# Spikes (blowfly maggots) and terribilis



## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

I bought a little cup of bait maggots to feed to my adult terribilis after the pet store was closed (they're too big to eat fruit flies anymore) and I wasn't able to get crickets. For anyone that's curious and has thought about doing the same, the frogs just inhaled them. Might be too big for anything but terribilis or bicolor, but since they're sold at many places that carry fishing stuff, they might be good for a treat or in a pinch.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

keep an eye on them... it has been reported in the literature that some maggots (like those of blow fly) will pass through undigested and/or injure the animal (see the Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium for one reference). 
However this is probably not a problem not an issue as the maggots you purchased should actually be house fly maggots. 

Ed


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

There isn't a species name on the cup, but I would guess that it's probably Calliphora vicina, (common name is bluebottle fly, which is a species of blowfly) since that's what the majority of bait maggots are. I have fed them to leopard geckos and a bearded dragon in the past with no trouble, but if you're curious I'll watch their stools for a few days.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

typically the commonly available maggot is Musca domestica, the common housefly.. 

Ed


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

You can also raise them up into flies for a really interesting feeder.
My day geckos used to go bananas for the flies buzzing round the tank.
Surprizingly good (not sure why it should surprize me) at catching them they were...
I fed the maggots a mixture of dog food and instant buttermilk (it is said they need some cholesterol), put some damp wood shavings in, and wait for them to pupate and then hatch.
For easy feeding, pop the container of flies in the fridge for a minute or two.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

Now I'm curious. I accidentally left the cup out overnight and some of the maggots pupated. I may let them finish metamorphosis to see what they turn into. Should be easy to tell the difference between bluebottles and regular houseflies. The terribilis haven't shown any side effects other than wanting to eat even more of them.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

If they pupate into houseflies, it's even more fun to watch terribilis and bicolor go after them! much like watching them chase wax moths... not good for top opening tanks tho until they eat them all... I've hatched the houseflies out for small geckos and small tree frogs as well.


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