# Frog Food FAQ - Updated 3-2-05, Field Sweepings



## Arklier

Now, this is in no way meant to be the only way to culture the food sources I mention in this FAQ. There are many different ways to raise them, and may different ways people raise them successfully. This is simply meant to answer questions that are already popping up repeatedly on this board. But before we head into the FAQ, I'd like to point out that it's a good idea to keep more than one of these food sources. A culture of springtails or CFBs can really save your butt when your fruit fly cultures go sour. Now, on to the FAQ!

Sections:

1.) *Fruit Flies*
2.) *Springtails*
3.) * Mini-Mealworms*
4.) *Confused Flour Beetles*
5.) *Pinhead Crickets*
6.) *Waxworms*
7.) Field Sweepings
8.) *Conclusion*

*Section 1: Fruit Flies*

1.) Fruit flies (hearafter abbreviated to FFs) are the most common food reared for darts. All darts can live on a diet of supplimented fruit flies alone. They come in two different species that are commonly available Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila hydei, and a third that is new to the market, Drosophila buzzatti. I don't have any experience with D. buzzatti, so I will confile this FAQ to D. melanogaster and D. hydei. D. buzzatti will be added once I get a chance to culture some. You can order all three types of varying websites, if you don't want to order them online, Petco and Petsmart stock D. melanogaster and D. hydei, respectively. They are the most challenging (and sometimes frustrating) of the food sources to raise, but they also produce more raw amounts of food than any other source, and production can be easily scaled up or down. That being said, all of the other food sources listed (except maybe crickets) are vastly easier.

a.) D. melanogaster is the most common FF raised for darts. It comes in three seperate types: flightless full wings present, flightless crumpled wings, and flightless wings absent. The presence or absence of wings makes the flies look bigger to the darts. Their body length for any type is about 3 mm. If you're feeding darts that are especially small, you may want to go for the flightless wings absent type. 

a1.) Advantages are: small (good for small darts), a short generation span of 7 days, pretty much all frogs will eat one type or another.
a2.) Disadvantages are: small (not a lot for the effort of catching them for the big guys), cultures can unexpectedly go sour astonishingly fast leaving you with no food for at least a week.

b.) D hydei is the second most common FF raised for darts. It's a larger fly that only comes in full wing flightless, and rumpled wings. I haven't seen any flightless wings absent, but that doesn't mean they're not out there. Again, the size of the wings makes them appear larger or smaller to the frogs. The body size on this fly is about 4mm.

b1) Advantages are: a bigger fly for bigger frogs.
b2.) Disadvantages are: too big for many smaller species and froglets, a long generation time of 30 days making cultures prone to mold, cultures can also go sour just as fast leaving you with no food for at least a month.

2.) Culturing: Culturing FFs is easy, with the consideration that you are very religious about starting new cultures on time. Another thing to realize is that sometimes they will go bad and you won't get a single fly out of them. It happens to everyone, but for this reason *ALWAYS START MORE CULTURES THAN YOU THINK YOU WILL NEED! IT'S BETTER TO HAVE TOO MUCH THAN NOT ENOUGH!* Always try to start your next cultures with the first generation of flies to hatch out. They are the healthiest flies the culture will ever produce.

a.) Culturing materials: FFs can be grown in vials, glass jars, 32oz deli cups, and just about anything that can hold them in. It's cheaper in the long run to use non-disposable containers, but when your collection gets large, it's a pain. I know some people who have to scrub out thirty jars a week. For me, that's just too much work. There must be some kind of ventilation, though. Most mediums contain yeast, and when yeast starts to take off, it releases a lot of carbon dioxide, which will kill your flies. So either cut out part of the lid and use a paper towel between the lid and bottom of the jar/cup, or use foam plugs that are avalilble at some online stores. You can also use cups with lids designed specifically for holding insects. They have prepunched holes with polyfiber or aluminum screen. Other stuff you can put in or leave out, such as excelsior or plastic netting. Ask your local craft store, they probably have them even if the clerks don't know what they are, as a very last resort, Wal-Mart carries them.

