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Maybe you can't have a dog, cat, or hamster, or maybe you just love studying bugs. Whatever the reason, keeping a fly as a pet for a little while can be fun. All you have to do is trap a fly and keep it in a small container. Provide food or water, and your fly should be happy for the duration of its short life.
Steps
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Prepare a jar or container for your fly. You can use a basic jar, a food storage container, or even a small cardboard box to house your fly. However, a clear container is probably better so you can see your fly! Whatever container you choose, you will need to drill or poke small holes in the top. They should be just large enough to allow air in but not so large they let the fly out. Make sure the container is dry.
- Alternatively, cut a larger hole for air and then cover it with tissue paper, taped down around the edges, which will still allow air to pass through without letting the fly out. [1] X Research source
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Make a hole in the container large enough to fit a small syringe or straw. You will need to feed your fly through this hole so it doesn't get out. Draw around the straw or syringe, then make the hole big enough for it to go through. Tape over the hole when you're done. [2] X Research source
- Alternatively, plug it up with a small eraser or even silly putty.
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Add 2 bottle caps to the bottom for food and water. You can use soda caps, milk bottle caps, or even small pickle jar lids. You just need something to hold the food and water that you put in the container for your container, and lids are a good size. [3] X Research source
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Add in a few dried leaves or twigs to give your fly a resting place. Flies like to rest at night. Generally, they'll rest on grass leaves, wires, twigs, and whatever else they can find. Lean a few dry grass leaves across the inside of your jar or add a few twigs instead. [4] X Research source
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Trap a fly from your house. Wait for a fly to land on the counter or a flat surface and then use an upside-down cup to trap it. You have to be quick to catch one! Slide a piece of paper underneath the cup and lift it up with the cup to carry it to your container. Set the cup over the container with just enough of the container opened to match the cup's mouth and then pull the paper out. The fly should drop into the container.
- Quickly place the lid on to capture the fly.
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Place the container in a warm area. Flies prefer temperatures of 95 to 105 °F (35 to 41 °C), particularly at night, when they're resting. Choose an area that's warm but not too hot. You could even provide a heating pad or dark heat lamp to help keep your fly warm.
- However, while flies prefer warmer temperatures, they'll do just fine in temperatures down to about 68 °F (20 °C). At 59 °F (15 °C), they'll stop most activity.
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Feed your fly foods high in sugar. Flies will eat almost anything, but they especially love sugar, and liquids are preferable, though they can make foods liquid to drink. You can try bits of fruit (except citrus), syrup, and even straight sugar. Your fly won't eat much, and it won't even be a problem if the food starts to go bad, as flies enjoy rotting food.
- You won't need to feed your fly much more than a pea-sized amount of food each day, but you should make sure it has food in its container at all times, as it will want to eat 2-3 times a day.
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Add the food to the container using a small syringe or straw. You can use a small syringe to drip the food into a bottle cap at the bottom. Uncover the hole you made for the syringe, and stick it in, holding it over the bottle cap. Release the food into the bottle cap then take out the syringe and cover the hole back up.
- If you don't have a syringe, use a straw to move food into the cap instead.
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Provide water every day. Use a small, shallow dish to provide water, such as a bottle cap. Keep it filled with fresh water all the time, as flies will not survive without water. Only add a thin layer of water to the bottle cap, as flies can drown in deeper water.
- Use a syringe or a clean straw to place the water in the bottle cap.
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Let the fly rest at night. Flies like to rest at night, just like humans. In homes, they'll typically go up to the ceiling beams to rest, while outside, they may find wires or grass to rest on. Don't disturb your fly at night so it can get the rest it needs. [5] X Research source
- Your fly may rest on the bottom of the container's ceiling, for instance, or even just on the bottom of the container.
