Blue Bottle Fly Keeping

[ItsMike64]

Hey all! Hope everyone is well. I recently got some blue bottle fly larvae from mantis place (such a great site!) and they all hatched into flies. My cham loves them but I’m having some difficulty figuring out how to properly house them and what to feed them. I’ve looked online and have found one or two sources but nothing that has very good advice on their care. The main questions I have are as follows:

What is the best container for them? Right now I have a 32oz deli cup they’re in with a mesh vented lid and it’s great and all but there are many escapees and casualties when I open and then close the container. Trying to figure out a way of only letting a few out at a time without smushing 10 others.

Do I need a specific media or food for them?

How easy is it to culture them?

Thanks in advance

 

[MissSkittles]

Hey all! Hope everyone is well. I recently got some blue bottle fly larvae from mantis place (such a great site!) and they all hatched into flies. My cham loves them but I’m having some difficulty figuring out how to properly house them and what to feed them. I’ve looked online and have found one or two sources but nothing that has very good advice on their care. The main questions I have are as follows:

What is the best container for them? Right now I have a 32oz deli cup they’re in with a mesh vented lid and it’s great and all but there are many escapees and casualties when I open and then close the container. Trying to figure out a way of only letting a few out at a time without smushing 10 others.

Do I need a specific media or food for them?

How easy is it to culture them?

Thanks in advance

This is the one feeder I’ve never used, so I can’t offer any help but to suggest putting the container in the fridge for a few minutes to slow them down before opening the lid.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hey all! Hope everyone is well. I recently got some blue bottle fly larvae from mantis place (such a great site!) and they all hatched into flies. My cham loves them but I’m having some difficulty figuring out how to properly house them and what to feed them. I’ve looked online and have found one or two sources but nothing that has very good advice on their care.

Normally, I would suggest asking the vendor for a care sheet and answers to your questins, but I couldn't find anything on their site.

The main questions I have are as follows:

What is the best container for them? Right now I have a 32oz deli cup they’re in with a mesh vented lid and it’s great and all but there are many escapees and casualties when I open and then close the container. Trying to figure out a way of only letting a few out at a time without smushing 10 others.

Do I need a specific media or food for them?

How easy is it to culture them?

Thanks in advance

I do find some sources for care sheets, etc.
IDK if this is what you found or not.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=blue+bottle+fly+care+sheet

 

[dinomom]

Hey all! Hope everyone is well. I recently got some blue bottle fly larvae from mantis place (such a great site!) and they all hatched into flies. My cham loves them but I’m having some difficulty figuring out how to properly house them and what to feed them. I’ve looked online and have found one or two sources but nothing that has very good advice on their care. The main questions I have are as follows:

What is the best container for them? Right now I have a 32oz deli cup they’re in with a mesh vented lid and it’s great and all but there are many escapees and casualties when I open and then close the container. Trying to figure out a way of only letting a few out at a time without smushing 10 others.

Do I need a specific media or food for them?

How easy is it to culture them?

Thanks in advance

There is a great gut load carried by Josh's. It is super expensive, and the flies drown if you make too much of it. So, I put 1/4-1/2 tsp in a coke bottle lid, add about the same amount of water, and stir with toothpick. Need to replace every couple of days when it is gone. I put the flies in the fridge for 6 minutes to knock them down when I replace the food. When feeding to cham I am pretty good at opening the deli container enough to let out as many as I need. Also the key is to stagger your hatching so you don't have a million at once! Never tried to culture them..

 

[Beman]

I pull them out slowly... All my spikes are kept in the fridge in a container that you would get wax worms or super worms in. This slows down how fast they pupate as well. As they start getting their brown shell I pull them out about 10-15 a week. You can toss them in your pots to hatch out in the cage or I put them in a container like the superworms come in except I cut out a small hole in the top for them to fly out. This stays in my cage on the floor away from water run off. They hatch out and go out the hole to the top of the cage where the lights are.