b.) Culture medium: You have a couple of different choices here. You can order it, or you can make your own. I would suggest ordering some to get you started, and then messing around with your own culture medium recipe when you've got everything else down to a science. Everyone on this board who makes their own medium has their own recipe. I'm not entirely happy with the one I'm using, so I'll let others post their own, also lest I be accused of taking credit. 

c.) Piecing it all together: One thing important about culture medium is that it's prepared dry, then water or water and vinegar are added when the culture is made. Make sure that you don't add too much water to the mix. It's easier to add more liquid if it starts to dry out than it is to add too much have to take it away. The reason for this is that when the maggots develop, they will whip the medium into a soup. If it starts out too runny, then every time you take the flies out, the medium will run down the side of the cup, smothering pupa and possibly dripping into your container with the suppliment. The amount of liquid you should add depends on what kind of container you're using, how much ventilation it has, and how dry the air is outside the container. Add medium to your container, add water, mix, add excelsior or whatever, tap in a few healthy flies from your previous culture, and let sit in a warm (but not hot) spot. You don't need to count the flies, but it's generally a good idea to add around 50.

d.) What do you do when it all goes wrong? Cultures will die prematurely. That's just a fact of life. Sometimes there will be a burst of adults hatching all at once, and they will suddenly die and overload the culture, and it will stop producing. This is fairly common, so if you have too many flies, then get rid of the excess by tapping them out into a container and sticking it in the fridge, or starting a new culture. You'll know the culuture is overpopulated by flies swarming all over every surface. Mold is also a common problem. The 'black mold' is the most dreaded kind, but if any mold seems to be killing your culture, throw it away immediately. DO NOT OPEN MOLD INFESTED CULTURES, YOU WILL ONLY SPREAD THE MOLD TO OTHER CULTURES!

3.) What to do afterwards: Ok, you've got some FFs. Now what? 

a.) Well, the first thing to remember is that flies alone are not enough. Humans can't survive on a diet of rice alone, and frogs can't survive on a diet of FFs alone either. While FFs make excellent frog food, they are lacking in many significant nutrients and vitamins. Therefore it's your duty to suppliment them with the proper vitamins and nutrients that the frogs need. You need to get a powdered suppliment to add to the flies. Some good ones I've used have been Miner-All 0 (my personal favorite, and cheap), Dendrocare (also good, but expensive), Rep-Cal/Herptivite (you buy them seperately, and the Herptivite tends to be expensive).

b.) Ok, you've got your suppliment of choice, now how do you get the powder on? I personally am a big fan of the simple method. I dump the powder in the bottom of a glass, tap the FFs out into the glass, swirl them around, and then tap the powder covered flies into the tank. In general, the struggles of the flies tend to make them fall out of the cup before the powder does. As with medium, people have their own methods, so I'll let them post theirs.


*Section 2: Springtails*

1.) There is some debate on if springtails are insects or not. They are tiny arthopods of the genus Collembola, about 2mm long and 1mm thick. Springtails have the peculiar property of floating on water. I often see mats of them whirling around in the pool in the viv. Whereas you might get a few weeks of production out of a FF culture, a springtail culture can last years.

a.) Advantages are: small and apparently tasty (good for tiny froglets, but even the big guys seem to love them), ease of culture, colonies are long-lived, they help break down waste material and often escape into the tank (which helps naturalistic tanks get a complete decomposition cycle going), good backup food source.
b.) Disadvantages are: small (don't provide a lot of nutrition for the big guys), you can't dust them.

