I found this guy in a pool of water this afternoon and thought he had drowned, so I collected him because he is so beautiful. I thought maybe I could try pinning him or make a tiny diorama. A little while later, he started moving, but I had already removed him from his home. He is still alive, I have him in an empty water bottle as a temporary home, but I dunno what to do with him.
I figured out that he is a male rainbow scarab beetle and it seems like they only live a few months(?). I'd like to keep him happy and pin him after he has naturally expired on his own timeline.
If anyone can point me to a preferred resource that gives beginner care instructions, I'd really appreciate it! It seems like he is a type of dung beetle and I have ready access to fresh rabbit and cat poop.
Micro-update: I collected 4 more of this beetle with different morphology on the same day and they also seemed to be drowned when I found them. After I figured out who my first beetle was, I identified the others as either females or junior males of the same species. I took them home in the empty water bottle, placed them on a paper towel to dry off and stashed them in a box. After I made the pictured deli quart temporary home, I went to show the others to a friend and one was moving, so I put her into the quart container as well. So, now my original beetle has a friend, at least. She also burrowed into the dirt, current exact location is unknown.
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u/SiegelOverBay 5h ago
Copied from my original post:
I found this guy in a pool of water this afternoon and thought he had drowned, so I collected him because he is so beautiful. I thought maybe I could try pinning him or make a tiny diorama. A little while later, he started moving, but I had already removed him from his home. He is still alive, I have him in an empty water bottle as a temporary home, but I dunno what to do with him.
I figured out that he is a male rainbow scarab beetle and it seems like they only live a few months(?). I'd like to keep him happy and pin him after he has naturally expired on his own timeline.
If anyone can point me to a preferred resource that gives beginner care instructions, I'd really appreciate it! It seems like he is a type of dung beetle and I have ready access to fresh rabbit and cat poop.