Your colony can be kept in a plastic tub, aquarium, or an old freezer. My beetles live in cotton balls but, you may also use shredded newspaper or aspen wood chips. Watch my video on how to prepare a habitat. Ventilation is important and I cut out the top of the plastic tub and screen the lid with three layers of screen to keep out flies and fly eggs. The beetles must be kept at 80 degrees and in the dark for optimal skull cleaning and reproduction. You may use a reptile heating pad or reptile red heating light to keep the temperature at 80 degrees.  Keep the humidity down as you do not want mites or mold. The beetles are fed raw meat every day and I use raw ground turkey. All animal parts must be frozen prior to placing the items into the colony to kill off any invasive species. I only spray mist with water once a month as the beetles will receive moisture from the meat. A fan can add air movement over or thru the colony to keep the humidity low. The size of the colony to purchase depends on the size of the skull you would like to clean. A 1500 colony will clean a bird or squirrel skull immediately. You may also grow a 1500 colony for a couple of weeks and then clean a deer  skull. These are only tips and a detailed care sheet will be sent with the Dermestids. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You may email me with questions at any time at taliasbeetlebugs@gmail.com. We want you to succeed!  Natalie, the beetle girl at TALIAS BEETLE BUGS.