2.) Culturing springtails: There are a few different ways to do this too. I use a plastic shoebox, and this seems to be the most popular choice for a container. Choose something with a lid and keep it on, they're not called springtails for nothing. Put in some substrate, chunks of natural charcoal (NOT BRIQUETTS!) or orchid mix, or cypress mulch, or whatever you want to use. Some people use just plain dirt. Add water and springtails. The depth of the water should depend on what you used for the substrate. I use charcoal, and add about 1/2" of water to the bottom. They like it damp, don't flood them out. They need cool temperatures to grow and reproduce. They like things down in the 60s, as temps get higher, reproduction slows. They'll eat just about anything, I feed mine ordinary baker's yeast, but others feed theirs fish food flakes, veggies, apple peels, and whatnot. Just make sure the food is wet or they will not touch it.

3.) Serving them out: Some people take advantage of the springtails' property of floating on water, by keeping the substrate low enough in areas to suck them out with a turkey baster or scoop them out with a spoon. Others pick up pieces of the substrate (if it's charcoal or mulch) and bang them together over the open tank, causing the springtails to fall off. Another method is to pick up a piece and put it right in the tank. Do whatever works best for you with the substrate you've chosen.


*Section 3: Mini-Mealworms*

1.) First, I want to make clear up front that these are not T. molitor, the normal golden mealworm that I'm talking about. These are T. obscurus, the mini-mealworm or dark mealworm. The difference is that T. obscurus only grows to about 1/2", and is much more active than T. molitor. They will run right off your hand if you give them a chance. True to their other common name, they are much darker in color, being a rich chocolate brown on top, and a lighter tan underneath. They are somewhat harder to find than the other food sources listed here, being fairly new to the market. I bought mine off ebay, if that's any help.

a.) Advantages: Easy to raise, small enough for the smallest frogs (when the worms are young), very active to catch their eye, good backup food source.
b.) Disadvantages: Dark color sometimes makes them hard to see on the floor of the tank, high chitin content, if that bothers you.

2.) Raising mini-mealworms: if you've raised normal mealworms, then you know how to raise these guys and can just skip over to the next section. If you haven't or don't remember, read on. 

a.) Supplies: you need a plastic shoebox or sweater box. It doesn't have to be very big, the kind generally runs about $1.99 at most stores. As a substrate/food source, normal wheat bran works OK. It costs about $0.40 per pound here in the bulk department of the local grocery store.

b.) The rest: add the mealworms and bran to the shoe box. Add veggies on top for moisture, I personally find celery the easiest to use, but any veggie or fruit with high moisture content will do. I like celery because it's cheap, and when it dries out, the leftovers are easy to remove and throw away. When you want to use them, just pick some out, dust the same way as FFs, and dump them in the tank. I prefer to use a small jar lid to keep them in the same area and stop them from burrowing into the substrate, but even if they do they won't cause a problem. Both the beetles and worms can be fed out, but some frogs won't eat the beetles.


*Section 4: Confused Flour Beetles*

1.) Confused flour beetles strongly resemble mealworms both as larva and adults, and their requirements are even simpler. They are much tinier, though. The size for the larva are about 3mm, and the beetles about the same, but a bit fatter. They don't fly, but they can climb. Keep their container closed when you're not getting some out to feed. Their name comes not from any traits that resemble confusion, but that they were originally confused with another species of beetle. That's pretty common, actually, because there's about twenty billion tiny beetles that look about the same. But these guys are the only ones that got stuck with the confused name.

a.) Advantages: small enough for even the tiniest thumbnail froglets, extremely easy to raise, good food for in a pinch when your FF cultures croak.
b.) Disadvantages: again, really tiny.

2.) Rasing CFBs: These guys are a no-brainer. Get them some wheat flou
r, bake it dry in the oven at about 350 for 10 minutes before you add the beetles. This will kill any mites that might be inhabiting the flour. They are a real pain to get rid of. After that, put it in a jar, dump the beetles in, shove them in a closet, and forget about them. That's it! You don't even have to worry about watering them with fruits and veggies. To serve them, sift the flour, dust em just like FFs and mealworms, and dump them in the tank. Again, you may want to use a small jar lid to keep them in one place so the frogs can find them.


