The numbers
Enclosure
20 × 15 × 15 cm
Diet
Adults: beetle jelly, banana; larvae eat rotten wood/flake soil · 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
Commonality
Common captive-bred beginner stag
Adult size
Body 25-70mm; curved saw-like jaws
Lifespan
Larva ~8-12 mo; adult ~3-6 mo
Growth rate
Moderate
Activity & niche
Nocturnal; adults on sap; larvae in rotten wood
Temperament
Males territorial; docile to keeper
Venom / defense
Harmless - no venom; small jaw pinch
Price (THB)
indicative ~200-800
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
20-26C
Humidity
60-80%
Min. enclosure
Larvae: flake soil 0.8-1.5L; adults 20x15x15cm+ to breed
Substrate
Larvae: white-rotten hardwood / flake soil; 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
Feeding frequency
Adults: jelly every 1-2 days; larvae: change substrate every 2-3 mo
Supplements
Protein flake soil for size
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Gentle; support body
Communal
House individually; pair only to breed
Defense / stress signs
Jaw-gaping, 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
SignsNon-native - never release; mites
Good to know
- Colour ranges from red to near-black; an easy stag to breed for beginners
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