Adults:
- Size: 55-125mm
- Adult life span once active: 2-5 months
- Temperature: 70-80°F
- Humidity: 70-80%
- Food: Beetle jelly or fruits(no ctirus)
Breeding:
- Required temperature for breeding: 70-80°F
- Minimum container size for egg laying: 8 in x 4 in x 8 in. Bigger containers are always the better option for breeding!
- # of eggs laid on average: 30-80 eggs.
- Flake soil humidity adjustment: The amount of water is appropriate when you can form a ball by squeezing the flake soil with your hand. Water seeping out of your hands during the process indicates that there is too much water.
- Set-up: Pack the bottom 5cm of the container tightly and fill up the remaining space loosely with flake soil. Place objects such as sticks or barks at the top so that the beetle can flip itself over if needed. Lastly, don't forget to regularly change fruits or beetle jelly for the beetle to feed!
Set-up example:
Larvae:
- Food: Flake soil or white-rot hardwood. According to some sources, ratio of 70% rotten hardwood leaves and 30% hardwood works well.
- Temperature: 70-80°F
- Humidity: 60-70%
- Larval duration: 16-22 months.
- Container size recommendations:
- L1: 4oz deli cup
- L2: 16oz deli cup
- L3/pupa: 4L container for males. 2L container for females.
Personal notes:
- Megasoma elephas larvae are easy to keep since they pretty much eat any kind of substrate. Their only downside is the time it takes for them to turn into beetles.
- If the larvae are kept at a high temperature(75-80°F), they will turn into beetles quicker. I've had some larvae pupate in just 14 months!