Pet Beetles?

[Desdemona]

So I have 4 little white pupe (or whatever they are) mealworms. I figured I'd use it as oppertunity to show my son how the worms change into beetles. Do they need anything? It didn't look like they were in any position to eat. They are just laying in the bottom of a critter keeper right now.

 

[Khrysty]

The pupae don't eat. The beetles eat the same things as the mealworms (grains, mosty..as well as some plant matter - - carrots, potatoes, etc - - for moisture).

 

[ZooKeeperKarin]

Nope. It will take about two weeks and you will see the legs and eyes turn brownish color just before they morph to a beetle.
Good luck! It's an interesting lesson!

 

[fl_orchidslave]

My 5yr old grandson loves bugs so I gave him a superworm lesson. It goes like this: first you take the worm and but in in a little box, put the box in a dark closet. In a couple weeks it will be a pupae, put the pupae in another box with wheat bran bedding and leave it in the closet. In a couple more weeks it will be a beetle, put it in the box with the other beetles in the bedding. Feed it carrots. In a couple weeks put all the beetles in a new box with new bedding and feed them carrots. Keep a carrot in their old box for baby worms. Keep them well fed and they will grow up to be big worms that can make more pupae and beetles. Mimi's little lizards eat little worms and the big ones eat big worms. I tested him on it and he took in all the info! He was all about it