Blue Bottle Fly larva?

[Geckologist.tj]

I've seen "blue bottle fly larva" pop up from time to time on this forum, and it's got me curious. Call them larva, spikes, or worms, to me they are maggots, and that grosses me out pretty badly, but I'm always interested in varying my herps' diets so I'd like to hear about other people's experiences with them; please share. :?

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Maggots are like the general 'fly larvae' term.. just to set them apart we call them BBFL in short.

Most people feed them raw or rotting meat. I culture mine using lightly boiled meat or dry-steamed chicken. They are much bigger than conventional house fly larvae and less gross, in my opinion. When they start to pupate or turn into flies i just drown them all and feed them to my blind cave tetras

 

[Hilde]

I've used them for chameleons, but not often for geckos. Teratoscincus love them, but they'll eat anything that they can grab. They did go over well with leopards when they got them.

 

[Geckologist.tj]

Maggots are like the general 'fly larvae' term.. just to set them apart we call them BBFL in short.

I'm familiar with the concept, and I buy black soldier fly larva from time to time, but I know a maggot when I see one, and BBFL and BSFL are both maggots, especially in the eyes of my beloved wife. ;-)

 

[Geckologist.tj]

How do they compare to black soldier fly larva? How long do they last before they turn into flies?

 

[Tongue Flicker]

BBFL turn faster regardless of temp condition so i'd say they should be fed within 5-7 days..

Black soldier flies are way more carnivorous and require a high degree of protein in their diet. A high protein intake is not necessarily required for leopard geckos but they are a welcome staple to some other active lizard species. My skinks prefer them more too.

Also, BSF dont have mouthparts as adults, so they don't need to eat so are more hygienic, per se..
They are also easier to control as they require warmer temps to breed and mature. Keeping them in the coolside will slow things down for them

 

[hmarie186]

While Neil cultures blue bottles, I have had zero success with it. I buy them online, two bags of 1000, at Jada Bait for $25 shipped. They are waxworm sized, though Tidus has proved he can eat 50 just fine! Supplements stick to them like glue, they wriggle like crazy and are soft bodied. The calcium levels are decent in them too. If you buy them, store them in the fridge and change their substrate to aspen because they are packed in pine. Soft wood oils seem to leave a type of film and smell on them and mine won't touch them. I separate the spikes and rinse in warm water, pat dry and put in a Tupperware bin of clean aspen. They don't need to eat while in the fridge and will last several mos. I've had mine for 4 mos and am just now getting a high rate of pupation. Otherwise when kept cold they really don't change much. Blue bottles are by far my favorite feeder.

I like them better than black soldier fly larvae. Mine seem to have a tough time digesting the skins and have regurg'ed them up hours later still wriggling. Yuck. They don't care for them anymore so I don't buy them.

 

[Geckologist.tj]

While Neil cultures blue bottles, I have had zero success with it. I buy them online, two bags of 1000, at Jada Bait for $25 shipped. They are waxworm sized, though Tidus has proved he can eat 50 just fine! Supplements stick to them like glue, they wriggle like crazy and are soft bodied. The calcium levels are decent in them too. If you buy them, store them in the fridge and change their substrate to aspen because they are packed in pine. Soft wood oils seem to leave a type of film and smell on them and mine won't touch them. I separate the spikes and rinse in warm water, pat dry and put in a Tupperware bin of clean aspen. They don't need to eat while in the fridge and will last several mos. I've had mine for 4 mos and am just now getting a high rate of pupation. Otherwise when kept cold they really don't change much. Blue bottles are by far my favorite feeder.

I like them better than black soldier fly larvae. Mine seem to have a tough time digesting the skins and have regurg'ed them up hours later still wriggling. Yuck. They don't care for them anymore so I don't buy them.

Thanks a ton. Good info there.

I've heard other people complain about the BSFL being regurgitated, but I don't think I've had that problem. Of course, I never feed BSFL as a meal in and of themselves. I always feed half Phoenix worms half crickets or dubia.

 

[hmarie186]

Tidus, eating blue bottles