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Look for eggs if you're housing more than 1 fly. Female flies can lay eggs up to 5 times in their lifetimes so you may capture a pregnant female or end up with one if you are housing multiple flies. Check for clusters of white dots, which are the eggs. A female can lay up to 100 eggs at a time, so be ready. [6] X Research source
- If you see eggs, you may want to take them outside. Otherwise, you could have hundreds of flies on your hands.
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Wash your hands after handling the container. Flies can carry diseases, so make sure to scrub your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water when you're done handling the container. Scrub for 20 seconds at least before rinsing. [7] X Research source
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Do not expect your fly to live longer than 2 months. Your fly may only last 2 weeks, but it can live longer. However, a fly's lifespan isn't very long, so be prepared for it to take its leave, maybe sooner than you'd like. [8] X Research source
- However, you don't have to keep your fly the whole time. You can release it whenever you want, and it will do just fine on its own!
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I tell if my pet fly is healthy and happy?Community AnswerIf its flying and moving that indicates that it's strong and happy.
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QuestionWhat do I do if I have a weak fly as a pet?Community AnswerTreat the fly with lots of sugar and maybe raisins for iron. Keep the habitat not as populated with plants and add more small twigs so they can get stronger by climbing.
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QuestionCan I catch a fly with honey, or will it just get stuck and die?CaeiiaTop AnswererIt'll get stuck and die, because they land right on top of their food.
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Tips
- For another kind of food, mix equal parts of sugar and powdered milk.Thanks
- If your fly is small, be careful with using a water source, flies are so fragile they can easily drown within seconds.Thanks
- Give your fly soil to walk and sleep on.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Try putting water in a sponge to help your fly drink without getting too wet.
- Try feeding your pet fly peanut butter and sugar with a bit of honey in it.
- Put a bit of sugar in your fly's water as a special treat.
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Warnings
- Do not handle your fly with your fingers. Health precautions aside, they can be easily crushed with just the slight pressure.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- A jar or plastic container
- Bottle caps
- Sticks and leaves
- Syrup
References
- ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/general-care/breeding-fruit-flies/
- ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/general-care/breeding-fruit-flies/
- ↑ https://www.keepinginsects.com/general-care/breeding-fruit-flies/
- ↑ https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.HTM
- ↑ https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.HTM
- ↑ http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/environ/vector/housefly.htm
- ↑ http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/environ/vector/housefly.htm
- ↑ https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.HTM
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To keep a pet fly, drill or poke a few holes into the lid of a glass jar. Make one of the holes large enough to fit a small straw and tape over it for now. Next, put 2 bottle caps in the jar, add a few twigs and leaves, and place the fly inside. Keep the jar in an area that stays above 68 °F. Use a straw to drop a pea-sized amount of fruit, sugar, or syrup into one of the bottle caps each day. Keep the other bottle cap filled with fresh water. To learn more about the lifespan of a fly, read on!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 164,507 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I had an injured fly who couldn't fly. You heard me right, a fly that couldn't fly. Anyway, he died but at least he lived for hours more than he would on his own, and he died happy with a nice meal and water (don't worry, he didn't drown.). This helped." ..." more
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"I had an injured fly who couldn't fly. You heard me right, a fly that couldn't fly. Anyway, he died but at least he lived for hours more than he would on his own, and he died happy with a nice meal and water (don't worry, he didn't drown.). This helped."
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"I trapped a fly to feed it to my Venus fly trap, but I needed it to stay alive because the flytrap had no traps. I found this website and it helped me a lot. So far, my fly is happily buzzing around and doesn't know it will become lunch for my flytrap."
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"This helped me a lot cause I didn't know how to take care of a fly until I saw wikiHow. wikiHow showed me how to do just about everything! And for people who don't believe this, believe me cause this is really helpful."
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"My mom was annoyed by a fly buzzing around, so he gently swatted it. One of her wings is lost but Alex is doing pretty fine! She's happy wandering around and I use a slice of toilet paper to let him roam the bathroom."
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"This article helped me because I didn't know that flies need a specific thing to rest on. Now I know and will help my fly be more comfortable. Thank you."
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