Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Dermestid Beetles? I started a colony from the larvae and beetles in the orders of crickets I got for my herps. I began with around 20 individuals, and now I have several hundred. I heard that a colony of several thousand can clean a large skull in a few days. I placed a dead mouse in my colony a week ago, and now I have an almost spotless skeleton in with them now.
I've always liked scavengers, so these were a nice little bonus when I bought my crickets.

I'm curious: how did you happen to know they were dermestids? Me, I had a beetle bonus in a box of rattle-tree pods mailed by a friend. The pods were full of happy little furry brown beetles that proved to be Bean Weevils. They are fine household pets.

I asked a taxidermist that works in my town. He keeps a VERY large colony of them to strip small skulls in preparation for working with the skulls. I took some to him because I knew he kept some beetles to strip meat off of skulls, and I thought they looked like his beetles he works with. He told me they were the same beetles.
Now when one of my rodents dies, I just throw the carcass in the tank with them, and they work their magic on the carcass.