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Frequently Asked Questions: Q1. What is the difference between flightless, wingless and curly wing flies? A1. To your frogs, nothing! The flies have different genetic wing mutations that cause them to be wingless (apterous), flightless (vestigial) (have wings but unable to fly) or curled wings (they can glide about 6-8 inches and are the most prolific). The flightless can hop / spring up like a flea while the wingless act more like ants. We do recommend wingless for small froglets as they are easier to catch. Most chameleon breeders prefer the Drosophila hydei sturtevant however they do take longer to breed. If you are in need of flies immediately, please call us before ordering online and we can tell you ship days / times and what we have in stock that is the most mature / prolific. Fruit flies should be kept at 77 degrees F and NOT exposed to any sunlight or televisions. They can be kept in the dark but that can promote mites as they love dark, damp, warm places. As the fruit flies reproduce in the culture the larvae will burrow down into the media which they will consume. They will then crawl up the container sides or use the excelsior in which they pupate on. They do need something dry and solid to do this transformation. Using paper towels and coffee filters can work but they will also soak up any water and dry out the media. They will also loose their rigidity and become smashed at the bottom. The life cycle typically takes about 4-5 days kept at the 77 degrees, kept cooler and the life cycle will take longer. Drosophila hydei sturtevant (flightless) should be kept a little cooler, however, their life cycle is up to 15-20 days.
Q2. How do I dust my fruit flies with vitamin powder? A2. It is easier than you might think.
Start out with a mixture of vitamins and put them into a container. Do not mix them until they are ready to use. They should not be stored mixed. We use a 50/50 mix of herptivite and rep-cal.
Add flies and swirl around. They will become white with the vitamins and easier for the frogs to see. Q3. How often should I use the vitamins? A3. That is a question that has many answers. We try to use them about 1-2 times a week. Ask the breeder you bought the frogs from to see how often they did. Q4. How do I make my own fruit fly cultures? A4. Place 1/3 cup of media into a sterile container and add 1/2 cup of hot tap water. Swirl to mix completely. Let cool, add approximately 1/16 teaspoon of bakers yeast and approximately 50 adult fruit flies. Wait for larval development before feeding out the adults. All of ED's insect medias come with mold inhibitors, there is no need to add more or use vinegar. There are many different types of media available including using bananas. The main problem is that most commercial fruits carry fruit flies in them and they can contaminate your flightless or wingless flies and make them winged. In order for the media to be of any use to you it must be solid enough so the adult flies don't drown, have mold inhibitors and enough nutrition for the larvae.
Q5. Can I use the regular or enhanced ED's Fruit Fly Media with the D. hydei flies? A5. Yes! you just wont get as many hatches out and the culture wont last as long as if you used the hydei media. Q6. Can I use the hydei media for my melanogaster flies? A6. Yes! We just don't recommend it because it is more expensive. Q7. What frogs do you use the tadpole kit for? A7. Any algae eating tadpole, azureus, auratus, leucomelas, tinctorius etc. Your egg feeders will not use the tadpole food or the bites. Q8. You sell Dart Frogs? A8. Yes, however we only ship certain times of the year. We also have limited availability because we breed all our own frogs. Check out our Photo Gallery of frogs and Dart Frog page for more info. We do bring a select number of frogs to trade shows, check out our show schedule. Q9. Do I need Rice Flour Beetles? What do I feed Rice Flour Beetles to? A9. Rice Flour Beetles are a smaller grub about the size of a fruit fly larvae. They typically are fed to adult dart frogs, birds and grub eating animals. We don't feed out the adult beetles due their high content of chitin. Dart frogs can digest some chitin as they do in the wild but excessive amounts are not recommended. We do recomend the rice flour beetle kit to anyone who has had a food emergency or crash. You can set up the kit and put it aside for up to 6 months without any care, no water, no vegetables etc. So the next time you have a food emergency you can sift out the larvae and feed them out. Q10. Do I need springtails? What do I feed springtails to? A10. Springtails are a very small insect used to feed baby dart frogs or froglets. These are smaller than fruit flies and not recommended to adult size tincs, azureus etc. Adult thumbnails and pumilio will eat them but we recommend you feed them fruit flies first then add the springtails so they can establish themselves in the tank. Why? So your frogs and froglets will have a supply of food in their vivarium and springtails are live on detritus (they eat rotting leaf litter). We do recommend the springtail kit or starting extra cultures outside your tank. Why? Because your frogs could eat all the springtails in the vivarium and then you have nothing left for that little baby that pops out of the brom! (Yes, this is a personal experience!) Q11. I just got my first frog, which kit do I need? A11. If you only bought one or two frogs we recommend the fruit fly starter kit. It is enough to keep the flies going for almost a year. We do also recommend that you make another fruit fly culture as soon as you receive the kit in the mail. If you need to wait a few days that's fine, but don't wait too long. If you bought more than 3 frogs and are feeding fruit flies exclusively, we recommend the breeders kit.
Please let us know! (Click Here to go to our contact us form) Or Call Us! 1-877-359-6328 Toll Free
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