Blue Bottle Flies

nick barta

Chameleon Enthusiast
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Blue Bottle Flies are a great feeder, and I would like to share some information on husbandry. I have been working with Blue Bottles as a feeder for about 2 years, and have found them to be easy to house, and a feeder that gets picked off early in Cham land.

The Blue Bottle fly pupae can be purchased, or you can get them in larvae (yes-maggots). The larvae will last about 2 months in the refrigerator, with no feeding neccessary. If you buy the pupae, only about 3 weeks of life is left, so i always buy the larvae. Typically I buy 500 larvae at a time, and that will feed my 2 adult and 4 juvinile Chams for 6 to 8 weeks (along with other feeders).

I set up a container (Cup-o-Flies @ mantisplace.com) that has 3 small containers in it, one for the larvae to pupate in, one for the water cubes, and one for the powdered sugar/powdered milk (50%/50% mix) to gutload the flies on.

It takes several days for pupation and for the pupae to hatch, once they do, I open the container in each cage. The flies fly up to the lights, and I have few escapes...fly swatter is close by!

Blue Bottle Flies have some advantages over other feeders.

1) They don't bite Chams.

2) They fly around and don't hide as other food prey, and they tend to go to light so they are always visible.

3) I can set up a plastic covered container in each cage with a 1/2 inch hole in the side, and leave pupae in the enclosure, and the flies hatch, eat, drink, and then find their way out through the hole. This creates a fresh food source when I am gone on a trip. BTW, the top of he container in the cage must be solid so misting doesn't get in the container.

4) They are an inexpensive food source. With Shipping, 500 Blue Bottle larvae (called SPIKES on the Mantisplace.com webpage) are $13.45, and last me about 2 months.

5) I hesiate to interpet Cham behavior, but I would say BB Flies are a "favorite" of my Chams. The only time flies are left in a cage is if I have put WAY too many in!

6) There is minimal work involved, I pour a few larvae into each hatching container every other day or so. If I forget about them for several days, it is no loss, they have food and water cubes so they will be fine. Once the little buggers hatch and have eaten and drank for a couple of days, it's dinner [/I]time!

I hope this has been helpful:D
 
Great write up Nick!

I use MantisPlace.com for all my flies aswell. I order 500 at a time along with thier food and containers. They are a great feeder and create quite a bit of excitement for the chams.:) I usually hatch about 30-35 per deli cup and then refrigerate the cup for 30-45 secs before releasing them in the enclosure(slows them down). They re-animate shortly after I get the door closed and then the frenzy begins!!:D


I did however make a mistake when I first got them, hatching well over 100 in a cup and it turned into a mess. I tried to release 1/4 of them in the cage by removing the lid partly, but things quickly got out of hand and I had to close the cage door in a hurry and they were all released into a 18"x18"x36" enclosure, with a 5 month old cham. :eek::eek: She ate well over 50 BB flies!!:eek: I had to take the cage outside to release the remaining, what a crazy mess!:D

-Jay
 
Great write up Nick!

I use MantisPlace.com for all my flies aswell. I order 500 at a time along with thier food and containers. They are a great feeder and create quite a bit of excitement for the chams.:) I usually hatch about 30-35 per deli cup and then refrigerate the cup for 30-45 secs before releasing them in the enclosure(slows them down). They re-animate shortly after I get the door closed and then the frenzy begins!!:D


I did however make a mistake when I first got them, hatching well over 100 in a cup and it turned into a mess. I tried to release 1/4 of them in the cage by removing the lid partly, but things quickly got out of hand and I had to close the cage door in a hurry and they were all released into a 18"x18"x36" enclosure, with a 5 month old cham. :eek::eek: She ate well over 50 BB flies!!:eek: I had to take the cage outside to release the remaining, what a crazy mess!:D

-Jay

Thanks Jay, I haven't seen much talk on this feeder in the Forum, so I hope some will try it. It is agreat active feeder that will get near to your Cham.:D
 
Great write up Nick!

