This was the Japanese Rhinoceros beetle Little Brother had last year.
He would walk up and down Little Brother's arm. He would sit still for his daily brushing. Have you ever heard of brushing a bug? It's not easy, but Little Brother took care of it. This beetle was a lovely pet.
This was the beetle that Little Brother bought this summer. It was from Indonesia. It came with its mate, a smaller female. Like the Rhinoceros beetle, they ate from jelly cups made especially for them.
We set up this new bigger bug box for them with wood shavings and pieces of logs. The day we brought them home, the male beetle scratched Little Brother. That cooled the relationship from the very beginning.
The male beetle was always in attack mode. It was able to fly up and out. I ended up feeding and taking care of them. I had to use tongs to put their jelly cups in the box. It was almost impossible to brush them. It was a good thing we had bought the box that was disinfected. Dani or mites couldn't live in the box. Mites feed on beetles. Both beetles passed away recently. First, the female and then the male. All of our beetles are buried in the garden.
I have decided I don't particularly appreciate this summertime petship. Especially when I have to do all the work. And especially since it was a battle (with the beetle) the whole summer!
May I say how very much I enjoy your posts!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog by being bored one evening and randomly clicking on the "next blog" button.
As you can see from my blog (nowhere near as long-standing or well presented as yours) I am also a long-term foreign wife here, though our family are in Hokkaido.
We spent seven years in Honshu and I recognise lots of the places you put up, and I've started reading your blog with my kids, who get a kick out of comparing our lifestyle with yours. Some things are identical, some things make me feel like we live in a different country.
Fascinating and fun, thank you!
Vicky,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I haven't responded earlier to your comment. For some reason, I didn't receive notice of yours and others' comments. Sorry and thank you.
I imagine Hokkaido is very different. All that snow! We visited our friends in Niigata during the winter once. I had never seen anything like it! I'll check out your blog. Thanks.