# reed frog food: fruit flies?



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I know this is a dart frog forum, but I wasn't able to get much information at Kingsnake.com. Will reed frogs eat hydei flies or melangastor? I know they like small crickets, but wonder if hydei or melangastor can be subsituted. I like to avoid dealing with crickets if I can avoid it.
[/img]


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

They'll eat anything a dart would. BTW - they love houseflies.

Just tell me you're not buying those hybrid Reeds being offered by an idiot on Kingsnake right now.

s


----------



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

I noticed with my reeds, they prefer pinheads and a little larger crickets over the fruit flies. I had been feeding them straight fruit flies, but now I do both the flies and the crickets.


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

They really seem to like food that gets up nearer the top of the tank (where they hang out) too.

s


----------



## Will (Feb 15, 2004)

Reeds will also demolish house flies (musca domestica). When I had reeds I feed primarily musca with fruit flies on the side.


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

(as mentioned in the second post in this thread!) :wink: 

s


Will said:


> Reeds will also demolish house flies (musca domestica). When I had reeds I feed primarily musca with fruit flies on the side.


----------



## Will (Feb 15, 2004)

From now on... coffee before posting.


----------



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

So, where can I get some houseflies?


----------



## Will (Feb 15, 2004)

I know carolina carries some. I think Ed's Fly Meat also stated earlier that they were thinking of culturing some. If you can get any white eyed mutants these have the advantage of when they escape they are easy to catch (poor vision and slower motor responce).

https://www2.carolina.com/webapp/wc...530|12865&pageNum=1&catLevel=4&bottom=Y&top=N


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

http://www.insectary.com/misc/misc.htm

The only problem is they have a large minimum order (can't remember how large) and it's not necessarily cheap after you include shipping.

When I had lots of Reed frogs... I'd order these every two weeks.

s


----------



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

*not flightless though: American Cricket Ranch has flies*

They aren't flightless though. I did check out carolina biological supply, I couldn't find flies when I searched on them, but I did find them thanks to your link. 

American Cricket Ranch http://www.americancricketranch.com carries houseflies, but to my knowledge, none are flightless.

How do you culture flies without creating foul odor?


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I was answering Derek (who did not specify flightless - if these are for Reed Frogs - you want them flying, not flightless).

American Cricket Ranch gets their Houseflies from the same source that I cited (I know this for a fact). The only good news is, they do allow smaller orders.

And... you do not culture Houseflies without a stink. Hence I knew where to order them from.

s


----------



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Scott, maybe you can help explain this to me. A friend of mine a while back, Jason, had all those frog's of Rex's and would order gobs of flies like you used to. How do you feed thme to the frogs without getting flies all over the house? He told me he sed jars or something? And where to you keep the flies you haven't used yet? He told me phyllos love the flies as well, so may as well give thme a try. I saw them at American Cricket Ranch, but had forgotten the name. I think I'll be purchasing 10 H. argus tomorrow and these flies would help.


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

They come as pupae... and the pupae will hatch out according to what temps they're kept at.

Jars will work, tupperware is what I used. I would put the pupae into my container... the longer I was planning on keeping the container (in other words, if you're keeping it cooler so it will hatch out slower) the more pupae I'd put in it.

The first couple containers (kept warmest), would have about 30 or 40 pupae in it (vary for your purposes).

The next couple - kept in a cool spot in the basement. Would have 10 more.

The next couple - kept in the fridge for a couple days, then in the cool spot in the basement, would have 10 more than that.

You get the idea.

I have NO idea how you're going to feed this with top opening tanks though. Front opening tanks worked well for me. I just put the container in there and popped the lid and closed the door. The flies go straight up anyway so it works.

With top opening, you'll likely need to pop the lid just enough so they get out (and not swarm out)... then get the lid back on the tank ASAP.

Make sense?

s


----------



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

So, in other words, have multiple fly strips hanging in my room? I'll just make a front opening tank for these guys if you think it'll work best.


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Front opening is definitely best... but that's for every tank you plan on feeding.

For now you'd best just go with the barely crack it and slam the top on method.

Sticky strips come in handy.

s


----------



## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

I talked with Yeager and he mentioned putting thme in the freezer for a minute or so and thne put thme in. This would reduce me hurrying and frightening the frogs. I will make the front openings this summer, but this will have to do until then. The flies would recover once the top is on and everything sealed. Also, what media is good?


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I've never raised these... and the few times I bought ones that *were* raised by someone else... they stunk worse than anything you have now (trust me).

You really do not want to raise these as housefly pupae need protein. Most people use powdered milk to provide that.

It stinks.

Bad.

s


----------



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

*pupae*

Could you just get the pupae out you want before they hatch and put them in a dish for the frogs? Once they break out, they will fly to the top and get eaten.


----------



## Will (Feb 15, 2004)

As Scott said, culturing musca stinks. If you find the brewing beer like odor of ff culture bad, wait till the straight up sh*t smell you get from musca culture. 

If you do indeed plan on culturing musca the setups I have seen are about 10" x 10" x 10" with a plastic frame and bottom and mesh sides. One side is fitted with a long screen sleeve so you can put your arm in and not have a hundred escapees. To collect flies simply tap them into a narrow jar from the top of the cage, if you continually shake the jar the flies will not be able to escape.


----------

