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Mandalina23   Atrax27407

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#2175304 Mandalina23 View Profile	Fruit Flied I was wondering if anyone has bought fruit flies from their local Petstore or Pet Co or Pet Smart... I want to try to get some for Stella but not sure if a trip to the store is worth it.
09/13/10  02:47pm
#2175357 Atrax27407 View Profile	Message To: Mandalina23   In reference to Message Id: 2175304  Fruit Flied From my care sheet: "FRUIT FLIES (Drosophila melanogaster or Drosophila hydei) Difficulty: 1 Fruit flies are ideal for hatchling Anoles. There are two species available Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila hydei. The former is the smaller of the two and the latter is probably the best to get to start with. Make sure that you get the wingless variety. Enclosure Most colonies are sold with a culture medium included in a small to medium vial. That is usually sufficient to get started. If you want to breed your own, any small jar will do. Wide mouth quart canning jars are ideal. You can cover the top with a paper towel held in place with a rubber band. This will effectively cover the opening while providing adequate ventilation. Food There are several recipes for fruit fly culture media. Again this will be a combination food/substrate. Here is the first: 8 Bananas, ¼ cup of Sugar, ¼ cup of Oatmeal, 1 packet of Baker’s yeast. Mix the sugar and bananas in a blender until liquefied. Add the oatmeal until is becomes firm but moist. Put the mixture in a wide mouth, quart canning jar and add a few granules of baker’s yeast. You can substitute other kinds of fruit like peaches, apples, etc. as well. Recipe #2: 1 cup of banana, 1 cup of Apple Sauce, 1 tablespoon Vinegar, 2 cups of Oatmeal Here is a third one: 1 cup Water, 1 tablespoon Cornmeal, 1 teaspoon Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Agar, 1 tablespoon Molasses, 1 package Baker’s yeast Mix all of the ingredients except the yeast to boiling and pour the mixture into clean culture jars. Let the mixture cool. When ready to use. Sprinkle a couple of granules of yeast on the top. Where to get breeding stock Most of the reptile food online vendors sell fruit flies since they are a staple for hatchling reptiles. Alternatively, you can get cultures at a biological supply house. Be sure to specify D. hydei since they are larger (1/8 inch) than the D. melanogaster (1/10 inch). Oh yes, you want the wingless variety. However, if you don’t mind dealing with the winged variety, you can simply leave a bit of fruit outside in the summer and get all of the D. melanogaster adults that you want to start a culture."
09/13/10  07:12pm

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