# Best Days and Times to feed Fruit Flies to D. auratus



## Minois (Dec 28, 2007)

As the title implies, exactly when are the best days to feed them? Is making a new culture every Saturday good? Then feeding the flies on Saturday, Tuesday and then Thursday? My d. auratus are adults and I have 3.


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## Abbathx (Aug 15, 2007)

i feed all my frogs including auratus every morning sometimes twice a day.
you should make 1-2 cultures every 2 weeks that way you wont run out.


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## Minois (Dec 28, 2007)

Well I am planning to feed my frogs 3 times a week. So everyday isn't good for me!


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

no need for everyday.... 3 or 4 times a week is absolutely fine and probably better than everyday (unless they are young froglets, then everyday is good). Times... whenever you want, but try to keep it at least an hour or two before lights out if you can so they can have time to eat.


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## Minois (Dec 28, 2007)

Ok. Here is probably what I am going to do. I will make a FF culture every THURSDAY (FF means fruitfly RIGHT? I don't know) and feed the frogs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and maybe a snack on Sunday. So I will feed them 40 flies every day I feed them and 20 for a snack. Is this good? I am so unsure! I don't want to overfeed them and risk not having enough FF's! ADVICE PLEASE!


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## sbreland (May 4, 2006)

Advice.... good luck counting 40 or 20 FF! Just feed them as much as you think is right. If they don't eat them when you put the flies in they will pick them off over the next day or so, whihc is more natural IMO than getting loaded every couple of days and nothing for a day or two.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

I'm sure you've figured this out already, but feed out from an existing active culture, not one that hasn't had its first big bloom (approximately 10-12 days after the culture is made, depending on temperature).


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## Peter Keane (Jun 11, 2005)

I feed my frogs in the morning about 1/2 hr after the led lights come on replicating dawn.. and 1/2 hr before the big lights come on.. they usually know this and jump the gun I hear them start calling even before the misters come on.. I use a varied diet as possible on alternating days.. from ff to pinhead/wk old crickets, springtails, beetle larvae, wax moth larvae, various isopods.. and on the days I feed fruit flies and pinhead crix (which is majority of time) I supplement w/vitamin/mineral/calcium powder.. my frogs eat 5x per week having Thu and Sundays off.. and in the summer months the larger Dendrobates, Phyllobates and Epipedobates get a treat of termites... they truly enjoy these.. too bad they are near impossible to culture.. there is really no set rule.. I am recently starting to use Nutra-rose for color enhancement.. Peter


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## Dartluv (Dec 27, 2006)

Dang Peter, quite a setup! but Minois.. that sounds good.. and make 2 cultures instead of one just incase... you can never be too careful...
trust me! 
~S


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## Minois (Dec 28, 2007)

Two cultures? Hmmmm... Then I have enough dry media to last 4 months... but I will never let them go hungry. But then I just do it like I plan to, I can always get more food from Petsmart....


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

It's better to have too many flies than too few! Always make more than you need in case a culture crashes.


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## Dangerously (Dec 19, 2007)

flyangler18 said:


> It's better to have too many flies than too few! Always make more than you need in case a culture crashes.


Agreed. And don't cound on PetSmart to have them when you need them! Ask me about that. lol 
Those tiny PetSmart cultures are only good for 1 or 2 feedings anway!


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

> no need for everyday.... 3 or 4 times a week is absolutely fine and probably better than everyday (unless they are young froglets, then everyday is good). Times... whenever you want, but try to keep it at least an hour or two before lights out if you can so they can have time to eat.


I couldn't agree more.


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

sbreland said:


> Advice.... good luck counting 40 or 20 FF!


Haha, _exactly_ what I was going to say...

I feed my auratus every 2-3 days, depending on how much food I gave them at the last feeding, and depending on how many flies are still wandering around in the viv... And I make 3 cultures every week for all my frogs.


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## Minois (Dec 28, 2007)

Ok, check out this feeding scheme!

I MAKE a fruit fly culture on the days Thursday and Monday.

I feed the frogs every 3 days (Monday, then on Thursday feed them again) but on the weekend, I will feed them extra once on Sunday. 

Any thoughts? It is still on the planning stage, and your advice would really make my day!


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## Abbathx (Aug 15, 2007)

sounds perfect


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## Minois (Dec 28, 2007)

Abbathx said:


> sounds perfect


I don't want to seem like I am over thinking this, but why is it perfect? I am the kind of person who only wants the best for these frogs since they are from a friend, so I don't want to under feed them, so if you could tell me any thoughts on it...


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## Abbathx (Aug 15, 2007)

your schedule sounds good but i'd make 2 fly cultures every 2weeks should be no problem feeding every other day.


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## O2 Plastics (Jun 28, 2006)

Minois said:


> Abbathx said:
> 
> 
> > sounds perfect
> ...


You're over thinking it by several magnitude. Feed them daily, every other day, every 3 days... They'll be fine. As long as you feed them and keep them moist they'll be fine. Stress yourself out looking for the "perfect" feeding schedule:enclosure:humidity:misting schedule: etc. and the whole thing will become a chore, which you will burn out on and then nothing will be fine. They're animals that as a species survived for centuries eating when they could/what they could. They'll be fine.


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## Matt Mirabello (Aug 29, 2004)

O2 Plastics said:


> They're animals that as a species survived for centuries eating when they could/what they could. They'll be fine.


It reminds me of some feeding advice I got on Frognet. I found it rather useful. Whenever you feed your frogs you should see some flies left over from the last feeding. Not a lot just a few upon a quick inspection. If their is a lot left when you go to feed again then you do not need to feed again. The frogs should have some level of flies in the tank to eat at their leisure. The frequency of your feedings should be 1- times a week since recently dusted flies remove the dust from themselves rather quickly.


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