# better springtail foods



## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

Do most of you guys just feed your springs rice or yeast? I have been feeding my springs both tadpole bites and the moist cricket gut load cubes. I dont know how well gut loading these little guys works but I would say they are by far the easiest feeder to gut load and it cant hurt.


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Depending on what I'm feeding the springtails to, I mix herptivite, spirulina, and naturose into my yeast and make a paste out of it. I then spread that paste on a leaf and only feed springtails that are directly on the leaf and eating the mixture. Am I getting results? beats me, but as you said, can't hurt to try.


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## snmreptiles (Feb 26, 2004)

My understanding is the green cricket "Gut load" bites have the nutritional value of iceburg lettuce!! That was years ago, but I doubt they have changed! We feed rice, cucumber peels, fish flake, yeast, and spirulina to our spring tails.

Mike
http://www.snmreptiles.com


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

Somebody else on the board here mentioned they were having good luck feeding mushrooms. I've been using mushrooms for the past few weeks and I've been getting good results. In fact I've been thinking about placing a toothpick through the mushroom, leaving it in the culture for a few days, and then picking up the mushroom by the toothpick and then tapping off the springs into the vivs.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

If you check the frognet archives there is an article in there somewhere that I posted on adjusting the HUFA content of springtails.. 

As the springtails primarily feed on fungi and bacteria so I would suspect that in the most part they are feeding on the fungi and bacteria that grow on those items you are adding to thier enclosure and not the actual items themselves...... This makes it a lot harder to "gutload" them. 

Ed


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## vortexofhate (Jul 23, 2007)

I have been feeding mine mushrooms and they are kicking. Just threw 3 new fresh mushrooms into each container. Definitely recommend trying out the mushrooms. Easy and cheap, just pick up a couple while at the grocery store.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

*GREASER* said:


> Do most of you guys just feed your springs rice or yeast? I have been feeding my springs both tadpole bites and the moist cricket gut load cubes. I dont know how well gut loading these little guys works but I would say they are by far the easiest feeder to gut load and it cant hurt.


Try white woodlice for a gutload feeder...

I usually take the leftover powder when I dust with naturose and calcium/d3, and sprinkle it in the cultrure, and they turn marroon, feed them cyclopeeze, they turn bright red...no doubt it works.

I don't have the best of luck with gutloading springtails, as I seem to end up with mites if I stray from charcoal substrate and dry Gerber oat baby cereal.


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## snake8myelbo (Dec 3, 2006)

*springs*

I was wondering about mites? I stated using cucumber and they were booming! then I got infested with the bigger mites and they ate all the springs  and i really needed them. so how do you keep out the mites?


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

gary1218 said:


> Somebody else on the board here mentioned they were having good luck feeding mushrooms. I've been using mushrooms for the past few weeks and I've been getting good results. In fact I've been thinking about placing a toothpick through the mushroom, leaving it in the culture for a few days, and then picking up the mushroom by the toothpick and then tapping off the springs into the vivs.


that toothpick idea Gary is a stroke of genius! :shock: 

I've got to give that one a try..


I feed 90% yeast....and toss in potato or cucumber peels when I have them, which gives me something to pick up and toss into the tank full of springs at least..

S


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

Ed said:


> As the springtails primarily feed on fungi and bacteria so I would suspect that in the most part they are feeding on the fungi and bacteria that grow on those items you are adding to thier enclosure and not the actual items themselves...... This makes it a lot harder to "gutload" them.
> 
> Ed


Now that you mention it I recall reading the same thing.


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

I hate to say it, but I've not had as good of results as I did when I decided to try EDs springtail food. I can look at it and pretty much duplicate the recipe myself, but it just doesn't seem to work as well, so maybe I missed something. I've tried just about everything else but mushrooms and they just didn't measure up for whatever reason. Aaron was probably the one talking about muchrooms (he PMd me about it recently), and he said it works great for most types of springs as I remember it.


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## IN2DEEP (Aug 7, 2007)

I find black springs on the mushrooms in the yard, but I testify to the Ed's Fly Meat spring food. I take 4 pieces of corrugated cardboard 3"x4" and wrap with rubberband. Run water over and in it, sprinkle two pinches of food in each end and place on top of substrate, and sprinkle enough food to cover top, lightly sprinkle 3 or so pinches over all subsr8 and wait 3 days or so. (I suggest a semi-clear Glad container 2 C when there is alot of springs) Be quick, the bigger springs are! Open container and shake like salt shaker into tank! CAUTION it's gonna look like snow! IF you have mites or worms, use 1 piece of cardboard, put food only on top, when you see alot of pest, gently blow on cardboard, the springs will jump ship and throw away the pest. 

If anyone else has a better method I would like 2 hear it. My 3 frogs get FAT that day on springs alone. If you want another culture, don't shake, just move the spring condo to another slightly moist container with substr8. (I've tried shaking random pieces and flooding the container to scoop out the white floaters, it sucks)


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

i use cucumbers, i have only been keeping springtails for about 2 months. but i started off with one culture and now i have 8 little ones and 1 huge master culture. all jam packed with sprigs. i also sprinkle some of the ADR sprig food on occasionally.


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