*Section 5: Pinhead Crickets*

1.) Most people don't want to deal with crickets, and I for one, am one of them. But I have raised crickets in the past, and some people do use pinheads for darts, so that's why I'm including them in this FAQ. Crickets are, of course, familiar with anyone who has raised larger herps or gone fishing. They are right up there (if not above) the level of frustration and challenge to raise as FFs. Only the largest darts can eat crickets older than 2 weeks.

a.) Advantages: start out tiny, but get big, easy to obtain the adults, more soft bodied than most other food sources listed here, most suppliments were made to be dusted on crickets so it sticks better.
b.) Disadvantages: the adults get huge, and chirp, and hop, difficult to contain, difficult getting them to breed, outgrow the size the frogs can eat quickly, can stress the frogs if one escapes getting eaten and grows too big.

2.) Breeding: To get crickets to breed, you need two things: a suitable place for them to lay their eggs, and adult crickets. Crickets can be purchased at most pet stores, so get about a dozen both males and females. Female crickets are larger, with a long ovipositor sticking out the back. Males are smaller and make the chirping noises that will drive you insane. Get a plastic sweaterbox, or similar type bin, and make sure it has a tight fitting lid. Take a soldering iron or dremel or drill and make some ventilation holes in the top, or just cut out a piece and cover it with screen. Make sure that it is aluminum screen, they can chew through fiberglass screen. Pack a 2" - 3" high 'sandwich box' Gladware type container up to the sides with coco fiber, peat moss, or sand, and water it down completely. Wait for the top to dry, but make sure there's some moisture left underneath the surface. Buy earplugs. Put it in the larger bin and add the crickets. Wear earplugs. They will lay eggs in the substrate, which will hatch into pinheads. Theoretically.

3.) What if I don't get pinheads? Well, you might try a different substrate for the eggs, or checking your temps. It's also very easy to dehydrate them and they will die. Make sure there's a damp sponge or piece of fruit in the bin at all times. They are also cannibalistic, so provide some food as well. You can buy it at any petstore. Personally, I had the best luck with the little buggers hatching out in the cages where I didn't want them. :roll:


*Section 6: Waxworms*

1.) Waxworms are the larva of a moth that preys on beehives. The moth lays eggs inside a weakened hive, and the larva hatch out and eat the wax and honey. They are a pest to beekeepers, so if you have any nearby, you can probably get the worms free from them. Otherwise, they're generally available all over the internet and at pet stores. There are two types, the greater waxmoth, and the lesser waxmoth. The greater is by far the most common, I haven't been able to get my hands on lesser waxmoths at all. They both have similar habitats though, and their care is probably similar. Waxworms are a creamy white grub. The greater waxworm grows to be about an inch long, and I have seen lesser waxworms in person, and they are about 1/2 the size. Otherwise they are identical. Waxworms are a very fatty food, and should only be fed in moderation.

a.) Advantages: easy to raise, good for bulking up thin or undernourished frogs, haven't met an insectivorous animal yet that didn't love them.
b.) Disadvantages: very fatty, babies are escape artists, lots of silk everywhere.

2.) Breeding waxworms: Culturing waxworms is similar to culturing FFs, in that the cultures must be continuously remade. The medium is made with a variety of recepies, but what I do is add equal parts honey and vegitable glycerine (available at many health food stores) and then mix in wheat bran until the mixture forms a thick, stiff paste. You don't want it too thin, because moisture will kill the waxworms. Press the mixture into the bottom of a glass jar or plastic shoebox. MAKE SURE IT HAS A TIGHT FITTING LID! Add some crumpled wax paper, and add some waxworms. They will pupate, lay eggs on the paper, and the larva will hatch out to eat the medium. You can use large glass milk jars with cloth screen. 

