Description
D. Melanogaster – Small Wingless Fruit Fly
Drosophila Melanogaster are ideal to feed to all frogs including the smaller species of “Thumbnail” frogs such as the Ranitomeya, Oophaga pumilio, Epipedobates, as well as the juvenile of the larger species such as the Dendrobates Tinctorius, Auratus, Leucomelas, Ameerega, Mantella, Hyalinobatrachium, Baby Geckos, and many more.
Melanogaster’s are very beneficial to keep, especially if you are raising and morphing tadpoles into froglets. The Melanogaster will be among one of the first food that a young froglet will eat.
Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies (AKA mel’s or melanogaster) are high in protein and an excellent food choice for a huge variety of small and baby animals, including fish, reptiles, birds, spiders, mantis and amphibians.
Fruit flies are an excellent food for dart frogs, hatchling praying mantis, jumping spiders, anoles, salamanders, newts, many kinds of lizards, small spiders, scorpions and more! Unlike other feeders like crickets, fruit flies can not be “gut loaded”
This is why it is highly recommended that they be dusted with the vitamins and minerals that your frogs will need at the time of feeding
All of our flightless fruit flies are raised and sold in a 32 oz deli container with a poly fabric vented lid. Our Fruit fly culture media is a mixture that we have developed and tested over many years and have made THOUSANDS of fly cultures with it.
We utilize the anti fungal properties of vinegar, and as such their may be a faint vinegar smell to the culture.
When ordering your Melanogaster Fruit Fly culture, please specify if you require:
Stage 1 – Freshly Made Culture -These cultures are typically made within the week and have adult flies already laying eggs
Stage 2 – Halfway There – These cultures are made between 2-3 weeks ago and already have some maggots crawling around
Stage 3 – Producing Fruit Flies – These cultures are already producing fruit flies (or will be very shortly) they are ready to feed directly to your pets
If you’re looking for a slightly larger fruit fly to feed to your pets, please check out our D. Hydei
Winter Tip- Winter is tough on Fruit Fly cultures and they will benefit from a light misting weekly to keep them humid, and productive. You can also place them in a covered plastic tote to help retain humidity.
Melanogaster fruit flies are hardy and can survive a wide range of temperatures and humidity. However they will truly thrive at temperatures between 22-26°C and a humidity of 50-60%
Our Flightless Fruit Flies are available for sale and shipping in Canada only or pick up in Calgary by appointment
How We Ship Your Fruit Flies And Other Live Goods Within Canada
We ship our Fruit Flies all over Canada using Canada Post. Any order with live goods (such as fruit flies, isopods and plants) will be held for pick up at your nearest Post Office. Tracking info will be sent via email when we ship you package, and you can pick them up when available. Your local delivery person should leave a notice in your mailbox, notifying you of time and location.
We ship live goods year round, with exceptions during the peak busy season around Christmas Holiday Season , and extreme temperatures over 28C Daytime in summer and below -25 at night in winter along the shipping route
During the cold winter months we insulate and heat the box, in addition to holding the package for pick up. (Winterizing fee applies)
Please check delivery times at check out, and select a speed that arrives within 2-3 days, to avoid the package being held up over the weekend. (especially in winter!)
We ship live goods from Calgary Alberta on Monday – Wednesday depending on your location
We DO NOT recommend delivering directly to your home or mailbox. This dramatically increases the risk of DOA, due to wild temperature swings on trucks, mailboxes and doorsteps, wrong delivery location and other reason out of our control.
Please follow this link to learn more about our Winter Shipping procedure and policy.
