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  1. #21
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    Re: My Bioactive Arid/Desert Enclosure for Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

    So just an update: I took out the soil today, applied a Fluon barrier, and reintroduced my beetles.

    I had applied the Terro on 6/12, so it has been almost a month.

    I took out like, maybe 1/3 of the soil total. As I was removing soil, I kept finding larvae, and I didn't want to kill them (I removed them and put them in a plastic leftover container with some soil while I was doing all this). I basically removed the top half of the soil for the deeper parts because the ants were mostly in these areas. For the more shallow parts, I still removed a good amount of it or just mixed it in. The blue death-feigning beetle larvae were generally in the more moistened parts, but I found the two biggest ones (like, the biggest I have ever seen, so they have probably been growing for a long time) in a pretty dry section of the terrarium that I never water--shallow and in the front and center.

    I broke up a few of the small branches because I read the larvae need to eat wood to pupate. I have no idea if this is their wood "preference", though, lol.

    So, the Fluon... I applied it around the top horizontal part where the lid rests. I also put a layer around the outside of the lid, as well as on the lid itself. I put some in the track area where the doors slide (not sure if that'll help) and some on the cord going into the light fixture. I also did this for our Japanese rat snake's enclosure, although he hasn't had an ant problem. Here is a picture of where I applied the Fluon ant barrier on the inside ledge (the coating isn't on it yet in the photo). I think the ants were coming in through here as well, and I didn't think to remove the lid and coat this part with anything. (sorry if it's sideways or a squished aspect ratio; dunno why that happens with only some of my images, but you can get the idea of where I put the barrier)




    Oh, also, I did actually get a response from Terro customer service a few days after I contacted them. The person who replied to me only said that they haven't done any studies on "secondary" ingestion of the ant bait, so weren't sure how it would affect my beetles. I am hoping that, given the fact the beetles don't really dig a significant amount, and the fact that my larvae are still alive after a month, this is a good sign. I have basically removed my beetles' access to dead ants, and although I couldn't see where any of the dead ants were because they are so tiny, they should be all covered up by new soil at this time. Either the larvae don't eat dead ants, or they are unaffected by the poisoned dead ants.
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    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

  2. #22
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    Just dropping in to say that all of my beetles are still alive, and I have had no ants since using the ant barrier.
    ----------
    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

  3. #23
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: My Bioactive Arid/Desert Enclosure for Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

    Quote Originally Posted by TofuTofuTofu View Post
    Just dropping in to say that all of my beetles are still alive, and I have had no ants since using the ant barrier.
    Glad to hear it.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  4. #24
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    I have added four "hullburnt" morph diabolical ironclad beetles to my setup. I thought, hey, it's overnight shipping; they'll be fine: of course, FedEx smashed the box right over where the beetles are. I think they only survived because these guys can survive being run over by a car. They were a little weirded out of me opening them in the FedEx pickup location to check that they were okay ("are they in some kind of container?").

    They have promptly disappeared but also dug up a carrot I had buried for the blue death-feigning beetle larvae, and munched off one small branch of one of the creosotes. I dunno how useful they are in terms of being a clean-up crew, but, I like them and many people house them together in desert beetle enclosures. They eat the same stuff as my beetles (but if they decide to decimate my plants, these guys are getting their own setup).





    Also, my ongoing saga to get a TPRS: I have connected with a breeder in Virginia who has placed me on a waitlist for a pairing of his two gorgeous blondes (my husband joined the Facebook group so I could look at the TPRS group). I am still mega mega hesitant to ship a reptile, though; I seem to have a curse with boxes getting crushed (it happened with my both of my beetles, and also with a crayfish I bought years and years ago; every animal I have ever had shipped has gotten crushed in some way, although not died--unless you could one of the BDF beetles). So, I'm still going to search for a local option until then. But, I do have a baby TPRS lined up in case I don't find anything.
    Last edited by TofuTofuTofu; 08-14-2021 at 10:36 AM.
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    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

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    Bogertophis (08-14-2021)

  6. #25
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Cool looking beetles. Hope they don't decide to munch on a captive-snake though? Just because something exists together in the wild doesn't mean it will be okay when confined.

    Just remember that snakes don't even kill rodents when they aren't hungry, even when the rodents munch on THEM. They don't seem to know they're in danger.

    Glad you got on a wait list for a TP hatchling. I'd also prefer not to ship snakes, but never had any "disasters" either.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  7. #26
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    Re: My Bioactive Arid/Desert Enclosure for Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Cool looking beetles. Hope they don't decide to munch on a captive-snake though? Just because something exists together in the wild doesn't mean it will be okay when confined.

    Just remember that snakes don't even kill rodents when they aren't hungry, even when the rodents munch on THEM. They don't seem to know they're in danger.

    Glad you got on a wait list for a TP hatchling. I'd also prefer not to ship snakes, but never had any "disasters" either.
    Hmm, they are similar in relation and habits to my other beetles from what I understand, and I doubt they would chomp on a snake (they too do a "curl up and act dead if anything touches me" like the blue death-feigning beetles). But, just like with my blue beetles, I am going to closely monitor them. Also, this is a much larger enclosure than most people keep TPRSes OR beetles in (67 gallons), especially this low of a number of beetles, and there are plenty of little nooks and stuff for them to retreat from my snake in, so I'm hoping it works.