3.) The babies: Be forewarned that tiny waxworms are extremely good climbers, and will get out of any container that is not tightly sealed. While the waxworms that you got from the store probably won't spin silk, the babies will. It will be all over the place. They will be tucked all over webs and webs of silk. Waxworms can be put in 'suspended animation' by keeping them in the fridge. Once they get to the size you want, put as many of them in the refrigerator as your SO will let you. Once the medium runs out, take somes waxworms from the culture, and start a new one.

Section 7: Field Sweepings

1.) Field sweeping is a method of gathering tiny insects from the wild. Make sure you do it in an area that's not tainted by chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides. It's best done when the temperature is warm, as bugs are more active than when it's cold. Raining or snowing? Forget it. It can be done alone, but helps if you have two people with nets.

a.) Advantages: free, may give nutrients to frogs that they may not get in vitamin powder.
b.) Disadvantages: depenant on the weather, not available in winter in colder areas, chemicals picked up by the insects can be dangerous to frogs.

2.) Materials: You will need a wide mouthed net (or two if you have a friend) with fine mesh. A store bought butterfly net works great, or you can make one with the instructions on this page: http://www.doylesdartden.com/food.html You will also need a glass jar to put the bugs in for transport.

3.) Method: It's relatively easy compared to growing your own food like the rest of the entries in this FAQ. Just have the two people walk upwind through the grass with one person in front of the other, about five feet apart. I'm sure you've all seen nature documentaries where birds follow large mammals as they walk through the grass, for the same reason you're doing it: tiny insects will be disturbed and fly up. Swing the nets back and forth over the ground or tops of the grass using a wide figure 8 motion so the net changing directions doesn't give the insects a chance to escape. The insects that escape the first person's net will be blown downwind and have the opportunity to be caught in the second person's net. Once you have enough, hold the net with the mouth open and shake the insects down to the bottom. Place your hand around the net so the bugs are caught by a pouch formed between your hand and the bottom of the net. Then invert the net, place your closed hand over the open mouth of the jar and release while pushing the end of the net into the jar. The bugs will fall in, and you can pop the lid on and sort the bigger ones out.

4.) Feeding them out: You can just add vitamin powder, and dust like FFs. Just dump them in all at once, or you can make a bug bazooka for time delayed release. The instructions can be found elsewhere on this forum.

Section 8: Conclusion

1.) Whew, that took longer than I thought it would. Feel free to add your own recipes for medium of any kind, or your own food raising strategies or experiences.

EDIT 3-2-05: Added field sweepings.


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## Guest

Wow Great Post!

*Section 6:* Waxworms 
I want to add to the waxworm section. I would not use the foam plug because the larva will eat through it. I have had it happen in the past and switched to using a fine brass screen in the top of mason jars. It is much finer than regular window screen, around 40x40 mesh size. The larva of these guys can chew through just about anything like crickets. 

I don't have time right now but need to add Field Sweepings, Ants, and Termites as food items, but they are easier to collect than culture. We also need to add Pill bugs, Milkweed bugs, and roaches to the cultured food item list. I have not cultured these, but know Carolina Bio Suppy sells the kits.

Again great post!


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## Guest

*Springtails*

That was probably the best post I have ever seen in a forum....thanks a lot.
Just a little correction that isn't really a big deal but springtails are actually insects which are arthropods.
Springtails belong to the Order Collembola, but lack wings as most other insects do. Again great post and this is not meant to bring it down at all.


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## Arklier

Since there was talk about a FAQ section in the chat on Sunday, I thought that I would bump this post.


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## jbeetle

I have actually been meaning to add some stuff to this post, and also recently asked Ben if he could post some more info if he had it. If I can get around to it I will post some info on aphids on here, and maybe termites.


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## Derek Benson

It'd be great if AZDR could post some info on their flightless houseflies as well so we can all get a jump start, so we are ready when they start selling.


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## Guest

*what about the fruti fly larva?*

can one safely feed the larva to the tincs? 