I use MantisPlace.com for all my flies aswell. I order 500 at a time along with thier food and containers. They are a great feeder and create quite a bit of excitement for the chams.:) I usually hatch about 30-35 per deli cup and then refrigerate the cup for 30-45 secs before releasing them in the enclosure(slows them down). They re-animate shortly after I get the door closed and then the frenzy begins!!:D


I did however make a mistake when I first got them, hatching well over 100 in a cup and it turned into a mess. I tried to release 1/4 of them in the cage by removing the lid partly, but things quickly got out of hand and I had to close the cage door in a hurry and they were all released into a 18"x18"x36" enclosure, with a 5 month old cham. :eek::eek: She ate well over 50 BB flies!!:eek: I had to take the cage outside to release the remaining, what a crazy mess!:D

-Jay

Yes the refrigerator cool down works well. If you do the freezer, it only takes about a minute and a half, but if you forget them, they are history!!!
 
any benefit to them over the house flys they have?
Do the chams usually hit them midflight or when they are on the screen?
Sounds cool
 
I've used them as well:) I highly reccomend them especially if you have an underweight cham that needs to grow some more:D They are indeed excellent. Oh, those flies annoy me. Lol. I made the mistake of leaving them out. Lol. WOOPS! Now I've got a spider infestation *SHUDDER* And none of my chams or other reptiles like flies.
 
When I was little I used to catch flies and stick them in the fridge in an old soda bottle and feed them to my fish lol. I know I wouldn't do this for my cham (possible pesticides) but haha it was fun. I'd do this for my veiled but they'd be able to escape.
 
Blue bottle flies are definitely a favorite of my chams. They are the best in my eyes to break a hunger strike as well.

I really like that idea about containers of them when you are gone... great idea.

See Ya,

Todd
 
any benefit to them over the house flys they have?
Do the chams usually hit them midflight or when they are on the screen?
Sounds cool


They are about 3x the size of a regular house fly, and yes they can catch them mid flight but usually eat them off the screen. They are a riot to watch!!:D
 
i had my cart all full and ready to order...and then...well there was a call of duty map release. i guess the money i spend on entertainment can go either way...the cham will have to wait for a treat later:D
 
any benefit to them over the house flys they have?
Do the chams usually hit them midflight or when they are on the screen?
Sounds cool

House flies are 1/3 the size of BB flies, and due to their small size, offer less food per strike, and more importantly, house flies tend to get out of very small cracks, where BB flies seem to stay once you put them in. House flies only live a couple of weeks in the refrigerator in the dormant state, instead of a couple of months.:D
 
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House flies are 1/3 the size of BB flies, and due to their small size, offer less food per strike, and more importantly, house flies tend to get out of very small cracks, where BB flies seem to stay once you put them in. House flies only live a couple of weeks instead of a couple of months.:D


Nick, I got 500 BB and 500 reg hf's on the way! Let the games begin!!:D I will post a video to show the frenzy!!;)
 
Blue bottle flies are definitely a favorite of my chams. They are the best in my eyes to break a hunger strike as well.

I really like that idea about containers of them when you are gone... great idea.

See Ya,

Todd

My trips can be 4 days out, so this is the only way I have found to not have my bride of 36 years have to feed my beasts. Of course i also put in extra other feeders too, but when I come back after 4 days gone, there will still be flies hatching and exiting to their MWAAAAHAHAHAHA DOOM!!:D
 
hold on a sec, aren't bb's like horse flies in that they BITE. i swear i've been bitten by a bb. maybe i'm mistaken...anybody?:confused:
 
i put green bottles in with mine and he absolutly loved them,This blue blottle idea of yours sounds perfect.
After your description think i'll have a go at these as well :D
and no i doubt you have been bitten by a BB:p
 
I don't beleive BB and Horse flies are the same...Dean/someone? I have handled tens of thousands of BB and never been bit; but then again, I don't pinch them between my fingers to see.
Hey jason, sacrifice for all of us and try to get one of the little beasts to bite you!:D
 
i had my cart all full and ready to order...and then...well there was a call of duty map release. i guess the money i spend on entertainment can go either way...the cham will have to wait for a treat later:D

The Call of Duty will cost you some money. But feeding your Chams is ................................ PRICELESS!:
 
I don't think they bite. But boy are they loud. I had about half a dozen loose in my room at one point. Not only did it drive my cats up the walls (literally) it drove me dizzy. Man thost things can move if they want to.
 
I don't think they bite. But boy are they loud. I had about half a dozen loose in my room at one point. Not only did it drive my cats up the walls (literally) it drove me dizzy. Man thost things can move if they want to.


Yes, but smacking them out of the air with a flyswatter is worth it!!:D
 
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