The numbers
Enclosure
25 × 20 × 20 cm
Diet
Adults: beetle jelly, banana; larvae eat rotten wood/flake soil/kinshi · Adults: jelly every 1-2 days; larvae: change substrate every 2-3 mo
Temperature
22-27C
Humidity
60-80%
Identity
Order / Family
Coleoptera
IUCN / CITES
Not evaluated; not CITES
Difficulty
Intermediate
Commonality
Popular large reddish stag in SEA hobby
Adult size
Body 45-90mm; long slender jaws
Lifespan
Larva ~8-12 mo; adult ~4-8 mo
Growth rate
Moderate
Activity & niche
Nocturnal; adults on sap; larvae in white-rotten hardwood
Temperament
Males aggressive; docile to keeper
Venom / defense
Harmless - no venom; sharp jaw pinch
Price (THB)
indicative ~300-1,500
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
22-27C
Humidity
60-80%
Min. enclosure
Larvae: flake soil / kinshi 1-2.3L; adults 25x20x20cm+ to breed
Substrate
Larvae: white-rotten hardwood / flake soil / kinshi; adults: coco/soil + bark
Hides / decor / water
Egg-laying wood, bark hides; mist
Diet
Staple food
Adults: beetle jelly, banana; 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 size
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Gentle; jaws pinch; support body
Communal
House individually (fights); pair only to breed
Defense / stress signs
Jaw-gaping threat, freezing
Reproduction
Reproduction
Eggs in rotten wood -> L1-L3 -> pupa in cell -> adult
Common health problems
Common health issues
SignsFailed eclosion, mites, dehydration
Red flags / quarantine
SignsMites; verify legal import; never release non-natives
Good to know
- A fast-moving, richly red stag that is more active than most Dorcus species
Others in this group
Japanese rhinoceros beetleTrypoxylus dichotomus (formerly Allomyrina)Atlas beetleChalcosoma atlasSiamese rhinoceros / fighting beetleXylotrupes gideon (TH pops. often X. socrates)Giant stag beetleDorcus titanus (syn. Serrognathus titanus)Sun beetle (fruit beetle)Pachnoda marginata (peregrina)Hercules beetleDynastes herculesGiant flower beetleMecynorhina torquataGiraffe stag beetleProsopocoilus giraffa