Tree frogs

[BEETLE]

I used to get maggots from fishing tackle shops, always getting the white non-dyed type. These hatch out into blue bottles (Blow flies). You can then gut load these by feeding then mashed banana with soime vitamin powder on. The problem is the tackle shops sell them by the pint, thats a lot of flies. By fridging the casters (pupa) and bringing them out in batches you can stagger their emergence. I have heard people say that maggots are fed on rotting meat and they are concerned about disease but I figure once the protein is turned into fly it wouldn't matter where it came from, they are not likely to have any gut content left over from when they were maggots, and they would be eating this stuff in the wild. I wouldn't be tempted to offer the maggots as food as I have known people who have had problems after doing this, they seem to have a hard to digest skin.

[Kurt]

If something eats rotting meat, the bacteria from that meat would then be living in the digestive track of that animal, I would think.

[priya]

i think my frogs are a little small for blue bottles at the mo, how did u manager to open the tub they were in with out them all flying out?

[Kurt]

You cool them down in the refrigerator and I think they will be less likely to fly away.

[BEETLE]

Yes I thought that, but because of the use of maggots in medicine there is loads of research about this. You have to pay to see a lot of it but this link is quite interesting-
http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/8/6/618
It seems that maggots intestines are pretty good at ridding themselves of unwanted bacteria, though some do survive.

[Kurt]

Interesting.

[priya]

so does that mean that i can feed maggots to my frogs and toads?

[BEETLE]

I really would not do that. I have heard bad stories about frogs that have been fed maggots and died rapidly from what appears to be peritonitis, it may be that the maggots are able to physically damage the gut or because they do not rid themselves of bacteria until the pupate. I have never risked it.

[pedrosis]

Hi Priya

Just came across this thred looking for stuff about green tree frogs as today I got an european green tree frog from a shop but it was the only one they had & I was after 4. Do you still have the site that you got yours from originaly? I was also trying to find out if it was possible to mix the Euro & American ones but looks like a no lol

Thanks

Pete