Green Bottle Flys as food?

[Calavera]

Green Bottle Flies as food?

After purchasing several house fly cultures, i find that my chameleons eat them faster then i can obtain them. Around my house and yard, i have many Green bottle flies ( Phaenicia sericata). I know that these flies lay their eggs in decomposing and necrotic tissue, so are they considered unsafe as a food item? One would think that the chameleons digestive tract could safely digest the eggs and prevent them from causing damage, is this true? In the past, these green flies have foolishly ended up as an unexpected meal to my Jackson's when they fly into his outdoor enclosure. Any feedback or similar experiences with these flies would be greatly appreciated. I have a juvenile Ambilobe that loves flies and I don't want to feed him anything that may compromise his health. Here is a picture of the lil' buggers.

-Cala-

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I'd avoid wild house flies. It is my understanding that you may be exposing your chameleon to parasites like roundworm, pinworm, coccidia. It can be a real problem if these flies have been feeding on the poop of wild animals. From what internet reading I've done about wild flies and parasites, I just didn't want to take the chance. I'd go with www.grubco.com. You can refrigerate the maggots to keep them from all going to pupae stage and get more mileage out of your order. Better yet, work a deal with your local reptile store and offer to share your order to help split-up the shipping charges and reduce the order cost by buying more larvae.