# Homoderus gladiator



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Hi,

I have just paid for a pair of Homoderus gladiator, from Andre (Pet_Insects).

Anyone kept these before?

I think they are generally quite hardy, however, since they are a pair, I was wondering if you had any good (easy to read) links re their_ breeding_. Is it relatively easy? What are the odds of getting grubs, and what is the best method of ensuring their development.

Thanks


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

The spider shop SHOULD have some stag beetle rearing substrate, I don't think it has been priced up yet, but it comes in 3ltr bags.

basically keep your stags on that substrate, feed them well and keep the substrate moist (not damp) and it should take care of itself.


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

exopet said:


> The spider shop SHOULD have some stag beetle rearing substrate, I don't think it has been priced up yet, but it comes in 3ltr bags.
> 
> basically keep your stags on that substrate, feed them well and keep the substrate moist (not damp) and it should take care of itself.


Hmm, I was going to use coir as a sub, would that not suffice?

What of the beetle jelly that you see for sale? Is that really just money for nothing, could I get the same effect for a fraction of the price, using something else?

Are the odds on them mating high?

And the grubs?

Would they be easy to care for?

Thanks


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

They usually would breed pretty easily as long as temp, humidity and diet are good enough, the beetle jelly is specially formulated and can increase chances of breeding, but a good varied diet works just as well.

as I am not 100% on the exact wood they eat (oak leaf mould and rotten white woods works well) I would recommend the special substrate (that's what I'll be getting for my P. savagei)

and the larvae are fairly cannibalistic so should be separated fairly early about 10 weeks after laying.


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

Andre should be more than willing to share care details with you


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

You should try rotting down some beech chips for use with your beetles


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

exopet said:


> You should try rotting down some beech chips for use with your beetles


I have some wood chips?


Est time to rot them down?


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

exopet said:


> They usually would breed pretty easily as long as temp, humidity and diet are good enough, the beetle jelly is specially formulated and can increase chances of breeding, but* a good varied diet works just as well*..


For the adults, right?

My 'Atlas' beetle did well on banana.

Thoughts?


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

I use banana (always include banana in my opinion) orange segments, Kiwi, apple, melon, pear.

banana skins are picked clean, and you don't have to 'sacrifice' any of your food LOL

est time to rot wood down, I'd moisten it first, mix with some compost / sedge peat and should take about 2 months to rot.


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

the larvae may or may not eat fruit

Varied diet for adults is better for breeding, sometimes simpler diets for larvae is better, I'd add some repton or similar to the substrate.

and PM me if you intend to sell some of the larvae:2thumb:


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

exopet said:


> *I use banana (always include banana in my opinion)* orange segments, Kiwi, apple, melon, pear.
> 
> banana skins are picked clean, and you don't have to 'sacrifice' any of your food LOL
> 
> est time to rot wood down, I'd moisten it first, mix with some compost / sedge peat and should take about 2 months to rot.


First point I would agree on, definite.

I think it is something to do with the high sugar content in banana's.

I wonder if they would take to honey? Hmmm.

Anyway, two months for the chips to rot! I thought you were going to come back and show me a method of doing it to my dry chips, in a night!

:lol2:

I was just going to use some dry chips, to offer a 'break' in the terrain.

I picked a bag up from an invert and rep shop today.


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

exopet said:


> the larvae may or may not eat fruit
> 
> Varied diet for adults is better for breeding, sometimes simpler diets for larvae is better, I'd add some repton or similar to the substrate.
> 
> and PM me if you intend to sell some of the larvae:2thumb:


I have heard that dog biscuits are a good source of protein for the larvae.

Do you know how many grubs a female can lay, during her lifetime, as an average?

I think it can then take a LONG time to get them from grub to adult, right?

Tbh, I could only afford the pair as he was offering them at such a decent price.


----------



## TheSpiderShop (Apr 5, 2006)

You both missing the most important aspect of breeding stags. THEY DONT LAY EGGS IN THE SUBSTRATE. They like directly into rotten logs. If you can get this right your 90% there.

Breeding beetles is considerably more indepth then breeding any other commonly kept inverts. It takes a while to get a feel for the substrate and levels of decay for each species. So if you dont get any larvae the first time around dont give up and try again. You can increase you chances by moving the pair to a new enclosures each month. 

Your more than welcome to give me a call and I can talk you through basic set up and getting the right substrate. However some top tips are:

1.) Use Beetle Jelly as it give the vital protein needed for the females, these are developed for beetles and most serious breeders dont use fruit. They also dont attract fruit flys. 

2.) Try and heat an area not the tank otherwise you lose to much moisture. Heat mats and bulbs should be avoided.

3.) Eggs take about a month to hatch so look for larvae a months after the female dies or has been moved to another tank. 

4.) Only use decayed Oak or Beech (Oak is best for stags). Trying to rot beech chips using peat wouldnt produce a useable substrate. We stag beetles the substrate needs to be 100% Decayed wood. There are advanced methods of fermenting the wood with flour but this isnt nessescary for this species. 

5.) Best way of rearing larvae is to use a Kinishi (Fungus) bottle as you will get exceptional results and need require any additional upkeep.


I dont keep H.gladiator myself but have several bloodlines for H.mellyi which is pretty much identical. You will like them they are one of my favourite stag beetle species. Below is a photo of a major male Homoderus mellyi.


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

TheSpiderShop said:


> You both missing the most important aspect of breeding stags. THEY DONT LAY EGGS IN THE SUBSTRATE. They like directly into rotten logs. If you can get this right your 90% there.
> 
> Breeding beetles is considerably more indepth then breeding any other commonly kept inverts. It takes a while to get a feel for the substrate and levels of decay for each species. So if you dont get any larvae the first time around dont give up and try again. You can increase you chances by moving the pair to a new enclosures each month.
> 
> ...


Looks great.

Cheers


----------



## exopet (Apr 20, 2007)

TheSpiderShop said:


> You both missing the most important aspect of breeding stags. THEY DONT LAY EGGS IN THE SUBSTRATE. They like directly into rotten logs. If you can get this right your 90% there.
> 
> Breeding beetles is considerably more indepth then breeding any other commonly kept inverts. It takes a while to get a feel for the substrate and levels of decay for each species. So if you dont get any larvae the first time around dont give up and try again. You can increase you chances by moving the pair to a new enclosures each month.
> 
> ...


 
Cheers for the heads up.


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Leaf mulch is the suggested sub. With rotten wood.

I know it can be made up (Google is my mate), but isn't it a process that takes a long time?

Can it be bought, as daft as that sounds?


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Hey. Looking forward to getting these, tommorow.

Large beetles, hard to come by, I find.

Got a nice e mail from Andre.

In it he suggested that the ideal sub would contain crushed wood and leaf mulch. Until I can think of a method of developing the right sub speedily, I am going to try coir, and keep it a little damp, not wet. 

I had a little look through the net today, and it seems the leaf mulch isn't something that happens in ten mins!

Hmm...

Will have to ponder...


----------



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Woo hoo. They arrived safe, well, and v well packaged. The female decided to bury herself in the sub, straight away, the male is still standing around, giving it large!

Thanks Andre, these are good!

:2thumb:


----------

