Feeding 

When you first receive your beetles, it is best to let them get used to their new home with a small sample of food. You want your colony to grow with the amount of food you're giving them. As the colony grows, so does the size of the specimen you are giving them. If you have too much raw meat for the size of your colony to consume within the first week, the meat is going to rot and ruin your enclosure. 
Dermestids are best fed dry or semi-dried foods with as fewer internal organs as possible. Avoid putting specimens or food that is still frozen in the enclosure. You want to fully defrost and soak up the excess moisture first. Excess moisture creates an overly humid environment which harbors bacteria and can attract unwanted pests such as mites. Mites can bring an entire colony down in a very short time and there isn't really any coming back from a mite infestation. Keeping humidity levels around 50-60% is ideal and you can get inexpensive hygrometers online to pop into your enclosure. 


When choosing what specimen to feed your dermestids make sure you avoid putting something you have found deceased outdoors straight into the enclosure. There is most likely hidden insect activity already begun on the specimen that you don't want in your enclosure. You can freeze the specimen for 3 days at the least to ensure anything hidden in it has died. Remember to defrost it before adding it to the enclosure, removing as much moisture as possible. 

If you don't have anything to feed your dermestids in the way of a specimen, dermestid beetles love anything from plain cooked meat (no added salts or seasoning) to chicken carcass frames and scrambled eggs! Scrambled eggs is a great alternative and can boost breeding. Making sure the eggs are cooked, as dermestid beetles can drown easily in any form of liquid. All cooked foods or meats should be plain with no added salt, sauces or seasoning. 

Water

While some swear by leaving water for dermestid we have found they can go quite well without it as long as they have an adiquite food supply of plain raw meat. They draw water from the meat while feeding and sometimes, even if you put water in their enclosure, it seems to go untouched. If you are, however, in a hot and dry climate, extra water will be necessary. 
Water is a tricky one for dermestid beetles as they can drown in a jar lid of shallow water. Adding cotton wool pads is a good and safe way for them to access it. 

We give our dermestid something called Aquaload. This is a soft blue gel block that they can get moisture from safely. It is designed for insects to stay hydrated and contains extra vitamins and minerals to keep the colony healthy. You can purchase it here or most petstores will supply it. 

Bedding

Another important factor for a healthy colony is what type of bedding you're going to use. Avoid straw beddings or even sand as they tend to trap moisture causing mold and attract a number of parasites like mites and fungus gnats. 
You can use natural types of cat litter, such as recycled paper litter that is more absorbent. You can also get a type of mammal bedding from your local petstore like safe, non-toxic wood shavings or even just shredded paper. Another great option for bedding is shredded corn cob as it is non-toxic and highly absorbent. Some petstores carry it but it can be tricky to find and a little more pricey. 

In the years we have been breeding dermestids, it has started to occur that nothing beats stryofoam for quick breeding cycles. Styrofoam is a safe place for the larvae to become a pupa. They burrow inside it and it creates a safe space for them that is undisturbed by fewer vibrations. 
We have observed that the colony without the Styrofoam added was a lot slower in growing than the colony that had access to Styrofoam. While the colony without seemed to burrow down into the deep bedding and not surface as quickly for food. The enclosure with Styrofoam was remaining on the surface and mass clusters of 20-30 larva could be found just by turning a Styrofoam block over. 
This can be good if you want to keep track of your colony rather than having them all housed underneath. Ideally, you want them to remain on the surface to continue to eat and clean your specimen. 

Heating

Dermestid prefers temperatures of around 21-26 degrees Celsius. If it gets too warm, which is generally over 28 degrees Celsius, they become uncomfortable and try to escape. Adult beetles can fly and when they  get too hot they will fly to the top of the enclosure to try and find a way out. They can also get distracted from eating when it is too warm. 
If you are in a hot climate during summer, heating probably won't even be needed if the temperature does not drop to pass 21 degrees Celsius at night. 
If you are in a cooler climate, the area heating is essential so they keep working and not go into a dormant hibernation mode. You can get them reptile heating mats with an adjustable temperature dial and either line your enclosure with them or put them under a metal, shallow dish that you will put their food in. This will draw them up and to the food. 
Lining the sides of the enclosure works also, remember, you want to keep them above their bedding to continue eating and working. Putting the heating on the bottom will only draw them right down into the bedding where they will house themselves and rarely surface. 