    But again, I'm going to keep a close eye on everyone at the time I do introduce my snake, and ongoing after then. I would in no way try to force a cohabitation if I got any sort of indication it wasn't best for either party. I have more space to separate out my beetles if I need to (like, in a separate beetle-only enclosure). But it'd be cool if it worked! Hoping they will ignore each other similar to an isopod/springtail setup, and being timid detritivores I am hoping they'll just like hide from my snake or ignore him (but again like, if my beetles seem stressed and I never see them again once my snake is in there, I'll know something is up).

    One of my reasons for making this thread is to share my experiences and let other people know that what I did worked or didn't work, since I have not found anyone else using the blue death-feigning beetles as a reptile clean-up crew--only scorpions--and I think from observing them for so long without a snake in there, I am hoping I would notice any signs of stress or changes in habits at the time I do introduce my snake.
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    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

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    Bogertophis (08-14-2021)

  9. #27
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    A minor update on my plants:

    So, I'm not happy with how my brittlebush is looking lately. It looks healthy, but the lower leaves drop off (you can see this a tiny bit in the older photos I posted). At first, I thought it was a watering issue or a fertilizer issue, but I have made changes on both those fronts with no changes in the plant. I am starting to suspect that the plant actually has "outgrown" the enclosure and that its roots do not have enough space. I have signed up for a Zoom meeting with a 'master gardener' from the Arizona State University garden extension or whatever, which will be a few weeks from now. I will see what they say.

    It's possible I can add more substrate to the back of the enclosure and move the plant "up" so its roots have more room. Possibly, I could trim the roots, which is not sustainable in this setup. (Trimming the top of the plant wouldn't fix the problem, from what I understand.) So, I'm thinking now that I should have gone with a deeper bottom enclosure... However, I do think I can add more substrate above the "cutoff" line where the enclosure pieces together, without anything bad happening (because I will not be watering against the back end of the glass at all, so nothing should leak). I also signed up to ask why my creosotes aren't growing, lol.

    It's possible, if these don't work, that I'll plant a few other seeds and try again with some new plants. The grasses I had in there actually grew really well and stay tiny, but I have now succeeded in killing all three of the ones I kept (there were more, which I thinned out early on because they were everywhere), once I redid the substrate. I think whatever those grasses are, are a species that doesn't like being transplanted. They did, however, flower! Which was cool, and I think shows they do well with minimal care. I would be okay with re-seeding the enclosure to try to encourage these more. I might do it again anyway, because they added a good variety in texture.

    Or, if I can manage to uproot my brittlebush, I can keep it in a small pot, which I could empty and root trim as needed (like a bonsai, which I have a good amount of experience with as well--but not all species take well to bonsai treatment). I would be willing to "plant" a pot hidden in there if it meant I could keep this focal plant in my setup.

    Anyway, just some thoughts and problem solving on my plant situation. I will keep you updated when I have my gardener meeting.
    ----------
    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

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    Bogertophis (08-25-2021)

  11. #28
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    Re: My Bioactive Arid/Desert Enclosure for Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

    Just had my Zoom meeting with the master gardeners. So, the lady I talked to basically said that my brittlebush actually looked healthy, and that they will naturally lose their bottom leaves. However, she also said that, in the long run, it wouldn't be happy in this setup because of the space restriction. I think it would live in there, but probably wouldn't look as good as I want it to. She recommended I put it in a regular pot and keep it outside, but not to let it get rained on. I'm in Florida, so I'm not sure it would be happy with the humidity here. The rainy season is not over yet but maybe it'll be okay outside over the winter when there is less humidity. All she said about creosotes was that they are "difficult to get started" uh... so I'll just leave mine where it is for now. (the one is pretty much dead, but the other still looks good).

    In conclusion, I'm going to re-seed with my "short stuff" mix from Native Seeds/SEARCH, as well as my "desert tortoise mix" to see what groundcovers will grow.

    I also found out the name of the short grass that did well and flowered in my terrarium: Indian wheat.

    In other news... one of my blue death-feigning beetles, Stumpy, died. Stumpy was the most active and was always out and running around, and I didn't see him for a couple of days. I found his thorax and abdomen under one of the hides. Uh. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm sad about it. I don't think anyone... ate him... because his exoskeleton is intact? But it's a murder mystery otherwise. RIP Stumpy.

    The one thing I noticed about that beetle was that he was darker in color for a while... I have one other beetle who has stayed a little darker and I wonder if this is a kind of health indication.
    ----------
    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

  12. #29
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    It's ironic that the desert is such a harsh environment, yet so many things that thrive there are SO hard to grow. When I lived in the desert, I had some huge bladderpod shrubs (about 7' tall & around) that flowered for a long time, which thrilled the hummingbirds & bees. But do you think I could grow more of them to plant around my property? Tried all sorts of things, but had very limited success, eventually getting only a few off to a slothful start. Good luck!

    Sorry to hear about Stumpy. It's likely to remain a mystery.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-03-2021 at 02:44 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    TofuTofuTofu (09-03-2021)

  14. #30
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    Re: My Bioactive Arid/Desert Enclosure for Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    It's ironic that the desert is such a harsh environment, yet so many things that thrive there are SO hard to grow.
    When you think about it, it's the plants that live in temperate regions that are probably among the hardiest of all. Sure something like a desert plant can thrive in extreme conditions, but that's just it. Those thrive in those specific extreme conditions. So even a small amount of change is likely to end badly.

    On the other hand, the plants and trees right in my backyard here in the midwest, in any given year, have to deal with pouring rain, dryness, snow, ice, wind and highly erratic temperatures (sometimes a 20-30 degree difference within mere hours).

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