The numbers
Enclosure
20 × 15 × 20 cm
Diet
Adults: beetle jelly, banana, sugary fruit; larvae eat rotten wood/flake soil/kinshi · Adults: jelly every 1-2 days; larvae: change substrate every 2-3 mo
Temperature
20-26C
Humidity
60-80%
Identity
Order / Family
Coleoptera
IUCN / CITES
Not evaluated; not CITES
Difficulty
Beginner–Intermediate
Commonality
Very popular; many prized subspecies (palawanicus etc.)
Adult size
Body 30-110mm incl. jaws (subspecies vary); big black mandibles
Lifespan
Larva ~8-14 mo (L1-L3); adult can live 6-12+ mo (long for a stag)
Growth rate
Moderate
Activity & niche
Nocturnal; adults on sap/fruit; larvae in white-rotten hardwood
Temperament
Males + even females aggressive to each other; docile to keeper
Venom / defense
Harmless - no venom; strong pinch from jaws if provoked
Price (THB)
indicative ~150-1,500 (varies hugely by subspecies/size)
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
20-26C
Humidity
60-80%
Min. enclosure
Larvae: flake soil OR kinshi (mushroom-inoculated) bottles ~0.8-2.3L; adults 20x15x20cm+ for breeding
Substrate
Larvae: white-rotten hardwood / flake soil / kinshi; adults: coco/soil + bark
Hides / decor / water
Bark, hides, egg-laying wood; mist for humidity
Diet
Staple food
Adults: beetle jelly, banana, sugary fruit; larvae eat rotten wood/flake soil/kinshi
Feeding frequency
Adults: jelly every 1-2 days; larvae: change substrate every 2-3 mo
Supplements
Kinshi/protein flake soil for bigger jaws
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Gentle; jaws can pinch; support body
Communal
House individually - even females fight; pair only to breed
Defense / stress signs
Jaw-gaping threat, freezing, leg-tuck
Reproduction
Reproduction
Eggs laid in rotten wood -> L1-L3 grubs -> pupa in cell -> adult; some export criminalised
Common health problems
Common health issues
SignsFailed eclosion, mushy/wet substrate, mites, dehydration
Red flags / quarantine
SignsMites; verify legal import (some regions restrict export); never release
Good to know
- Prized subspecies fetch high sums; the Palawan form is among the largest stags on Earth
Others in this group
Japanese rhinoceros beetleTrypoxylus dichotomus (formerly Allomyrina)Atlas beetleChalcosoma atlasSiamese rhinoceros / fighting beetleXylotrupes gideon (TH pops. often X. socrates)Sun beetle (fruit beetle)Pachnoda marginata (peregrina)Hercules beetleDynastes herculesGiant flower beetleMecynorhina torquataGiraffe stag beetleProsopocoilus giraffaCaucasus beetleChalcosoma chiron (formerly C. caucasus)