Yup, these are pets here in Japan. I never thought the day would come when I ended up with 4 now 5 of them at my place. My father in law aka Japanese Grandpa got them from his friend to give to my boys.
Of course the boys were excited for their first ever pets and the responsibilities that came with it....well. I actually ended up doing the cleaning of their tank and the feeding..you know how it is, but still.
We received 3 males and 1 female beetle and I actually found one female right outside my door step a few weeks after and decided "hey, the beetle gang could do with one more female". So now there are 5 beetles in a tiny tank.
They are really low maintenance pets and the jelly capsule you see is rather cheap and made specifically for beetles. All you have to do is put it in and they will find. One thing I just realized recently, you actually have to squeeze the jelly out the capsule 😄
The males fight from time to time and when they do, it is almost never ending. They use their horns to turn each other over. Once on their backs, it seems as if the are neutralized and vulnerable.
A part of me really just wants to go in the hills and let them all free, I am a nature lover, and this is no way for a beetle to live. I have discussed it with the boys and they seem ok with it.
One thing I have noticed is with all the fighting the males do, they slowly lose a part of the their limbs and makes it difficult for them to cling on to things.
Yeah it was interesting seeing this part of Japanese kid culture ( some adults love it too) but I will never accept another beetle at my house again. Beetles deserve to be in the wild.
