Safe live feeder for small slings?

[Jenniferinfl]

I despise prekilled crickets because of just how quickly they go bad in the enclosures. I know fruit flies aren't awesome nutritionally, but, I do like that they will live long enough for my tiny guys to pick them off without stinking up the enclosure a couple hours later.

Is there a safe roach that won't nibble a sling or am I stuck in pre-killed cricket/mealworm heck for awhile? I'm in Florida, so there's a bunch of restrictions on what roaches I can keep.

I'm talking about those tiny 0.25 to .75 inch spiderlings that seem like they are always in a premolt. If the larger 1"+ slings haven't eaten in an hour, I just pull the prekilled cricket and try again in a few days. But, the tiny ones are so timid it feels like I have to leave stuff overnight for it to get nibbled on, but, then run the risk of them eating something that is now a bacteria laden pile of ick.

Thoughts? I'm really open to anything, even pain in the butt stuff like fruit flies, if it keeps me from having to put pre-killed crickets in. Heck, maybe springtails? I am using bigger enclosures for my slings instead of like a pill vial, so I could easily keep a mostly dry enclosure and wet a corner for springtails if they would eat them.

 

[shaun]

Why are fruit flies deemed to be lacking in nutrition? I read somewhere that they are being considered as a mass breed protein

 

[m0lsx]

I have some bean weevils. They are really cheap & very simple to keep. But I feed my small slings on beheaded mealworms. I behead them, pop them in & leave them for 24 hours. They are easy to find & remove.

 

[MBullock]

Tribolium confusum larvae are just the right size for slings, just crush the head without damaging the body and they'll stay alive for a while and the slings will find them. I also use indian mealmoth larvae as i have a huge culture but those are pretty bad household pests. I dont eat cereal and seal everything so they arent an issue for me.

 

[PanzoN88]

I know the feeling when comes to crickets, it’s even a pain to grab them for feeding. I would say stick to the prekilled mealworms, much less of a hassle. I even used to feed my H. orellanai sling superworm heads. If you want a different option, prekilled waxworms are great, they are also small enough that they don’t have to be chopped. That same H. orellanai just upgraded to these.

 

[Jenniferinfl]

Why are fruit flies deemed to be lacking in nutrition? I read somewhere that they are being considered as a mass breed protein

No idea, I've just gotten my case jumped in another forum for occasionally feeding them. I have them anyways because my kid wants frogs and I'm trying to learn how to keep fruit flies for the frogs she wants. For Avic slings that just never come down, I don't think there's much better than those bigger hydei fruit flies.

I have a C. versicolor sling that never comes down low enough to eat something I leave down on the bottom, but, it's been obviously eating the flies.

 

[shaun]

Surely if a frog can live on them, then why not a sling?

 

[m0lsx]

Surely if a frog can live on them, then why not a sling?

My small preying matids always thrived on them before I moved to bean weevils.

 

[Jenniferinfl]

Tribolium confusum larvae are just the right size for slings, just crush the head without damaging the body and they'll stay alive for a while and the slings will find them. I also use indian mealmoth larvae as i have a huge culture but those are pretty bad household pests. I dont eat cereal and seal everything so they arent an issue for me.

Unfortunately I've had both of those as pests before and prefer to avoid those in the future. Though, most of my stuff is in tightly sealed boxes or in the freezer now.. lol

 

[WolfSpider]

No idea, I've just gotten my case jumped in another forum for occasionally feeding them. I have them anyways because my kid wants frogs and I'm trying to learn how to keep fruit flies for the frogs she wants. For Avic slings that just never come down, I don't think there's much better than those bigger hydei fruit flies.

I have a C. versicolor sling that never comes down low enough to eat something I leave down on the bottom, but, it's been obviously eating the flies.

You got jumped at the other forum cause that is what they do: not your fault--its theirs. I have used flightless fruit flies for years. They produce a nice predatory drive . Nor will they attack your molting sling. Not too many choices in Florida--flightless fruit flies are a good one.

 

[shaun]

Good to know, will continue using them

 

[Jenniferinfl]

I have some bean weevils. They are really cheap & very simple to keep. But I feed my small slings on beheaded mealworms. I behead them, pop them in & leave them for 24 hours. They are easy to find & remove.

I like the look of the bean weevils quite a bit- I'll buy a culture and try them out. I don't know why I'm so reluctant to do mealworms, but, they are awfully easy and keep for quite awhile, so don't know why I haven't used them before.

 

[Jenniferinfl]

You got jumped at the other forum cause that is what they do: not your fault--its theirs. I have used flightless fruit flies for years. They produce a nice predatory drive . Nor will they attack your molting sling. Not too many choices in Florida--flightless fruit flies are a good one.

Thank you, I like them quite a bit. I've had trouble getting Avic slings to eat in the past because they just don't climb down low enough, but, they scurry all over the enclosure for fruit flies. lol I have a C. versicolor who has never bothered with any prekilled cricket I've left but is just all over the place chasing those flies.

 

[Leepbby]

Thank you, I like them quite a bit. I've had trouble getting Avic slings to eat in the past because they just don't climb down low enough, but, they scurry all over the enclosure for fruit flies. lol I have a C. versicolor who has never bothered with any prekilled cricket I've left but is just all over the place chasing those flies.

I've had the same experience with my C.versicolors also and have resorted to flightless fruitflies and they are thriving they have molted and are just now staring to eat small meal worms as well but wouldn't touch anything else but the flies before their molt. Good luck

 

[MBullock]

Unfortunately I've had both of those as pests before and prefer to avoid those in the future. Though, most of my stuff is in tightly sealed boxes or in the freezer now.. lol

i think you had tribolium castaneum or destructor, confusum cannot fly and is generally a hitch-hiker. Another potential candidate would be alphitobius diaperinus - the lesser mealworm

 

[Gizalba]

I use a mixture of mini meal worms with the head crushed and bean weevils. I am not a fan of crushing the mealworm heads and getting them out again the next day before they rot - the juices are horrible lol. However if I have a sling who looks really skinny a meal worm seems to fatten them up quick as a big meal, then I go back to feeding bean weevils. Unless the sling is scared of the weevils which a few have been, then they will be given the mealworms until they are ready to take down prey.

 

[Vermis]

Another vote for bean weevils. I was glad when they turned up in the hobby, gave me an alternative to trying to get tiny flies out of a pot of wet goop, through a tiny hole, and then get them to go where I wanted. Not a comment on their nutritional value, just sheer personal preference!

 

[Jenniferinfl]

Another vote for bean weevils. I was glad when they turned up in the hobby, gave me an alternative to trying to get tiny flies out of a pot of wet goop, through a tiny hole, and then get them to go where I wanted. Not a comment on their nutritional value, just sheer personal preference!

I'm very interested in bean weevils- I just haven't gotten around to ordering them yet. They were sold out when I placed my last order. Now I'm just stalling a bit hoping the place I order from also gets the dwarf tropical isopods back in stock. AND my fruit fly kits got delayed in shipping, so, now I'm thinking my colonies will crash before I can setup new ones. I like the hydei ones quite a bit, if I can keep the culture going I won't bother with the melanogaster ones again, but for awhile I'll keep both since I hear hydei crashes easier.

Hopefully this next order will be the last batch of prey items I have to have shipped.

 

[octanejunkie]

B lat hatchlings and nymphs feed slings of all sizes

 

[Reptisect]

I use pinhead crickets, but they are a huge pain in the behind. Every time I open the tub I lose 10 or more. I know I can chill them in the fridge, but one time I forgot to take them out and the result was a ton of frozen pinhead crickets.