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Spice 2 · Beginner
How the Spice System works
WC: Wild caught
Collected from the wild and settled in at Big Z's before it ships. Many species, adults especially, are rarely bred in captivity.
Big Z's notes
About this Fella
Blue Side Warrior Beetle for sale from Big Z's (Pasimachus subsulcatus). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
Jet black, edged in electric blue, and built to hunt
Pasimachus subsulcatus, the Blue Side Warrior Beetle, is a large predatory ground beetle out of the American South. It is a jet black tank with a razor line of metallic blue or violet running down each edge of its shell. This is no slow scavenger. It is an active hunter with big, powerful jaws made for running down other insects, and at 1 to 1.25 inches it moves fast and looks like armor with an attitude.
This is a look, do not touch animal. Those jaws deliver a painful pinch, and grab it and it fires off a sharp, foul defensive odor. Keep it solo, because it is cannibalistic and will eat tankmates. Care is beginner friendly, and it is hardy and long lived: a couple of inches of half sand, half coco substrate, a cork bark hide, room temperature, and one lightly damp corner, fed crickets, roaches, or superworms every few days. Check the care guide before setup and you will have a striking, low fuss predator on display for years.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 2 · Beginner
- Source
- WC: wild caught.
- Keeping
- Display animal. Kept in its enclosure, not handled.
Blue Side Warrior Beetle (Pasimachus subsulcatus)
Invertebrate
Keeper feedbackYour experience can help another keeper.
$12.991-1.25" (Adult) WC selected
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Spice 2 · Beginner
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At a glance
The quick read on this fella
- Venom
- Eye-irritating acid spray
- Painful pinch
- Type
- Terrestrial
- Ground dweller · US native
- Climate
- 68-78°F · 50-70%
- Damp lower end, part of surface dry
- Feeding
- Cultured insects 1-2x weekly
- Clear leftovers in 24 hours
- Housing
- Solo only
- Water
- Damp corner or shallow stone-filled cap
From our Blue Side Warrior Beetle care guide. Read the full guide
Live animals ship Mon to Wed
FedEx Standard Overnight $44.99 or Priority Overnight $49.99, both with the Live Arrival Guarantee; free overnight on orders $499.99 and up. FedEx 2Day $34.99 has no guarantee and needs a signed waiver. Pickup in the Phoenix area or at an expo is free (arrange with Big Z first). Weather holds are free and we message you first.
Live arrival support
Every order is packed for that week’s weather. Not sure if Blue Side Warrior Beetle is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Big Z's here to help
Not sure if Blue Side Warrior Beetle is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Care guide Shipping and Live Arrival Guarantee
About this Fella Big Z's notes
Blue Side Warrior Beetle for sale from Big Z's (Pasimachus subsulcatus). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
Jet black, edged in electric blue, and built to hunt
Pasimachus subsulcatus, the Blue Side Warrior Beetle, is a large predatory ground beetle out of the American South. It is a jet black tank with a razor line of metallic blue or violet running down each edge of its shell. This is no slow scavenger. It is an active hunter with big, powerful jaws made for running down other insects, and at 1 to 1.25 inches it moves fast and looks like armor with an attitude.
This is a look, do not touch animal. Those jaws deliver a painful pinch, and grab it and it fires off a sharp, foul defensive odor. Keep it solo, because it is cannibalistic and will eat tankmates. Care is beginner friendly, and it is hardy and long lived: a couple of inches of half sand, half coco substrate, a cork bark hide, room temperature, and one lightly damp corner, fed crickets, roaches, or superworms every few days. Check the care guide before setup and you will have a striking, low fuss predator on display for years.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 2 · Beginner
- Source
- WC: wild caught.
- Keeping
- Display animal. Kept in its enclosure, not handled.
What ships with this order Care + shipping
- A free care guide for this species
- A heat or cold pack when the forecast calls for it
- Tracking and an arrival window before it ships
- Message Big Z about your animal for as long as you keep it
Care guideSpice 2 · Beginner
Matched care guide
View in Care Guides library
Blue Side Warrior Beetle
Pasimachus subsulcatus · Spice 2: Beginner. Burrow Buddy: one adult only, with 2-3 in of mixed substrate, cork cover and a secure lid.
Pasimachus subsulcatus
Blue Side Warrior Beetle
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A big, flightless southeastern ground beetle built to hunt. Hardy at room temperature, but display only: the jaws pinch hard and the acid spray strongly irritates eyes and nose.
Group: Spiders & Other InvertsDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Low terrestrial, floor space and coverHandling: No handling, catch cup only
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Care Snapshot
| Temp | 68-78°F, stable room temp, no added heat |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 50-70%: damp lower end, part of surface dry |
| Setup | Low terrestrial, floor space and cover |
| Substrate | 2-3 in pesticide-free soil/coco + sand, leaf litter |
| Feeding | Cultured insects 1-2x weekly, clear leftovers in 24 hours |
| Handling | No handling, catch cup only |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Recommended Big Z's Setup
- Burrow Buddy: one adult only, with 2-3 in of mixed substrate, cork cover and a secure lid.
Critical Notes
- Sprays acid 4 in or more when disturbed. Keep it away from your face, kids and pets, avoid skin contact, and wash after maintenance.
- Strong jaws give a painful pinch. Move it with a catch cup, never bare fingers.
