fruit fly cultures for neonates

[sharlaxle]

Ok So with eggs in box, I am thinking about future feedings. My eggs are about 3 months along, and my question is thus: at what point in time should I buy the cultures to have a thriving fruit fly buffet ready to go?
Some web sites say buy and get them started 5 months before hand, but that seems a bit excessive.
So how far in advance did you all start your cultures?
Shar

 

[fluxlizard]

That seems excessive to me, but I suppose it depends on how many cultures you want to buy to start with, and where you buy them from. Some places sell large cultures that are already going - several of these purchased and shipped over night as soon as the chameleons hatch could keep you going until they are too large to eat the flies. Other places sell little vials with only a few flies and you would be better off starting your own larger cultures off of some of those, and that takes a few weeks at least to get things really producing.

Many people aren't very good at keeping cultures going over the long haul and starting new ones. I dare say a pretty high percentage of fruit fly users would be out of fruit flies completely before 5 months were up. LOL

I guess a happy medium would be to purchase a month or so before you expect your eggs to hatch. Which is really unpredictable so if you buy flies on month 6, your eggs might hatch 1,2,3,4 or even 5 months later, but most of the time within several weeks of month 6.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Cant hurt to start them early, to get used to how to do it right. Its cheap and not very difficult, so why not start when your eggs are around 4 months old. I've had eggs take 6-13 months to hatch, so I'm glad I always had small food on hand!
Dont just use fruit flies - start breeding other things too! give your hatchlings a varied diet! baby mealworms, baby silkworms, bean beetles (which are even easier than fruit flies), etc

 

[sharlaxle]

Bean beetles? Ok what is a bean beetle? I have a thriving Dubia horde going, and a trick to sifting out the fresh hatched, I also have silkworms ready to go. However I didn't consider mealworms. Thus far, I am really planning on ordering quiet a bit, but I am lucky in the fact that there is a well established reptile show every two weeks near me that has feeder breeders that are happy to bring in what I need.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Bean beetles? Ok what is a bean beetle? I have a thriving Dubia horde going, and a trick to sifting out the fresh hatched, I also have silkworms ready to go. However I didn't consider mealworms. Thus far, I am really planning on ordering quiet a bit, but I am lucky in the fact that there is a well established reptile show every two weeks near me that has feeder breeders that are happy to bring in what I need.

You're lucky to have such ready access to prey
here's a link to some info about bean beetles: http://www.beanbeetles.org/handbook/

 

[coldbloodedAL]

Bean beatles

 

[Norcal55]

The Bean Beetles sound like a great idea, do you know who sells a starter culture?

 

[camimom]

Smallpetfeeders.com sells bean beetles.

As for fruit fly cultures, I would start them when your cham eggs hit the 8 month mark. Unless you notice signs of hatching before that.

 

[sharlaxle]

Holy schnikes!! they are weevils. LOL Oh yeah I could happily feed these and get a rather malicious pleasure out of it ( weevil infestation in my garden.) Payback!!! Thanks guys I might try to get these in as well.