Can dermestid beetles be raised on cat kibble?

[Keith]

I don't want to feed flesh and cat kibble is high in protein. Do the adults also eat protein or do they eat vegetables and fruits?

[pannaking22]

You should be fine giving them just cat kibble. As long as everything stays nice and dry they should do well for you. 

[Betta132]

They do not eat fruits and vegetables, that would be like trying to feed lettuce to a vulture. Cat kibble is fine, but be sure you get a fairly high-quality brand with a LOT of protein. Far too many cat foods are mostly fillers.

[lovebugfarm]

Beef jerky is an option to. Feeding dry food is called a maintenance diet. To get a colony to grow the require dead things. If traditional flesh is unappealing try freezing roaches/other bugs and feed them that. Also water is an issue they need it but they also drown themself by the hundreds and it stinks horribly. I used wet cotton balls in a terracotta dish. There can't be any pooling water or they drown. I tried the sponge method but buying a sponge every other week was costly. Good luck!

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

If you don't want to feed them flesh because you're worried about the smell, don't be. As long as flies don't get in and lay eggs on it, it will just mummify and produce little or no odor. Best to put it in moist and fresh and let it dry since the beetles prefer to lay eggs on flesh with a very specific moisture content.

[Ratmosphere]

Thanks for this topic, helps a lot !