# Unconventional feeders



## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

I'm looking for some ideas on the acquisition and culturing of some seldom or never used feeders. Given the amount of biomass on the earth that's taken up by creatures under 1/8" long, there have to be some arthropods that can be renewably cultured even just as occasional "treats" for diet variation. I'm looking for things other than; termites, aphids, collembola, FF species, crix etc. Some of the ideas that I've come up with are pseudoscorpions, larger mites, silverfish, juvenile/smaller earwig species, as well as hundreds (I'm sure) of types of spiders that reach adult size at under 1/8".


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

Dane, 
Spring is upon us. Get an insect net and a bug bazooka and you can harvest field plankton all day long.
Dave


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## Guest (Mar 31, 2006)

I feed my little toads house spiders all the time. I catch them when they try to catch escape fruitflies.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

i got one of those uv live bug catcher things, got alot of good stuff...but also some nocturnal wasps or something thats bit or stung me once when i was empting the canister in the tank


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I use a grain weevil to feed on occasion. 


Ed


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

would meal moths be considered unconventional?


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## bluedart (Sep 5, 2005)

Dendrobait said:


> would meal moths be considered unconventional?


No, these are quite conventional. Well, the larvae are anyways. The Lesser and Greater Waxmoths are the most common used, but I really don't see a problem with the others. I've got 3 cultures going right now, as a matter of fact. Try ED's, I believe they sell cultures.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

You can always culture pea aphids. 

check out the link to aphids under feeding at http://www.tracyhicks.com/FFAQ.htm

Ed


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2006)

thanks for the link. I just read up on the pea aphid and found a place that describes how to breed them. I'm sure its a little more high maintanence than fruit flies, but well worth it if you got tiny frogs to feed.

I read that pea aphids go for plants in the favaceae family, clovers, alfalfa, peas, beans, japanese pagoda tree?? LOL

Anyway, so I suppose its not to hard to culture these. ANyone out there culture these?


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

bluedart said:


> Dendrobait said:
> 
> 
> > would meal moths be considered unconventional?
> ...


http://www.bugclinic.com/IndianMealMoth.htm

This right here? I've heard of using waxworm larvae but not of this one. Course they could also escape and become pests unless someone breeds a nonflying form... :lol: But then again lots of people keep flour beetles.

I have a jar of rice which has booklice(psocids) in it. They work for feeding little chinese firebelly newt morphs but are a bit small(smaller than the springtails I know).


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## bluedart (Sep 5, 2005)

Dendrobait said:


> bluedart said:
> 
> 
> > Dendrobait said:
> ...


That's not what I use. I just got some waxies from the pet store, put them in a mayonaise jar, added some home-made media and some balls of wax paper, and now I've got lotsa waxies. Took a good 2 months, but, it worked.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Then maybe they are an uncoventional food? :wink: 

Interested to see if anyone else has ever used booklice before also.


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## FrankWilliams (Apr 10, 2004)

If anyones interested, this guy has Firebrats. http://www.doubleds.org/HotFinds.html They're all the way at the bottom.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

hello all,
ive been culturing the orange isopods and another type that is similar and a little larger. i also have been successful w/ 2 other types of springtails. one is black and a little larger than a melonagaster and the other, which is coming along a little more slowly, is an entomobrya sp. this springtail is hairy and a little larger than a melonagaster. i`m still splitting cultures and havent tried to feed any to my darts yet. i`m sure they`ll eat em up though. the black type looks real promising as they multiply quick and ive been tapping them of cork bark like ff`s i imagine both types will be able to be dusted well, esp. the entomobrya sp. 
i`ll be getting shipping permits soon. i may be able to deliver a couple starters to white plains next weekend.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

oops, the entomobrya are larger them hydei. sorry.


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## cbreon (Apr 25, 2005)

has anyone ever utilized tent catapillers? They are pretty easy to find in PA in the summer and I imagine they are found elsewhere as well, a small community could easily contain a couple hundred 1/3-1/2 inch worms. Does anyone know if these are safe to feed?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Tent caterpillars are not recommended to be used as feeders as in diet studies they have been shown to cause toxic reactions in the consuming animals. 


Ed


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## cbreon (Apr 25, 2005)

Are such toxic reactions common with most "pest" caterpillars?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

There are pest species that will not cause issues (as long as they are pesticide free) such as cabbage loopers ( Trichoplusia ni ), European Corn Borers (Ostrinia nubilalis), corn ear worms (Heliothis zea) are all safe to feed to the frogs. 

In general when dealing with caterpillars as a food item, you want to avoid the ones with hair and be very suspicious of any collected on toxic plants as caterpillars tend to sequester toxins from the plants (and the frogs may not be able to deal with these toxins). 

Ed


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

Just a thought that I had never heard anyone say and I don't know anything about, but what about ladybugs? I know you can get them pretty cheap at the nursery but have no idea if there is any bad to feeding them to darts


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

I'm not totally positive about this, but I remeber hearing that lady bugs are toxic and taste bad. I wouldn't be suprised if, like lightning bugs, they're dangerous to non native animals.


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## Guest (May 4, 2006)

Good luck trying to get your gfrogs to eat lady bugs. If you ever cuaght one with your hands you will quickly see a yellow liquid they let out. It smells bad, and I'd bet its dangerous as its probably a potent defence mechanism.


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