OUR NEW PET

We've got a new pet. It's a Stag Beetle.

I was recruited by my dh tonight to help mow. As I was mowing a bank with the push mower (and counting the minutes as exercise), I saw a huge BUG fly out of the mower. WOW!!

It was intact and started walking away.

I took a look at it -- all the while getting ready to sprint away from it if it were a jumping lunging sort of bug. It was just wandering around in the grass. So I found a short stick and stuck it in between it's pincher's. It took the bait -- PINCH -- it was stuck to the stick. I hollered for my kiddos to come see the beetle. COOL!!

Ya want to know the really cool part? It just so happens that I got a book from the library today called Creepy Beetles. I call it providence. I hate bugs -- gross -- I normally don't check out snake or bug or yucky books from the library. But I did... well -- that came in handy today. The boys started looking in the book and found our beetle's twin - right there on page 7. It's a STAG BEETLE. NEATO!

So -- we put him in a jar -- put the stick and leaves in there and I finished mowing.

When I came in -- after shutting off the timer -- I hopped on the inter-net. I huffed and puffed 35 minutes b.t.w. We look up STAG BEETLE... because what in the wide world would we feed our new pet? I was praying it wouldn't be expensive.

Know what? This is maybe my favorite kind of pet. Full grown Stag Beetles eat NOTHING! Ü Hooray!! They have enough fat stored to last them a long, long time. Apparently they don't burn much. Sometimes they eat sweet sap of trees -- so they can be found to eat fruit in captivity. So we stuck a frozen raspberry in the jar just in case. We wouldn't want to be inhospitable. Happy drinking Mr. Beetle.

In the photo there are 2 beetles. The female is on the left -- she has smaller mandibles. We have a male at our house. That site I linked to has all sort of interesting information about Stag beetles. We probably saved this one from a Magpie. Tori knew what a magpie was from reading an American Girl book. LOL Now I know... it's a bird.

We've actually seen a Stag Beetle grub in the garden while tilling. I was always grossed out -- of course... but now that I'm a little more educated... I might just take a closer look next time... maybe.

You know -- there are people out there who REALLY LOVE bugs... Take a look at this sight.

Well -- if you are one of them... I hope you enjoyed the show. If not -- I hope I didn't give you nightmares. LOL!!