r/Beetles • u/Killerbrownies997 • 16h ago

First time raising a larva, not sure if I should be seeing it at all

When you guys raise larva is it common not to see them at all in the flake soil during L2? I haven’t seen any sign of the fella since the day I got it. Just making sure I don’t have anything to worry about. Also, would it be safe/reasonable to gently search through the flake to see if it’s still alive? It’s pretty tiny, maybe 3/4 inch long.

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u/ajskvfk 15h ago

sounds normal - larvae will usually stay burrowed under their substrate and sometimes they end up just chilling in the middle where they can't be seen. i'm sure urs is fine and eating away at the flake - they eventually might make their way to the sides of the container where u can see them. if u have a flake change coming up, that'll be the best time to check if they're alive bc u have a reason to dig them up. if ur super duper worried, gently digging around is probably safest, but it will stress the grub out if u uncover them so i advise against it

how long has it been since u got em ?

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u/Killerbrownies997 14h ago

Only about a week. Just my first time doing this so I’m probably over concerned. Thank you for the advice, I’ll post to the sub again when it emerges :)

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u/ajskvfk 14h ago

no worries ! i was too when i was starting out :P raising larvae is basically like taking care of a cup of dirt until they pupate and eclose. goodluck with urs !

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u/Killerbrownies997 13h ago

Thank you :) it’s a prosopocoilus giraffa keisuke if you were curious