Green Stag Beetle – Species Profile & Facts

Who’s reading this article and thinking “Hmm, I really want a Green Stag Beetle as a pet”? Not me, that’s clear. But who am I to judge people? I’m here to tell you more about this multi-legged creature that comes in all colors.

The Lamprima Adolphinae, or the Green Stag Beetle, is a wonderful beetle that deserves some recognition. I’ll teach you everything there is to know about the Green Stag Beetle, so stick around and keep reading!

Green Stag Beetle Natural Habitat

These beetles can only be found in Australia and New Guinea, but you may need a permit of breeding to keep these beetles at home. They enjoy humid environments where they can relax, preferably hidden underground.

During sunny weather, these beetles prefer staying in the shade and munching on a few leaves. Green Stag Beetles are not carnivores, so plants are their staple food.

Australia has warm temperatures all year round, so you’ll need to keep this in mind when you build an enclosure for your beetles. The temperatures will need to be a bit higher than you’d expect.

Fortunately, this beetle is also very resilient to sudden drops in temperature. So, you can maintain the temperature between 86F and 50F, but not any lower or higher.

Green Stag Beetle Characteristics

Green Stag Beetles are some of the coolest beetles out there. Their appearance is quite unique, and they’re quite pacifistic as well. Even when you keep males together, they won’t harm each other. Too much…

– Appearance

These beetles come in all colors, including golden-green, purple, blue, red-copper, dark-copper, and so on. Simply put, their exoskeleton is iridescent, with different color shades. Just like other beetles, these have strong mandibles (males especially) that help them eat and protect themselves.

Males have saw-like mandibles that curl upwards, and they use these to cut off plant stems and suck off the juice.

Females, on the other hand, have smaller mandibles that are less powerful and useful compared to males’ mandibles. However, females have specific longitudinal markings on their thoraces.

They’re quite a sight to behold, especially if you watch them in a certain shade of light. Green Stag Beetles are sometimes known as rainbow beetles due to their colorful variations.

– Size & Growth

Males can get anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in length, including the mandibles. They’re not exactly the biggest beetles out there, alright? But they’re shiny and beautiful to look at. Females are smaller, reaching only 0.7-1 inches in length most times.

Their growth process happens quite quickly, from 3 to 5 months spent as larvae. After going through the larvae stage, these beetles turn into pupas, and then directly into full-fledged Green Stag Beetles.

– Temperament

Green Stag Beetles are not aggressive when living with their kind. Even during mating season, males tend to avoid each other. Unless there are way too few females to share, males will get along wonderfully. However, in their natural habitat, Green Stag Beetles tend to get into scuffles with other animals and insects. That’s when their strong mandibles come into play.

They often use their mandibles to intimidate or harm other attackers and survive unlucky encounters. When in captivity, these beetles are quite boring, frankly. It seems like nothing new happens to them, which is what most keepers want.

Green Stag Beetles are dazzling to look at but they aren’t too interesting. You also won’t have to worry about being bitten by these beetles. As I said, they’re not aggressive at all.

If you scare them, they’ll get into hiding and avoid contact with you. Unless you actively corner the beetles, they won’t act in self-defense and attack you. Usually, your size is enough of a deterrent for them.

– Defense

What’s interesting about the defense mechanism of Green Stag Beetles is how intimidating they can be. When feeling threatened, male Stag Beetles will lift its head and open wide its mandibles, practically inviting you to attack him.

Do you want to risk getting mauled to the death between those sharp pincers? Well, most attackers don’t, so they eventually give up.

Males can also use their wings to fly away. Most beetle species have wings, including these guys. Females are also able to fly, only that they generally don’t. They must have a reason, but I don’t know it. So, even if an attacker gets the better of Green Stag Beetles, they’ll simply fly away and escape mortal danger.

– Life Cycle

Even the longest living Green Stag Beetles get to 8 months at most. And then they die. That’s how things are with these beetles, unfortunately. Most Green Stags live 3-4 months. Having one with double the regular lifespan is uncommon at best.

Usually, these beetles only get to mate and that’s when their lifespan comes to an abrupt end. But many things contribute to their diminished lifespan in the wild, like a deficient diet, predators, and so on.