I heard from a client that they will keep their media with larva and with a spoon scrape of the sides, a bunch for the larva, dust them and then feed these to the frogs. 

i think it's risky as the food-gut load is mostly fruit alcohol (sp) - no?


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## Arklier

I've heard of people who do feed the larva out, but they usually say it's more trouble than it's worth. Most of the time (at least on my cultures) moving larva don't climb up the sides. You find pupa there, but they don't move. Which means you have to dig through the medium to get the active larva, which means messing up the culture. Then you have to clean them and confine them in the cage. The best method in my experience is to put a piece of fruit in the tank. The flies will lay eggs on it, the larva will hatch out, and the frogs will eat them.


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## Guest

Thanks. 

i saw the culture they are using. it got larva climbing on the fiber as well as the sides, and at the top, along the edge of the screen mesh they use. 
there are a lot of pupa there too, but still tons of larva. i remember the container saying D.Hydei and it was 3 weeks old, no flies and just squirming full.

i was told they just scape the side, and shake it off in the vita-powder...but are feeding larva to the frogs safe?
better more or less, then the flies?

THanks!


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## mindcrash

Every now and then some larva will fall out of a culture when i'm removing flies...my frogs love em.


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## Guest

I was searching in past post and wanted to bring this one back up to the top, hopefully it will help someone out.


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## Cody

Thank you arklier. I had no idea everything I wanted to know was in one place. Great post  :!:


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## dmartin72

One of the better posts I have read in awhile. Thanks!


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## kyle1745

I have made this a sticky as I think it is a great post with a ton of good information.

I would also like to offer that http://www.doylesdartden.com/ has some great info also.


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## Guest

I didn't get a chance to read it all, however, I did see where it said springtails aren't insects... that's incorrect.
j


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## Guest

*How much do they eat in day?*

I was just wondering how much an adult Dendro will eat in a day. I am thinking about pinhead crickets and mini mealworms. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Oh, also is this a good idea? I am in college and of course cannot have them in my room. I am thinking about getting a pair of auratus for home and would like something easy for my parents to feed them.  Since I am away in college and my brother recently moved out, I think this would be a great thing to keep them busy. I of course will give them all the info they need to know about them and will take care of them when I am home (which is farely often). Thanks!


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## EDs Fly Meat

*Springtails aren't insects???*

Springtails aren't insects? I see Justin already made my point but in fact they are insects. They have a head, thorax, and abdomen. They have 6 legs attached to the abdomen, and a pair of antenna. Yep they are an insect. 
I love springtails.
Dave


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## Guest

*Springtails Insects or Not?*

Actually springtails might not be insects. There is new DNA evidence that places springtails into their own Class called Collembola. Apparently mitochondrial DNA comparisons have shown that springtails belong to a separate evolutionary lineage that predates even the separation of insects and crustaceans. There is a great article by Dr. Jeffery Boore in the journal Science discussing this. 

Regardless of their correct classification, they make a really great meal for Darts!

Derek


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## Rain_Frog

In response to Deven's question, I asked the same thing too long ago. About the stinky medium being bad for the frogs to eat. Apparently, people have had success with it, including me. 

And I know now this could be my only answer to getting my tricolors to turn red. In fact, no food item other than rice flour larvae stir their interest. They'll wait till doomsday before they go after hydei and melangastor. They are attracted to the white color against the dark soil.

After the larvae get enough paprika, and tropical splash juice (V8), they turn bright orange, almost like a pale golden mantella. Make sure the stuff gets stiff enough, so you can dump the flies out into another container, and wait for the larva to crawl up the sides. I notice that my culture explodes if you add plenty of brewer's yeast and sugar, maggots are everywhere.

The tricky part is scooping them off. I'm still experimenting. A paint brush works when it gets stiff, but once it gets wet and soft again, its difficult. I'm going to try and use a plastic knife to wipe them off.


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## mydumname

Can anyone add some termite guides to this? With summer around the corner, it could possibly help those contemplating this, but who haven't done it yet.

