Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Take a cup of mashed potatoes, a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast. Mix these ingredients, and then add water to the top of the dry mix.

that is wormmans fruit fly food mix but wouldn't that mold quickly?

is that the best way to use homade items to make food?
What type of yeast should i use?

I really want to get some flies but i dont where to get them from can some one help?

okay this a FRUIT fly thread, right?? Not a HOUSE FLY thread right?? LOL

I get my fruit flies from either bigapple herp or from reptile food.com

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/Flightless_Fruit_Flies_melanogaster__hydei_species_930250.html

http://www.reptilefood.com/reptilefood/dept.asp?dept_id=100&shpid=95E7M1F29TQ39GRTW8SBP6A3V1K590F3

I bought the $30 kit from bigappleherp that comes with glass jars and mix to keep my cultures going. I havent bought any flies in 2 months and I still have a ton going. The yeast you buy you get a regular grocery store. It comes in little packs. It costs like a buck for 5 packs and I only use half a pack per 5 glass vials.
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Raf

1.2 Jacksons Adults (Frank, Patty, Lucille)
0.0.1 Jackson's baby (George, the only survivor)
0.1 Adult Sulcatta (POOPIE,I bought it from Victor at Kobey's in SD)
0.0.2 Baby Sulcattas (frick and frack)
1.0 Home's Hingeback Tortoise (SPEEDY, From Victor as well)
1.2 Red ear slider babies (Hingis, Dingis and Dorkus)
1.0 Red Siberian Husky (Harley)
0.1 Black Lab (Krissy)
0.1 English Bulldog (Alice)
0.1 Blue Merle Great Dane (Wednesday)
Saltwater Fish and Inverts too

I remember...Chelsea (my daughter) claimed that was the tortoise's name. What a kidder!
How's she (Poopie, not Chelsea) doing anyways?
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Hiya Vic!

Here's hoping you and Bernadette and the monkeys survived the fires and floods alright in California. Yes, I bought Poopie and Speedy from you. Poopie and Speedy are both doing wonderfully. Poopie is still eating like it's going out of style (as Sulcata's do) and Speedy has taken to swimming in our red ear sliders' pond every day...Who woulda thought that a hingeback tortoise would love swimming so much?

How are your herps doing? We moved to PA 2 months ago from San Diego. I saw from your blog that you finally got into your new house. I hope youre enjoying it!
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Raf

1.2 Jacksons Adults (Frank, Patty, Lucille)
0.0.1 Jackson's baby (George, the only survivor)
0.1 Adult Sulcatta (POOPIE,I bought it from Victor at Kobey's in SD)
0.0.2 Baby Sulcattas (frick and frack)
1.0 Home's Hingeback Tortoise (SPEEDY, From Victor as well)
1.2 Red ear slider babies (Hingis, Dingis and Dorkus)
1.0 Red Siberian Husky (Harley)
0.1 Black Lab (Krissy)
0.1 English Bulldog (Alice)
0.1 Blue Merle Great Dane (Wednesday)
Saltwater Fish and Inverts too

Bernie and the monkeys are all doing good, as are most of the herps. We weren't affected directly by the fires and flooding, but I lost a hatchling leo to the move (got squished) and most of my hissers (about 15 survivors). Other than that, can't complain. My chameleons are adjusting well to their new surroundings, but I'm surprised at how cold it's been getting at night! Glad to hear about Poopie and speedy.
I knew hingebacks liked a 'moist' environment, but I'm surprised to hear Speedy likes to swim. Go figure!
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

I've made a mix similar to that in a higher concentration. If you only need a little use like 1 cup of potato flakes (mashed potatoes you add water to), a tablespoon of powdered sugar, about a half tablespoon of yeast, and mix this with a 1.1 water/vinegar ratio.... So like 1 cup of the dry mix with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup vinegar. I haven't had a problem with mold at all, which suprised me. I use bread machine yeast, but I think any will work similar. I also mix the yeast in with the mix, not just on top. Just put the mix in glass jars and keep the ventilation low so it doesn't dry out and it'll be fine. I don't use the exact mix I said above, but it's similar.... I make more at a time so the ratios may be a little different, but it's the same ingredients. You can get flies from wormman.com and a few other places. I think Kammers still sell them too. I may begin selling a few soon but not yet. You can use either type of fly in this mix, but I prefer Hydeis. They live longer and aren't as tricky to keep track of. They're larger also. Most things that eat the small ones can eat the Hydeis. Good luck!
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV

could i just use normal mashed potatos?

anyways will hydei breed as fast most things say no
I need them to breed quickly becuase they will probably be used every other day or every 3 days.they are for two baby anoles so they will be dijested quickly.

wormman seems to be the best offer.
I know i should get those then wait and let the culture get pretty big before i use them as a consitent feeder (crickets will be the staple)

thanksfor the recipe

You can use regular mashed potatoes, but the vinegar helps and if you added vinegar to mashed potatoes it would be way too thin. I made some cultures without vinegar to see what it would do and after a week or so the mixture became kinda runny, and had a layer of water on top of the medium. It was kinda nasty and eventually the cultures died. You can give it a shot and you might get a small amount out of it but long run I think the vinegar is the way to go. The smaller flies do breed faster than Hydeis. Probably twice as fast if you start with the same amount. But I think that's the only advantage. Personally, they die too fast for me. Plus, they escape through screen cages.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV