Bug Madness carries two types of fruit flies — D. Hydei and D. Melanogaster. The type of fruit fly you should get depends on the type of pet you need to feed. D. Hydei fruit flies are larger (⅛”) and meatier, making them well suited for large reptiles and other pets with similar needs. D. Melanogaster are about half as large (1/16”), and are a great staple food for smaller reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, other insects, and even fish.

It depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to feed your pet when your order arrives, you will need to order “producing” cultures. If you order a “fresh” culture, you will need to wait 20 days or so after it arrives before it produces flies that your animals can eat.

A producing culture will have produced fruit flies by the time it arrives at your door, and it will continue to produce more for another 10-14 days.

Poison dart frogs prefer smaller insects, so we would recommend D. Melanogaster flightless fruit flies.

Most frogs can eat a variety of feeder insects like crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, mosquito larvae, and earthworms, and fruit flies. The majority of frogs prefer D. Melanogaster flightless fruit flies.

Your baby chameleon may struggle with the larger D. Hydei fruit flies, so it’s best to feed them the D. Melanogaster variety. This is a good rule of thumb for baby/young pets who eat fruit flies.