# Beetles as feeders?



## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Hi all, I was in a pet shop the other day and they had a beardie for sale (I won't go into the inappropriateness of the enclosure - that's another story). They had a bowl of hundreds of small, about 6-8mm, shiny black beetles in there. I enquired what they were and was told they were "fruit beetles" and that the beardie did not feed on these but on the "mealworms" that they produced in the substrate (bark - grrrrrrrrrrrrr).

Now I KNOW that these were not mealworm beetles - anyone any ideas what they might have been?


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

100 % positive they were mealworm beetles?

maybe demestid (sp) beetles?


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Yes, using google, they looked very like dermestid beetles. Like this 










Anyone heard of using them as a feeder?

I have to say the pet shop owner is completely ignorant when it comes to keeping reps. I have NEVER seen such poorly housed animals (think sub-adult beardie being sold with "complete set-up" - no UV, and 45x45x60 high exo) That's how ignorant.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Dermisted beetles are a pest that often get into livefood cultures. They artually eat organic matter. I have some in lots of my tubs here and feed them to mine. Not the most benifical lvefood but nothing wrong with them. 

Jay


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

my skinks eat them , as did my fan footeds


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Well, that is interesting to know - thanks both.


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## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Sounds alot more like buffalo worms/beetles to me. 

The yellow larvae in the picture actually looks like one of those not a dermestid larvae !


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## Soulwax (Jan 6, 2009)

Aren't dermestid larvae black and a bit hairy? I wouldn't feed them to anything.


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## Marcus_anthony24 (Sep 2, 2007)

Could they be sun beetles, their larvae are pachnoda grubs.

Marcus


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## Soulwax (Jan 6, 2009)

Marcus_anthony24 said:


> Could they be sun beetles, their larvae are pachnoda grubs.
> 
> Marcus


Sun beetles are larger and usually colourful...


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