Fruit flies for slings

[bwhatch2]

any opinions/suggestions/knowledge to share about feeding slings only fruit flies until they are big enough for roaches ? I have about 200 tiny mouths to feed. I have 3 different species of roaches that will be great micro feeders once the colonies are established but in the meantime flies seems to be the most sustainable way to feed them. yes, I know I can cut up worms or just about anything but then I have to go back and take the uneaten ones out so it doesn't get moldy which doubles the amount of time needed to feed.

just wondering if anybody has any comments or suggestions or warnings or ???...

 

[Ratmosphere]

You could, but tedious and time consuming. Be prepared for many flies to get loose. Look into cutting up small mealworms, will save you so much time and hassle.

 

[Jupiter]

any opinions/suggestions/knowledge to share about feeding slings only fruit flies until they are big enough for roaches ? I have about 200 tiny mouths to feed. I have 3 different species of roaches that will be great micro feeders once the colonies are established but in the meantime flies seems to be the most sustainable way to feed them. yes, I know I can cut up worms or just about anything but then I have to go back and take the uneaten ones out so it doesn't get moldy which doubles the amount of time needed to feed.

just wondering if anybody has any comments or suggestions or warnings or ???...

That might depend on how small the slings are. Might need something bigger like pinhead crickets? There is also soldier fly larvae, wax worms, and cut up worms (if they'll take dead prey. Some T's won't) I've raised baby jumpers on fruit flies. If you are going to do fruit flies, put the whole colony in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you're going to feed the babes, and they'll be sluggish/easy to handle. I used to have a 1 inch paint brush I'd use to brush them from the container into the enclosure/container.

 

[bwhatch2]

You could, but tedious and time consuming. Be prepared for many flies to get loose. Look into cutting up small mealworms, will save you so much time and hassle.

for me cutting up the mealworms is more tedioius. with the flies I just pop them in the fridge for a few minutes, shake them into one of those things used to suck snot out of a babies noses, and distribute from that. easy-peasy. I really don't care about the ones that get loose they die off pretty quick.

I guess more the question behind my question was does anybody have/know any info as far as their nutritional value and if they can be used as the main source of food.

 

[bwhatch2]

That might depend on how small the slings are. Might need something bigger like pinhead crickets? There is also soldier fly larvae, wax worms, and cut up worms (if they'll take dead prey. Some T's won't)

they are the right size for flies, for now. when they get to big for flies I have plenty red runners the right size. I have the actual using the flies down to where it is quicker than cutting stuff up. I do worry a bit that some won't take dead prey which is one of the reasons I like the flies, plus in the back of my head somewhere I wonder if feeding them prekilled as slings doesn't diminish they're prey drive as adults.

I should have worded my original question better im most interested to hear if anyone has any ideas etc...as the the nutritional value of using just flies for a while.

 

[m0lsx]

I spotted this on National Geographic Kids a few days ago. A commercial pooter is what we use to feed very small crickets to our larger slings.

https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/home-is-good/make-a-super-pooter/

 

[m0lsx]

I should have worded my original question better im most interested to hear if anyone has any ideas etc...as the the nutritional value of using just flies for a while.

With slings, I have never worked out how I know if they eat or not. They are obviously small & thus, so is their appetite. I use a whole beheaded mealworm, as it is easy to find & remove. When I kept mantids, I did keep a colony of a larger species of fruit flies. But I am always wary of if a small sling will get live prey & with fruit flies, they will escape easily, so I always stuck with my dead mealworm. As a beheaded mealworm at least has it's soft inner easily available & I know it is going to be there & available as food.

 

[Ratmosphere]

You could use fruit flies, but it really is more tedious and you have to do it often. I know a breeder that does it.

 

[bwhatch2]

You could use fruit flies, but it really is more tedious and you have to do it often. I know a breeder that does it

I am a bit amused at how everybody comments how tedious it is. if it is more tedious that sitting and chopping heads off of 200+ meal worms then ya'all are doing it wrong. a) fridge for 2 minutes so they stop moving enough to.... b) put them in a dispenser (snot sucker) then c) shake them out.

as opposed to the meal worms.

a) -chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop-chop (that's 200 chops)

b) tong them into the encloser x 200

c) 2 days later go check them all again x200

way way way (x200) more tedious to use worms.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Not at all, because you do it less. The slings get more full this way.

It also depends on the sling type, for dwarfs the fly method works better than the worm method for sure.