Thanks


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## Arklier

Heh. Well, it's just me working on this, so I'm limited to what I know or what I see on this forum. The FAQ is more an effort to conglomerate everything useful into one thread so it can be easily found by newbies and experienced froggers alike. I will try and add more, but I must warn that I've never kept termites. Not that I don't want to, but I live with my parents right now, and my mother is irrationally afraid that they might escape and tear up her house.


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## mydumname

Well, you don't need to be the only one to post, right? If anyone else has experience with these, please share.


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## lacerta

Regarding termites. I don't have any personal experience with them but I know that world-class reptile breeder Bert Langerwerf of Agama International is purported to use termites in raising many of the smaller juvenile lizards he raises. He collects cardboard boxes ("dumpster diving" is the term I heard used), smashes them flat and stacks them on the ground in the back shaded corner of his property. The natural dank and humid conditions of the South will break the cardboard down and it is like termite candy. The beauty of this simple system is that one can peel the corrugated layers of damp cardboard apart and easily shake the termites into a container. I plan to try this technique when the weather warms up. It sure beats chopping up rotten logs and sorting through the damp sawdust. 
George


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## Guest

I had a termite farm once when I was younger (yes, termite, not ant). I had it set up in a 10 gallon tank. My dad was an exterminator for a while, and he brought me on a job. They put out a piece of wood, maybe a foot long piece, under the dirt next to the house and they would see if the termite infested it in a few weeks. I went with him to go check the wood and that wood was absolutely filled! So we put it in a bag, brought it home, and just put it in the tank with a bunch of wood. I would water it occasionally, but the termites just did everything themselves. They dug little tunnels and all that, but if you wanted to get the termites out, all you'd have to do is shake a little or tap the wood against the side of the tank, and a bunch would fall out. The termites actually lived quite a long time without a queen, longer than 6 months I'd say. But it's amazing just how many termites can come from one small piece of wood.. If you obtain it from an infested house.. Hehehe... My mom sure did worry they'd get out though! I didn't have them as food for anything though, so maybe they'd run out quicker if you were actually feeding them out to a dart.


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## Guest

*Aphids*

Im trying to find methods to feed frogs before I get em and I came across aphids. From what I know about aphids I thought this would be a clean, easy food source for the Frogs. If anyone has any info on where you could obtain a culture or even sustain them could you please make a post? or send me a pm ? thanks a ton!


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## JoshKaptur

Whenever field sweepings are raised, I worry about parasites. Having been once completely wiped out by parasitized frogs, I am reluctant to do anything of this sort (note: my parasite problem resulted from my failure to quarantine a new purchase... not saying it was at all related to field sweepings). Nonetheless, I'm interested in anyone's thoughts on the risk/benefit analysis of this food source.


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## Guest

How often should ffs be dusted? Thanks!


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## Guest

I would dust every feeding or every other feeding.


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## Guest

They won't get overdosed on vitamins? Just making sure.


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## Scott

There are *many* opinions on this.

I feed 3 or 4 times a week. I only dust once a week. Every other feeding at the absolute most.

s


kiwitwist said:


> They won't get overdosed on vitamins? Just making sure.


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## Guest

Thanks. =)


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## bluedart

Here is my own little care sheet for keeping and breeding Isopods--specifically A. vulgare. 

Isopods are curious little insects. You may have seen them while digging in the garden or turning over stones while going on a herp hunt. They're a classic pet for young kids-- they just love holding them in their hand as they roll into a tight little ball. This species, known as the "roly poly" to many, is common, easy to collect, and great for terrerium conditions. These are the isopods I breed myself. Some other isos which are easily bred are P. scaber, P. satreitte, and T. tomentosa. These, along with A. vulgare are available at http://www.flyculture.com. 

