks, if the male is a big one
also, you don't keep beetles, you breed them
because they live relatively short as adults

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Hissing cockroaches are pretty cool and live for 1 to 3 years on average, you can breed them and they get along in colonies. I made mine a planted vivarium to make them more interesting because they kinda just chill a lot of the time. But the males will duel eachother for territory and it's kinda entertaining sometimes.

There also interesting hybrids if you're looking for that. These are Halloween Hissers. Most pet stores sell the basic one for feeders. Sold for cheap.

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OP, luck is on your side today. I am a professional beetle breeder located in Germany. I breed beetles since 2008, so about 8 years now.

First of: Please don't listen to this guys above me, they clearly don't know what they are talking about.

So now let's get into your questions:
Your picture shows the "Rainbow Stag beetle" or as he is called in Australia the "christmas beetle", his Latin/scientific name is Phalacrognathus muelleri.

Now to your question about how to keep them as pets:
Phalacrognathus muelleri can live up to 9 Months if he gets well taken care of ( food, rest, the right humidity and the right surroundings ).
Beetles in general dont need much, as long as you want to keep them as a pet. A tank about 20cm in length, 15cm in width and 15cm in height should be a decent size for one male.
Now to the tank itself and the items/things you will need: Most importantly you should provide a substrate on the ground that should be at least 3cm deep. You have different options on which substrate you want to use, you could youse gardening soil that wasn't in touch with any chemicals or fertilizer, you could use compost from your garden or you could go in the nearest forest and collect leaf mulch.
Beetles like to dig, especially stag beetles, they can be very shy and mostly hide during the daytime, but if they feel safe you can also observe them during day, especially Phalacrognathus muelleri.
On the surface there should be branches, pieces of wood, bark or other thing the beetle can very easily grab on like moss.
The diet of such beetles is rather simple, the best nutrition value for a long an healthy life provides an old banana ( it shouldn't be rotten, but soft to very soft ). Try to avoid sour fruits like lemons. Other options would be watermelon's, apple's or mango's.
Another important factor is the temperature: for Phalacrognathus muelleri I would recommend a temperature of around 23C° +/- day/night.

*to be continued*

The humidity isn't as important as someone may think, as long as there is a other option for the beetle to get humidity for example a juicy fruit it could be as dry as a dessert, the beetle could survive.
What's most important is the humidity of the substrate. The best way to find out if the substrate has a good humidity is by grabbing it and pressing it tightly: It should stick together, but no drops of water should come out.

That's basically all you need to know to keep
Phalacrognathus muelleri as a PET!

If you want to breed them, that's another story.
As one guy told you before, keeping beetles as a pet is basically pointless.
That's somewhat true, but it's absolutely possible to keep them as pets.

I personally would recommend you to breed them, they aren't as hard to breed as some think, it's actually very simple. And they relatively short life cycle will guarantee you a lot of fun and many beetles without waiting years.

If you want to learn more please visit the YouTube Channel of Daniel Ambuehl: Beetle Breeding Daniel Ambuehl
Or let me know, I could post some pictures from a very good beetle breeding book.

>>2201872
>>2201897
Top advice from Käferanon, but I'd have to agree with >>2201831
Beetles really aren't the best insect pet, particularly a kinshi-species like P. muelleri. If OP wants something to feed and watch and generally interact with, beetles aren't the best start. Roaches, phasmids, millipedes, even snails and tarantulas are better for a first invertebrate pet.

>>2201920

Actually Phalacrognathus muelleri isn't a Kinshi species.
They grow a lot bigger in wood mulch or even better in Flake Soil.

>>2201925
Really? I could have sworn I read it many years ago, mine used to do pretty well on it back in the day anyway

>>2201934

It's a old way to breed them, yes.
Nowadays practically every breeder uses Flake Soil + dried gammarus. The results are quite convincing. With this Method they reach 60mm+ guaranteed.

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>>2201897
>I could post some pictures from a very good beetle breeding book
that one? (or more like these ones)

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>>2201872
>>2201897
Heh, what are the chances. There's a pretty good chance I might have bought some P. muelleri from you some years ago when they were much, much less common than today.

My male lived for almost a year actually and the pair produced quite few eggs (of which I manged to raise 6 decently sized larva before selling them. Wanted to get into stags ever since but it's just too expensive for me at the moment.

One day I'll have my Cyclommatus metallifer and Prosopocoilus giraffa. One day.

Oh and you should mention that P. muelleri is kind of unusual with its long adult life span, most beetles don't live that long as adults.

>>2201938
nice, I also had good experiences with kinshi, just like >>2201934

might start beetle breeding again, seems like a lot has changed

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>>2201941
And this was the female.

