HOw DO I keep Fruit Flies IN!?

[blackbetty]

I think this would be the right forum..

I have the pygmys in a screen in tank..but the gapping on the screen is apparently Just enough for the FFs to get out.. Im finding them all over the room!! I tried tape but it didnt allow air flow and caused MAJOR humidity issues..

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this..It said feeding strategies, and I need the strategy on how to keep my chameleons food IN the cage!

 

[panthercrazy]

I have my pygmy in a glass tank, with screen sides and top. What I did was tape a piece of paper on the outside screen (on sides only). This hasn't caused humidity issues for me but does keep them fruit flies in

 

[ponders]

Place a few pieces of fruit in the tank and the flies will hang out there, instead of escaping.

 

[panthercrazy]

Place a few pieces of fruit in the tank and the flies will hang out there, instead of escaping.

Easy solution I'll keep that in mind in case mine do start escaping :eek

 

[blackbetty]

I have my pygmy in a glass tank, with screen sides and top. What I did was tape a piece of paper on the outside screen (on sides only). This hasn't caused humidity issues for me but does keep them fruit flies in

I dont get how placing paper on the sides keeps them from coming out of the top?

 

[panthercrazy]

I dont get how placing paper on the sides keeps them from coming out of the top?

They don't make it to the top before they are eaten.

 

[Addictions]

Take the cap off a gatorade bottle or something with a wide top..Put a piece of bannana in the top and the ff's will be drawn to that.

 

[blackbetty]

They don't make it to the top before they are eaten.

Oh.. WEll I dump about a 100 in at a time for 3 pygmys.. they eat at their discretion.
Thanks. I just didnt want to put fruit in as my tank is very uhm, cluttered I guess..and I was afraid Id forget and it would rot..

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Oh.. WEll I dump about a 100 in at a time for 3 pygmys.. they eat at their discretion.
Thanks. I just didnt want to put fruit in as my tank is very uhm, cluttered I guess..and I was afraid Id forget and it would rot..

When I put a small piece of fruit in , it usually dries up before it gets a chance to rot.

Maybe find a dry spot in the viv.

 

[sandrachameleon]

If you put the fruit on a little plate/bottle cap or similar, you'll know where it is and be able to remove as part of your daily poop removal routine This method does help.

So would using a finer mesh screen.

Or draping a fine sheet or sheer curtain over the screen.

Or try offering fewer flies (just as many as they can eat in a sitting) at a time more often.

Or get a praying mantid and let it live on top (flies tend to go upwards) of the cage in a small plant (if mantis have a ready supply of food, they dont tent to migrate far).

 

[blackbetty]

If you put the fruit on a little plate/bottle cap or similar, you'll know where it is and be able to remove as part of your daily poop removal routine This method does help.

So would using a finer mesh screen.

Or draping a fine sheet or sheer curtain over the screen.

Or try offering fewer flies (just as many as they can eat in a sitting) at a time more often.

Or get a praying mantid and let it live on top (flies tend to go upwards) of the cage in a small plant (if they have a ready supply of food, they dont tent to migrate far).

Funny thing, I just ordered a mantis casing..waiting for it to get here!! Been 4 days now!

I have alight towel over..one thats thread bare so it still has good air flow. I dont know how much they eat as they are all hidden. Only one female comes up. i check to make sure they are all okay but it takes major digging!

Ill try the fruit thing until my mantis gets here.

 

[martyllian]

Note on Mantids:

It takes them a few days before they eat anything, and then they dont eat all that much. the babies tend to not hang out in the same place. I find them all over my apartment

 

[sandrachameleon]

Note on Mantids: It takes them a few days before they eat anything, and then they dont eat all that much. the babies tend to not hang out in the same place. I find them all over my apartment

I've seen them eat on the second day. And in my experience the eat a heck of a lot. They are voracious hunters. I've not free-ranged little ones, but I do know the middle age ones dont tend to wander. That said, as they get bigger they loose interest in small prey. I should say my experiences are limited to only three types of mantis too. Different types may have different habits?

 

[blackbetty]

Ok. I got three sacs today. Apparently I ordered more than I thought. LOL.. It says -1- egg sac per 3000 sq feet. Thats bigger than my house for one..and I have three.. Eeels! I put one in the large pygmy tank, one in the frog, and one in the 10 hex holding the 2 remaining babies that the lady stood me up on today. Poor guys. Sat in a parking lot for 30 min waiting while they were in a little cup. Tried to keep em cool..she didnt even call or email me either and shes been begging me since saturday to hold the remaining2.. Im ticked..

Even though I have a towel over the tank, Im still finding them in my room..not as bad but still.. Guess Ill go put an apple in there.

 

[ponders]

On the mantids-you might want to hatch one case at a time in a fruit fly cup. Put the others in the fridge. You will get hundreds from one case. Then when they hatch, just shake them out like FF into the various tanks.

 

[Jerm]

I use a piece of banana in my dartfrog tanks to keep the flies in. The banana will either mold or dry up after a few days and i just replace them. If it is in there long enough, the flies will lay eggs on it and you will see larvae. I had some frogs that would sit by the banana and wait for the larvae to hatch and eat them, which is ok for them but it makes them obeise. I have to keep an eye on them. I have used something called tool from a place that sells material for sewing and covered the tops of my critter keepers when I have baby chams to keep the small prey items in without restricting airflow. I just used a large rubberband to keep it on. My pygmies dont eat fruitflies as they mature. Fruitflies aren't really that nutritious anyway, and you can't gutload them so the sooner you can switch to crickets or something the better. I can't believe you are feeding mantids, I used to keep them as pets!! i know, they make good food. Check out these pics of the ones that i had: (this one is eating a fruitfly)

 

[blackbetty]

Wow! I read the ad that its like the "in" pet. LOL. My son asked if he could have one casing for himself. Ha.

Well I put an apple int here as thats all i have and they arent digging it. I put a v8 bottle with some applecider in it and a funnel. some go in, but most hang out on the paper and I just shake em back int he cage..its a continuous process but atleast they are being recycled in a central location!

Question,. I saw someone posted a pic in another thread with a pitcher plant in the setup. they were bigger chams granted, but would this be suitable? I have a judith pitcher plant thats hooded so the chams cant climb in but maybe it would help and it would feed the plant at the same time?