The typical vulgare gets to be around 15mm full grown. They have a dark gray, almost metallic color (sorry folks, no shine to em'). They're not the fastest little things, but they're by no means slow. Mine are fed raw brown rice. Others have had success with feeding them algaes as well. flyculture has a premade mix if you don't feel like dealing with trial and error. 
EDIT: Speaking of trial and error, I just had my first success. Apparently, isopods LOVE cucumber peel, just like springs. I just had all my cultures DEVOUR these peels- pretty cool. 

I currently have 3 cultures going, all in 8 oz. cream cheese containers that we had left over. I have filled them about half way with coco bedding, and keep it about as moist as I would keep a springtail culture. They're treated in much the same way as a springtail culture except for one aspect- heat. 

Sure, we see much higher yields from a springtail culture with just a little bit of heat to it, but it's by no means necessary. I've had spring cultures thrive in temperatures reaching only 65 degrees as highs. That's the room temperature- they're under the bed and wet. But the isopods didn't move much at all at that temperature. I put them ontop of a flourescent light I have atop a turtle tank. The cultures receive the heat through the plastic. I'd say the ideal temp for the isopods are about 75 degrees. Any warmer and I don't see any production.

The first time you see your new baby isopods, you'll think it's kinda cool. You'll have had them a couple weeks and seen nothing. Then all of a sudden one day you'll see 15-20 little roly polies running around. They're very slow growing, taking several months to reach maturity. They're also slow producing. I rarely see new babies more than once every 3 weeks or so. But, I've only got 10 adults in each of 3 cultures. Once production gets going and you've got some F1 and F2 generations going, you'll see an amazing increase. 

Of course, you may not want to deal with making the cultures and just want to get them to your frogs ASAP. Chances are great that the adults won't get eaten in the tanks. They're usually too big for all but terribilis and larger (other frogs too!). As the babies emerge from the substrate, they're often readily consumed by frogs on the prowl. But, they're by no means a staple. The isopods are great custodians for your tank- even better than the springtails to a degree. The isopods will feed on waste and decaying matter in the tank.

If you want lots of isos, but don't feel like waiting for a culture to start, or even don't feel like paying for them to start a culture, never fear! Just go out to your garden or some nearby wooded areas (chemical free, please!) and collect some yourself. You can even set a trap in which you take an old carpet sample and toss it in the woods. Wait a week or so, and go back. You'll probably find lots of them! Or, of course, you can just collect them yourself. Also, don't worry if you get springtails in the culture. They're not going away, though. The iso cultures are actually great at keeping mites at bay within springtail cultures themselves!

In your cultures, it's a good idea to place something for them to hide under. No, the soil/substrate doesn't count. I use little pieces of decaying wood I found near where I collected them, and they love them. I plan on using pieces of corrugated cardboard when I combine these three into a much larger culture. This will increase breeding, therefore increasing yields. 

I believe this covers the basics of Isopod culturing. Just remember a few key things. Keep them moist, keep them well fed, keep them warm, and give them hiding places. If all these criteria are met, then you should be on your way to providing a nice, breeding friendly environment for the classic childhood friend, the roly poly (and friends).


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## Arklier

I have cultured isopods in the past, perhaps it's time for them to be added.


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## themann42

i never thought about roly poly's. i think i'm gonna add some to all of my tanks. there's no problem with that right?


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## bluedart

themann42 said:


> i never thought about roly poly's. i think i'm gonna add some to all of my tanks. there's no problem with that right?


right


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## wax32

Thanks for a very informative thread. =)


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## Squash713

It's going to be isopod hunting season soon. This thread got me excited about wandering in the woods, looking for bugs. (Never thought I'd find them so interesting!)


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## MonopolyBag

*Cricket Comment...*

I actually find them VERY easy to raise and breed.

Stick a cup of pure dirt (top soil) in the tanks with crickets, take it out a couple days later, and you will have a lot of eggs, place in a smaller tank with heat UTH (under the tank heater) and let them hatch, then use as food, or let them grow... Then use as food.


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