# Getting fruit flies into a terrarium without incident?



## supatips (May 29, 2012)

Hi Everyone. 

I know this is technically a feeder question but I'm imagining this section will have some good advice and experience with fruit flies. 

I'm looking at a fruit fly culture I've just bought for some lizards I'm getting soon and I'm wondering how everyone goes about getting them into the terrarium without losing a load to the house! 

These are flightless fruit flies.

Thanks.


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## MYA (Apr 15, 2010)

*fruit flies*

Put them in the fridge for twenty minutes. You will then have to tap the tub to get them to fall out. I would take the opportunity to tap them into a tub with vitamin powder, shake and shuffle. Then tap into the viv, being a bit slower gives you and the lizards more of a chance.
Regards David


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

MYA said:


> Put them in the fridge for twenty minutes. You will then have to tap the tub to get them to fall out. I would take the opportunity to tap them into a tub with vitamin powder, shake and shuffle. Then tap into the viv, being a bit slower gives you and the lizards more of a chance.
> Regards David


Thanks, I did forget about the supplement when I added the post! I'm more used to locusts, worms etc. Flies as a live food are completely new to me.


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## MSID (May 13, 2010)

Hi
I cut a 2l pop bottle in half to form a funnel, the mouth of these bottles are exactly the right size for 20mm plastic plumbing pipe to be a push fit. So a short section of pipe can join this to a small (250ml) plastic bottle. It is fairly easy to tap / shake the flies through the funnel into the smaller bottle. 

As the pipe sticks into the little bottle about 50mm the flies tend to stay in the bottle, letting you add supplements. Its then fairly easy to shake the bottle into the tank.

I tend to make my own setups and have started including 20mm holes with stoppers in the lids, I use the tops of pop bottles, so you can feed without opening the tank. It has helped keep the fly escapes down.


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## Caleb (Oct 21, 2009)

I use a pooter:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirator_(entomology)

Useful for any small invertebrates, not just fruitflies. You can add supplements when they're in the body of the pooter.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

tap ff culture down sharply,remove lid tap ff into a BIG tub. tap culture down again and pop lid back on.tap big tub to get all the ff into a corrner tap these into cup with vit dust in and swirl. flies now dusted and ready to feed out,but don't take too long about feeding if the viv is not Ff proof tis worth sorting that out asap or all this might be redundent:2thumb:

Stu


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

a pooter as suggested above, quick, easy. efficient and clean :2thumb:

http://www.show.me.uk/editorial/1148-pooter-plans


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Do that with a big collection man you'll have some lungs:mf_dribble: 

A pooter is a wonderful tool seriously good, great for harvest of wild beasties, but if one has a good few frogs to feed it is really is utterly not the best option,mind if you can do it as before my god your lungs have some puff:2thumb:.

Stu


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