Fruit Flies - Golden Hydei

Live feeder items are only available for pickup at our Lancaster, PA retail store and are not offered for shipping.

We offer 32 ounce cultures of several varieties of fruit flies that can last upwards of one month and go through several generations as long as they do not become overcrowded. They are excellent food for many hatchling lizards and small frogs.

The entire life cycle of a fruit fly takes about 11 days at room temperature (a few extra days for <(>D. hydei). It can speed up at warmer temperatures and slow down at cooler temperatures. They start as an egg, then are larva at about 6 days, pupa at about 5 days and adult around day 11. The entire lifespan is about 6-7 weeks.

Fruit flies should be kept at around 70-80 degrees F for optimal growth. Humidity should be about 70 percent. Ambient room light - NOT direct sunlight - is suitable during the day and the fruit flies should be kept in the dark at night.

Feeding Fruit Flies to your pet: Adding calcium powder to your fruit flies will make them more nutritional for your pet. To remove flies for feeding, tap the container firmly to dislodge flies from the top and sides, then remove the top of the containers and "tap" the flies into a plastic cup with a small about of calcium powder added to it. Swirl the cup of powder with the flies to coat them, then tap the flies from the calcium powder cup into the feeding dish. Remember to hold back enough adult flies to continue the culture. It may take up to two weeks from the date written on the lid for our cultures to fully develop.