>>2201940
Great book. I ordered it years ago from the author using an email address with my dog's name it it, and when it arrived it had a little note written in it to 'Kerry'. Pretty unexpected kek at the time.
>>2201942
Same, I'm getting a bit of a taste for it again too. I never managed to tackle those long-armed shits (forgot what they're called now, something-cheirus maybe?), I'd like to try them at some point.

>>2201949
Long armed stag beetle?
You mean Chiasognathus?

>>2201952
Nah, they're like decent-size scarabs but with laughably long forearms that I think they wrestle with. Southeast Asian if I remember correctly, there are orange, brown and green species

>>2201872

Not OP, but thats cool as fuck.

Wo lebst du? Wie kommt man zu so nem Job? Kann ich von dir kaufen? Bin gerade nicht im Land, aber wollte schon immer mal Käfer haben..

Postest du öfter? Was denkst du über 'bugguy'?

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I am kind of astonished that there are quite a lot of beetle enthusiasts here.

It's true, a lot has changed since.
Back in 2008, when I started, there where only a few breeders.
And Flake Soil was a big secret, no-one knew how to make it and what it includes. Today every breeder makes his own substrate, but still the information on how to make it varies depending on who you ask.
Daniel Ambuehl for example makes it the old way ( grain + water ). I personally use a simplified Japanese recipe to make my own substrate.

>>2201940
That's the second edition. I meant the new, third one. Yes that's right, there is a new one.
But personally I would say it's not worth buying. It shows you good basics and gives you basic informations, but that's it. Nothing groundbreaking and nothing that you need to breed beetles. Nonetheless it's a good book, I especially like detailed pictures.

>>2201949
kek

I guess you mean Euchirinae (e.g. Cheirotonus sp)
I never got to try those too, sadly

The more I read, the more I want to start again... damn, I kinda miss that time
especially my A. rosenbergi, damn, these fuckers were stunning (and damn expensive)

>>2201964
>I meant the new, third one
nice, I didn't know that there was A third one
I have the first and second edition
so you are saying, that the third one is not really worth buying?

>>2201970

They basically reprinted the second edition in one big book and slapped a boring part about Goliathus in it.
It's one-to-one the same as the second edition except this Goliathus part, you can look it up on www.beetlejelly.eu.

I personally bought it, but regret it a few weeks later. Nothing you can't read anywhere else.

Yes it's definitely not worth buying, especially not if it costs more then 60€.

>>2201958

(Reply is in German!)

Schön einen Landsmann hier anzutreffen.

Ich lebe in Baden-Württemberg, aber das mit dem "Job" hast du falsch verstanden: Ich mache es nur professionell d.h. nicht das ich davon lebe, geht auch nicht, leider.

Zum Thema ob ich hier öfters poste: Nein, eigentlich nie. Aber ich bin nahezu jeden Tag hier und da ich Urlaub habe habe ich mir einfach die Zeit genommen, da ja sonst hier gar nichts oder nur Müll kommt.

Bei mir kann man auch Tier kaufen, ja.
Aber wie dir bestimmt selbst klar ist, verkaufe ich nicht alle Arten der Welt.
Vor nun gut drei Jahren habe ich mich auf die Zucht von Riesenkäfern ( Dynastinae ) spezialisiert. Ich konzentriere mich vor allem auf die Gattungen Megasoma und Dynastes.
Jetzt im Moment ist die Priorität Dynastes hercules hercules.

Aber dazu später mehr, dann aber auch auf Englisch! Damit die anderen auch von meinen Beiträgen profitieren könne.

>>2201872
Christmas beetles are different beetles to rainbow stags. christmas beetles are smaller and don't have the horns.

>>2201982

These are trivial names, so no specific names of one animal.
That's also the case if you talk about rhino beetles. What are rhino beetles ? It depends on who you ask.

>>2201980

Thanks so much for your responses and for producing Quality content, we Need More peope like You.

Im from franconia btw, Würzburg to be exact, so were practically neighbours!

>>2201991

No problem, glad I could help.

If enough people want me to, I could start a new thread and talk about beetle breeding in detail, so people could ask me directly.

>>2201980
Other anon from NRW here. What a coincidence that so many of uf browse this tiny board at the same time.

I always wanted to get into beetle breeding (stags especially) but I think it's just too expensive for a student like me and I'm already occupied with my centipedes.
But just out of interest, which species of stag beetle would you recommend for a beetle beginner? And how much money do I have to roughly plan in if I want to actually breed them?