If you take good care of them, chances are your Green Stag Beetles will live a long life. To counter their low lifespan, you should allow them to reproduce. This way, you’ll have a new generation of beetles as soon as the old one dies. And you’ll never have a problem with overcrowding either. It’s a win-win situation!

Green Stag Beetle Care

Green Stag Beetles are not difficult to care for. They need some temperature maintenance, a little bit of extra humidity, and quality food. That’s all, and they don’t even need that much food. Some days, Green Stag Beetles don’t even eat.

– Diet & Nutrition

Since Green Stag Beetles are herbivores, you should only feed them plants and fruits. No meats allowed, of course. I recommend apples, bananas, oranges, and even pineapples.

Cut them into small slices and put them on a plate in the enclosure. Make sure the slices are about a quarter of the beetle’s size. If the food is larger than that, the beetles won’t be able to eat it.

Every 2-3 days, remove the excess food that the beetles haven’t eaten and replace it with a fresh one. Leaving the old food there increase the chance of mold developing. And as you may know, mold is deadly to insects, even Green Stag Beetles.

One more thing – you could also feed beetle jelly to your Green Stags. It’s not only easier to prepare and store, but it also won’t develop mold so fast.

– Housing

The ideal housing for Green Stag Beetles needs to be at least three times their length, two times their width, and two times their height. That’s only for one beetle. For every additional beetle, increase the housing parameters by 50%.

You should add a thick layer of substrate in the enclosure, as well. Peat and soil are great for this, but make sure you add them in a 1:1 ratio.

Mist the substrate from time to time to keep it moist. Beetles love a humid substrate that they can dig. Also, keep the terrarium or the housing with a lid on it.

Males have wings, and they can fly pretty fast. Females fly less often than males but they’ll fly if they have to. Plus, the idea of keeping beetles in captivity is not letting them escape.

– Environment

Keep your Green Stag Beetles at a temperature between 86 °F and 50 °F to best simulate their natural habitat. I recommend installing a light bulb in one part of the terrarium if you can’t maintain a high enough temperature naturally.

This way, the beetles can warm themselves by coming closer to the light bulb, and cool off by going into the shade, far away from the light source.

Place some tree bark, a few branches, and dry twigs throughout the enclosure, as well. Green Stag Beetles need solid ground sometimes, especially when they want to bask in the warmth of the light bulb.

Usually, when they want to cool off, they either retreat into the shade or burrow inside the moist substrate. That’s why it’s essential to mist the substrate now and then!

– Health Problems

Beetles have a low lifespan, so they’re more likely to die from old age rather than fall ill. But mold poses a severe threat to Green Stag Beetles. Excessive temperatures and inadequate humidity can kill your beetles, as well.

In other words, it’s totally up to you whether your beetles die before their time or live a gifted life. Careful maintenance will usually prevent most health problems.

Handling is another problem, shall we say. Green Stag Beetles are quite feeble, with their small appendages and squishy bodies. Dropping them from a great height is counterproductive to good health, just so you know. And so is squeezing them too hard when you’re handling them. Handle them properly and you won’t have a problem!

– Reproduction

Green Stag Beetles reproduce the first chance they get. Keep the temperature around 72 – 83 °F, and your beetles should mate naturally. It could take anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks, though.

When the male beetle starts chasing and mounting the female beetle, you know that reproduction is about to take place. After you’ve seen your beetles mating, you can move the female beetle to a different tank.

I recommend feeding the female the same diet as before. That’s because female beetles need a hummus-type substrate to lay eggs. I also suggest lining the floor of the tank with a compacted stratum around 2 inches high.

Add an additional stratum of hummus on top without pressing it down.  Female Green Stag Beetles lay up to 30 eggs, and after a few weeks, the eggs are ready to hatch.

Conclusion

Green Stag Beetles are some of the best insects you can keep as a pet. Their colorful variations will always dazzle you whenever you pass by their terrarium. And taking care of them isn’t any harder than caring for other insects.

Even taking care of a cat is more arduous in some cases. Green Stag Beetles are very resilient to fluctuations in temperature, as well. The only downside is their low lifespan, most being able to live up to 4 months at best. Use that time well!

Leave any questions below and I’ll reply shortly!