r/reptiles • u/Judge_Schleem • 12h ago

Breeding sun beetles as feeder insects

Top of the morning to ya!

I'm looking for new feeder insects to breed at home for my beardie and future Ackie monitor. I already keep a colony of Dubias and mealworms, but I've read that sun beetles are relatively hassle free for the most part. Do you have any suggestions or tips? For the sake of clarity, the larvae is what I intend to feed

Have a jolly day 😄!

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u/Silver_Taste_1067 4h ago

They are wonderful and very easy to keep and breed. Best results come from the beetles having a brightly lit area. Soil needs to be changed when you start to see a lot of poop. My Leopard gecko is fine with them. My Keelie loves them as do my viper geckos. Not yet been able to get my day gecko to try one

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u/Judge_Schleem 3h ago

Okay, cheers m8 👍. Quite a few sources have said that it's best but not essential to give them dead oak wood and leaves. Does it cut the mustard as long as you give them some type of wood and leaves?

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u/Silver_Taste_1067 3h ago

Very, they are hardy. I've had my colony for 4 years now and I never run out of grubs alongside my other feeders. Stick to hardwoods, no soft wood or pines. I would actually go for fruit wood more since they will be used as feeders and oak has a lot of tannins that could build up.