- House it alone. It is an opportunistic predator, so don't risk a tankmate.
- Flightless is not escape-proof. It is fast, strong and digs, so use a tight lid and close every cable or vent gap.
- Quarantine a new beetle away from other cultures, check leg joints and underside for mites, and never reuse its substrate.
- Adults do not molt again. A long still spell is not premolt, so check temperature, moisture, injury and prey remains.
Care Basics
- House one beetle alone in a low, secure terrestrial enclosure.
- Give 2-3 in of pesticide-free soil or coco mixed with sand, plus leaf litter and a snug cork hide.
- Keep the lower layer at one end lightly moist and let part of the surface dry. Never soak it.
- Vent low on two opposite walls so the damp end stays fresh.
- Offer cultured insect prey once or twice weekly and remove leftovers within 24 hours.
- Use a tight lid and close every gap.
- Use a catch cup for every transfer and keep the spray away from eyes and mouth.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Offer varied cultured prey: small crickets, roaches, mealworms, waxworms or soft larvae it can overpower. Pre-kill prey that may fight back.
- Start with one modest meal once or twice weekly, then adjust to feeding response and body condition.
- Remove live prey and remains within 24 hours so they don't foul the damp corner or attract mites.
- Adults don't molt, so stillness is not premolt. Check temperature, moisture, injury and prey remains before assuming it is just fasting.
Current Big Z's catalog: Yes
Pasimachus subsulcatus
Blue Side Warrior Beetle: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A big, flightless southeastern ground beetle built to hunt. Hardy at room temperature, but display only: the jaws pinch hard and the acid spray strongly irritates eyes and nose.
Group: Spiders & Other InvertsDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Low terrestrial, floor space and coverHandling: No handling, catch cup only
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 68-78°F, stable room temp, no added heat |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 50-70%: damp lower end, part of surface dry |
| Setup Type | Low terrestrial, floor space and cover |
| Substrate | 2-3 in pesticide-free soil/coco + sand, leaf litter |
| Feeding | Cultured insects 1-2x weekly, clear leftovers in 24 hours |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2: Beginner |
| Handling | No handling, catch cup only |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Adult: low terrestrial enclosure with floor space, 2-3 in of diggable substrate, cork cover and a tight lid
Warnings First
- Sprays acid 4 in or more when disturbed. Keep it away from your face, kids and pets, avoid skin contact, and wash after maintenance.
- Strong jaws give a painful pinch. Move it with a catch cup, never bare fingers.
- House it alone. It is an opportunistic predator, so don't risk a tankmate.
- Flightless is not escape-proof. It is fast, strong and digs, so use a tight lid and close every cable or vent gap.
- Quarantine a new beetle away from other cultures, check leg joints and underside for mites, and never reuse its substrate.
- Adults do not molt again. A long still spell is not premolt, so check temperature, moisture, injury and prey remains.
Simple Care
- House one beetle alone in a low, secure terrestrial enclosure.
- Give 2-3 in of pesticide-free soil or coco mixed with sand, plus leaf litter and a snug cork hide.
- Keep the lower layer at one end lightly moist and let part of the surface dry. Never soak it.
- Vent low on two opposite walls so the damp end stays fresh.
- Offer cultured insect prey once or twice weekly and remove leftovers within 24 hours.
- Use a tight lid and close every gap.
- Use a catch cup for every transfer and keep the spray away from eyes and mouth.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Build low and wide. Floor space, cover and a diggable surface matter more than height for this ground beetle.
- Pack sand-mixed topsoil or coco firm enough to hold a shallow scrape, then add dry leaf litter and at least one cork slab or curved bark hide.
- Run a moisture gradient, not a humidity number. Soggy substrate, condensation or a sour smell means the wet side is too wet or airflow is too weak.
- Keep it at stable room temperature, out of direct sun and unregulated heat. Add heat only if the room keeps dropping below 68°F.
- Add a little dechlorinated water to the damp corner, or offer a very shallow water cap with coarse stones. Do not mist the beetle or flood its burrow.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Offer varied cultured prey: small crickets, roaches, mealworms, waxworms or soft larvae it can overpower. Pre-kill prey that may fight back.
- Start with one modest meal once or twice weekly, then adjust to feeding response and body condition.
- Remove live prey and remains within 24 hours so they don't foul the damp corner or attract mites.
- Adults don't molt, so stillness is not premolt. Check temperature, moisture, injury and prey remains before assuming it is just fasting.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Southeastern United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina, in sandhill and leaf litter habitat.
- Habitat translation: Sandhill leaf litter becomes a low, escape-proof build with sandy soil, leaf litter, bark cover, and a moisture gradient from a lightly moist lower retreat to a partly dry surface.
Advanced Keeper Details
- The spray is more than a bad smell: it is a concentrated acid mix that reaches past 4 in and strongly irritates eyes, nose and mouth.
- An armored, flightless ground predator with powerful jaws. It is not a cleanup crew and does not mix with display tankmates.
- Captive lifespan is not well known and adults come at an unknown age, so don't count on a set number of years.
- Captive breeding is advanced and poorly understood. In Florida, adults peak in activity and mating in spring and autumn and lay eggs in summer to early autumn.
- Older records may use the name Pasimachus floridanus, now treated as a synonym.
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