Fruit Fly Easy Mix

[DonLisk]

Wow, I woke up this morning, fed the Darts, and then noticed I could not see into the new cultures I put together last Sunday. 6 days after setting these up and there are enough maggots to completely cover 3/4 of the cups sides.

I'm thinking I'm gonna be needing more Dart Frogs to help reduce the number of flies :-)

[DonLisk]

To win the heart of your wife...get some of those ugly fly strips you hang from the ceiling. That should help.

I mentioned this my wife and she suggested she just punch me instead.

[bshmerlie]

Funny that you say this, Cheri... In my article Choosing a Frog, I did add darts as a choice for beginners... with a certain BUT....

The thing is people need to know themselves. If they know they are the type of person who occasionally ignores their pets for days at a time then darts are not for them. Darts are simply less forgiving to neglect or ignorance. If you do your homework first and understand the basic care needs and can constistantly follow it there is no reason that a beginner couldn't get a beginner dart frog. And with the instant "just add water" fly mix even making fruit flies can be easy. It seems like there are people in the dart frog community that try to make them out to be these mysteriously "advanced" pets. Then you hear people on the forum say well when I get a few more frogs on my belt then I'll feel comfortable to try a dart. Like they're in this different category or something. To me they are just another frog and the fact that they are diurnal and moving around all the time means that we should be recommending them to the right beginners. Seriously, some newbies pick a type of frog that never moves or burrows for weeks on end how is that enjoyable for the first time frog owner? If we can take away some of that mystery and make it easy for someone to understand simple care requirements and a simple way to make a food source that will create more excitement in frog ownership and expand our hobby. I don't know about you but I now find fruit flies easier than crickets....I don't have to go to the store to get them. Just add water and they make themselves...almost a free food source...and definately cheeped than crickets. So to all you newbies...the secret is exposed. Beginner darts are just another frog ...and they're awake in the day time....go tell all your friends.

[clownonfire]

The thing is people need to know themselves. If they know they are the type of person who occasionally ignores their pets for days at a time then darts are not for them. Darts are simply less forgiving to neglect or ignorance. If you do your homework first and understand the basic care needs and can constistantly follow it there is no reason that a beginner couldn't get a beginner dart frog. And with the instant "just add water" fly mix even making fruit flies can be easy. It seems like there are people in the dart frog community that try to make them out to be these mysteriously "advanced" pets. Then you hear people on the forum say well when I get a few more frogs on my belt then I'll feel comfortable to try a dart. Like they're in this different category or something. To me they are just another frog and the fact that they are diurnal and moving around all the time means that we should be recommending them to the right beginners. Seriously, some newbies pick a type of frog that never moves or burrows for weeks on end how is that enjoyable for the first time frog owner? If we can take away some of that mystery and make it easy for someone to understand simple care requirements and a simple way to make a food source that will create more excitement in frog ownership and expand our hobby. I don't know about you but I now find fruit flies easier than crickets....I don't have to go to the store to get them. Just add water and they make themselves...almost a free food source...and definately cheeped than crickets. So to all you newbies...the secret is exposed. Beginner darts are just another frog ...and they're awake in the day time....go tell all your friends.

You're just saying this after reading my article!

I agree with you, and you know where I stand. Yes, there are elitists in the dart frog community, but I also know some with different species of frogs. But like you said, if you make your research, and you get properly ready/equipped, they will be easy to cater too, even for the beginner.

Elitists are just the voice of the few. It's important that people make their own mind. And yes, just adding water to a fruit fly mix might make it easier. And it wouldn't be such a stretch to say that preparing a homemade mix is not that difficult. When you think of the amount of men that are washing their cars, tires, waxing them.... Sheesh, that sounds like more work than owning a dart frog.

[DonLisk]

Exactly Cheri.
I was at first intimated by the thought of caring for darts and I couldn't agree with you more now.

Once your viv is built, you have a means to keep the humidity up (simple), and a few fly cultures running, caring for darts is actually easier than caring for many other frogs that are always suggested to beginners.
My Whites and Red Eyes require much more attention, water dish cleaning daily, scattered waste pick up, misting twice a day, and trashed glass wipe downs also on a daily basis.

My darts need me to drop in a few flies, mist the viv a few times a day (now automatically with a monsoon) and an occasional waste pick up. Added plants, spring-tails, and good lighting, have my darts on a all day adventure and since they are very bold, they rarely run off and hide while someone is viewing them.
I'm getting more darts!

[bshmerlie]

Exactly Cheri.
I was at first intimated by the thought of caring for darts and I couldn't agree with you more now.

Once your viv is built, you have a means to keep the humidity up (simple), and a few fly cultures running, caring for darts is actually easier than caring for many other frogs that are always suggested to beginners.
My Whites and Red Eyes require much more attention, water dish cleaning daily, scattered waste pick up, misting twice a day, and trashed glass wipe downs also on a daily basis.

My darts need me to drop in a few flies, mist the viv a few times a day (now automatically with a monsoon) and an occasional waste pick up. Added plants, spring-tails, and good lighting, have my darts on a all day adventure and since they are very bold, they rarely run off and hide while someone is viewing them.
I'm getting more darts!

That's exactly my point. By the sheer nature of them being bold and awake in the daytime makes them the ideal beginner frog right up there with firebellies. All we need to do is properly educate people on the proper setup and how to maintain them in a consistent fashion. Consistency is the key with them. But its not hard to do.