You can also use low voltage heat lamps, but please be aware that if you are housing your dermestid in a plastic tub, plastic is flammable and sometimes heat lamps without a dial can get quite hot. 

Enclosure

Dermestid beetles can be kept in almost anything escape proof with adequate ventilation. From plastic tubs with small holes drilled in the top or holes lined with mosquito mesh to keep unwanted insects out. You want plenty of ventilation but ventilation small enough that blowflies and other carrion beetles can't get in. They will try and get in and you may find in the summer the battle is ongoing to prevent it. 

You can also house them in old chest freezers if you can get access to one, but modifications will need to be made in order to create ventilation. You can't just shut them in an old fridge or chest freezer that is no longer turned on, of course, because eventually the oxygen supply will run out. 

You want your enclosure to be secure and something that they can't get out of and things can't get in, but also something the dermestid can't chew through. For example, you shouldn't keep your dermestid in a Styrofoam box as they eat through it. Dermestid, if hungry and in search of food, would chew through wood also. 

They work better in the dark. Dermestids do a
lot of work overnight and this is because it is
dark, they
feel as though they can't be spotted by
predators as do a lot of insects. You may find
that when you open the lid to your enclosure the
dermestids all scatter and hide. This is normal
and they probably think you're going to try and
eat them. They are, however, a tasty snack for birds! 
Keeping them somewhere away from direct sunlight is best. If you have yours housed in an old glass aquarium, covering it or                             covering their food with a clean damp chux wipe or                         cloth not only provides a bit of moisture if you have                         dry food and hot days but it allows them to hide                               under it and feel safe to eat. This trick can be good                         if your colony slows down and isn't that interested                           in their food. It may be because the colony feels threatened and is focusing their energy on staying hidden. 

Laziness

Sometimes dermestid can go through periods of not eating what you're giving them, when before, they thrived off of it. We call this becoming lazy. You can easily fix this by offering them something else to eat, such as, scrambled eggs, slices of pear or apple, brains, or other small organs in low quantities. They will have a change in diet for a while, boost their colony numbers and return to cleaning the specimen. This works almost every time, unless your colony is being drained by mites, then you might notice laziness and a decline in your colonies' numbers. Every time,

More FAQs

My colony has mites and is dying. What can I do? 
The first thing you can try is to reduce the humidity right down, dry out the enclosure for a few weeks and have your humidity drop to below 50%. Remove anything that is damp in the enclosure. 
Unfortunately, if that does not work, mites make for a doomed colony and the best thing you can do, sadly, is destroy your colony, all its bedding, food and any styrofoam. Although this sounds brutal, being slowly killed by mites is also. The best way to destroy it all is by destroying it in a fire and if you don't have a fire, which is a quick method, you can leave your colony to perish on their own. Then you could spray the enclosure down with an insect killer and dispose of it in garbage bags that are tightly tied off. 
The aim is to not let the mites cause havoc in anything else, especially if you want to purchase another colony. 

There is another type of beetle or larvae in my enclosure. What can I do? 
If you see 1-10 other insects or even maggots, you can make sure to pick them out, do this daily and check to make sure that there isn't more spawning. Usually, removing a few is fine and eventually the dermestids outnumber the foreign bodies, but if you're getting a hundred or more, then you might need to start your colony over and rectify how these foreign insects are gaining access to your existing enclosure. 

How do I start my colony over? 
You will need a second enclosure much like the first but with adjustments to try and stop insects gaining access. If you suspect they are getting in under the lid of the enclosure, you can line the tips of the outer edges of the enclosure with a sticky fly trap take. Avoid using insect repellants and insecticides. 
Set up your new enclosure and try to pick out as many dermestid beetles and larvae as you can, individually making sure you only pick out the dermestids. Do not use any of the old bedding, food or foam in your new enclosure as this might be hiding infiltrators. 
It might be slow at first as your new colony builds itself again, but with the right conditions, you can successfully  get them to thrive again. 

Can I feed my dermestids a specimen that has been euthanized by a vet or if I suspect the animal has eaten poison? 
I would steer on the side of caution when it comes to poisons or suspected poisoning of an animal. Insecticides, animal baiting and other chemicals used to deter pests can kill a colony of dermestids.
As for euthanasia, if the vet used Pentobarbitone Sodium commonly known as Lethabarb, it will not have any effects on your colony that have been observed yet. 
Keep in mind that some people have experienced their colony dying due to feeding a domestic animal or animal part that has been treated with a flea and tick solution.