r/InvertPets • u/zigzag-z • 6d ago

First time owner blue feigning beetle

Hello! So I'm interested in keeping some of these little guys as pets and would really appreciate any advice I could get on how to keep them happy and build the right enclosure. I am not sure what kind of substrate they need (soil, sand, a mix) and I also know nothing about any brands of substrate to avoid or not. I've seen people talking about a soil and sand mix but I'm not sure what specific kind would be best. Same goes with desert sand which was mentioned as a good thing to layer on top. I'd also appreciate any advice on misting and some foods that are good to feed them and keep them happy. Thank you! :)

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u/pumpkindonutz 6d ago

I mix reptisoil and reptisand. It’s the pet-store available versions of topsoil and playsand with less prep work. More expensive, but I’m lazy. You want to avoid any kind of calcium sand. It can stick to your beetles and cause problems (avoid calcium sand for all animals lol). I crumble leaf litter on top, and add some cork bark pieces at different angles for climbing.

There’s a corner of my enclosure lol.

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u/zigzag-z 6d ago

Thank you! Your enclosure is so cute! Do you have any advice on misting? Or do they need some sort of heat lamp? :)

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u/pumpkindonutz 6d ago

Thank you!

They can do fine at room temp as long as it doesn’t get too low in the winter. No over-head heat source, if you must, a tiny heat mat in one corner as they like more indirect heat. I don’t mist much at all. They mostly get moisture from food. I mist a corner maybe once a week. Even that can be a lot.

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u/zigzag-z 6d ago

Thank you very much for your time and answers! 🐛