Looking to add some nutritious variety to your pet’s meal? Green Bottle Fly Spikes (Lucilia sericata) are an excellent way to introduce a tasty alternative to your pet’s diet!

Green bottle fly spikes are about 5-10mm in length when sold. Green bottle fly spikes are a great option for any insectivorous reptile or amphibian, but are especially loved by geckos, anoles, bearded dragons, chameleons, tree frogs, as well as invertebrates, birds, and even fish! Wild birds love green bottle fly spikes. Did we mention that they are odorless? If you are looking for a high quality, low fat, smell free, source of protein and calcium for your pet, GBFS are a great option for you!

How to Feed to Your Pet: Green bottle fly spikes can be fed using a feeding dish, or individually with feeding tongs. If using a feeding dish, offer as many GBFS as your animal will consume in 5 minutes, and then retract the dish. Any escapees will burrow into the substrate and pupate into flies. 

Green bottle fly spikes can also be allowed to pupate and become green metallic flies, similar to the size of a house fly (8-10mm diameter). To pupate GBFS into flies, leave the larvae in a larger container at room temperature for a few days (up to 10). If the substrate appears dry, mist until slightly damp. Green bottle flies can be given to tree frogs, anoles, geckos, or any other exotic insectivore for enrichment, and a snack! Place the flies in the fridge for a few minutes to slow them down, and make it easier to move them into your pet’s enclosure.

How to Store: Green bottle fly spikes should be kept in the fridge, as they do well in temperatures between 33 and 40°F. Keep spikes stored on the wheat bran they’re packaged with for a longer shelf life. 

Did you know? Green bottle fly spikes (Lucilia sericata) are one of the most important insects when it comes to forensic sciences? It’s one of the first species that’s looked for in a criminal investigation by forensic entomologists. 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to elevated temperatures during shipping, your green bottle fly spikes may arrive pupated! In this case, either store the pupae in the fridge until you're ready to hatch them out into flies, or leave them at room temperature and you'll have blue bottle flies ready to feed in about 2-4 days.