>>2201970
Yessss those are what I meant. Saw a collection of dead ones in Japan last year so I should have remembered really!
>>2201993
Go for it, I'd say this thread has ignited enough interest for at least one beetle general

>>2201974
nice, thank you for saving my money

>>2201999

I tell you what, beetle breeding can be both: expensive and cheap.
Beetle breeding gets only expensive if you produce your own substrate and keep more than two or three species.
As long as you keep it at a relatively small scale and collect your substrate yourself in the forest it's nearly for free.
The only thing you probably need to buy is the larvae or the beetles themselves + plastic boxes/rearing containers if you don't have empty ones at home.

And I am gonna tell you something else:
We got our own stag beetle in Germany! The European stag beetle Lucanus cervus cervus. Sadly it's under strictly natural protection and it's illegal to collect or breed them here in Germany.
Unless you got a permission, but to get one is tricky.
But if you collect some and breed them no one could tell, since there are subspecies that look identical. And no-one actually cares about them.
Theoretically it's illegal, but practically it's not.

But if you want to buy one, I would recommend a Dorcus species like Dorcus titanus. Also Phalacrognathus muelleri is the classic stag beetle in the breeding scene.

>>2201999

To answer your question about the cost:
Around 60€ for a pair of beetles, BUT I always recommend larvae since its a lot easier to raise larvae to adulthood than getting a female to lay eggs + it's cheaper.

A larva of Dorcus titanus shouldn't cost more than 10€, mostly they cost 6-8€ but it heavily depends on what stage the larvae are and from who you buy it.

>>2202021
I know all our Lucanidae, and by extent most Scarabaeoidea and invertebrate fauna. I study biology and I actually work in the department I'm writing my B.Sc. and hopefully M.Sc in. Our first semester students have to go through species determination lectures (Bestimmungsübungen) and I'm an assistant for those. In the second semester we take them on short excursions to different habitats and show them the local fauna and flora. I'm an assistant for that as well (for the fauna part, I know jack shit about plants).

The next Terraristika is in 2 weeks. I'll properly inform myself until then and see if I get any larvae.

Den Rest schreib ich besser auf deutsch. Wenn man was gutes für die lokale Hirschkäferpopulation tun möchte sollte man einen künstlichen Brutplatz anlegen (vorher die lokale Vertretung des NABU kontaktieren). Aus der Natur entnehmen im kleinen Maßstab wird relativ wurscht sein aber die Populationen sind sehr lokal und sehr variabel. Hier in NRW würde ich es nicht tun.
(Die Studenten sind immer ganz begeistert wenn man ihnen nen Hirschkäfer zeigt weil die sowas zum größten Teil noch nie gesehen haben. Schon traurig wenn man bedenkt das L. cervus noch vor 150 Jahren mit der häufigste Käfer war.)

>>2202050
Hamm is probably a nice place to choose beetles face-to-face. In September 2008 I went for the day (my only time spent in Germany before full-on demographic suicide mode), picked up Xylotrupes, Hexarthrius parryi adult pair, Homoderus mellyi and a load of Cetonischema larvae, all very fun smaller species for a kid starting out.

>>2202050

(Reply is in German!)

Bei mir in der Gemeinde hat man sich auch gedacht den Hirschkäfer was gutes zu tun und hat am Ende ca. 10 trockene Eichenstämme in Waldnähe eingebudelt und mit Holzchips bedeckt.
Da kommt kein Pilz mehr ran, das Holz ist absolut unbrauchbar. Für Hirschkäfer und Pilze absolut unverdaulich.

Das du ein Student bist macht mich jetzt neugierig.
Du bist aber nicht unter dem Pseudonym "Bugman" bekannt oder?

>>2202050
Was für Berufschancen gibt es denn so im Bereich Entomologie? Klingt sehr interessant, aber ich kann mir nicht wirklich vorstellen, was man nach dem Studium dann als festen Job so arbeitet.

>>2202061
I generally only buy from breeders I meet at conventions like these or face to face. It just ensures you're not getting screwed over. And many online stores are just overpriced, if you meet the same people in Hamm for example you often can get a nice discount.

>>2202062
Nein, ich weiß wen du meinst aber das bin ich nicht. Meine Fotos werden hier manchmal gepostet aber ansonsten bin ich unbekannt. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/frupus/)

>>2202064
Der 'klassiche' Entomologe stirbt als Beruf leider aus. Wenn du im Bereich Biodiversität arbeiten möchtest hast du im Grunde die Auswahl zwischen einer Laufbahn im Umweltschutz oder mehr akademisch im Bereich Populationsgenetik/Phylogenie. Ich mache letzteres und obwohl ich mir am Anfang des Studiums nie gedacht hätte das ich an sowas Spaß haben könnte (ist im Grunde nur Statistik und Algorithmen) bin ich inzwischen total begeistert davon.

>>2201872
Hey! What other beetles do you breed? And do you mind posting some pictures of them? Specifically in the same angle as your original post? I have a painting in mind I want to make for a friend but the internet has been less than helpful for reference images...