Cricket Diet suggestions?

[froggysan]

I'm considering buying my crickets in bulk considering the increase in animals I am keeping around... And I'm going to setup a larger cricket enclosure.

I'm wondering, what do you folks feed your crickets?

I want to try and gutload these fellas with as much good stuff as possible and I've read a lot of different suggestions... and heard mixed reviews on store bought cricket foods.


Suggestions?

 

[Syn]

Cricket crack!

Sweet potatoes, carrots, spirulina, bee pollen, that's what my crickets eat.

 

[Dunnigan]

Cricket crack!

I use in addition, carrots, collard greens, Mustard greens, potatoes. i just tried orange.

I sorta walk through the produce section and say oooo ill bet theyll like that!

 

[froggysan]

Last time I checked... Bee Pollen was not in the produce isle. Come to think of it..... where the heck would one get Bee Pollen?


And do you guys just food process the stuff into a sort of finely chopped semi-mush?

 

[chambabysitter1]

Last time I checked... Bee Pollen was not in the produce isle. Come to think of it..... where the heck would one get Bee Pollen?


And do you guys just food process the stuff into a sort of finely chopped semi-mush?

Health food section I believe.

I just use cricket crack, check the classifieds, a member here sells it for a decent price. It has bee pollen, alfalfa, and many other great gutload stuff. I sustain off carrots and potatoes. The veggies will keep them hydrated, so no water crystals necessary.


I seperate the crix/roaches the night or day before.

Then, I gutload with cricket crack, fresh kale, potatoes and fresh carrots.

 

[froggysan]

Is cricket crack the official name? or perhaps an affectionate term?

I went through 18 pages of Misc Classifieds and I did find someone selling Guttload at $7.95/lb + shipping. Is this what you're talking about?


Cause there might be an issue getting this from the US to Canuckistan. No fruits or veggies allowed to cross the borders without a special license.



So it wouldn't be too hard for me to make my own mix, oui?

Just process up some sweet potato, alfalfa sprouts, collard greens, some carrots, and a bit of bee pollen?



Most of that stuff I pick up on a regular basis anyways -- For the Iguana.

 

[sandrachameleon]

So it wouldn't be too hard for me to make my own mix, oui?

oui. Very easy.

The dry portion of a gutload can include (blend with a coffee grinder or food processor): quality whole grain cereal (Im currently using Kashi); spirulina; bee pollen; alfalfa; organic raw sunflower seeds; dried seaweed/kelp/dulse; oats; ground almonds; ...
A wet gutload (switch it up with a different couple of items every other day or so) can frequently includes things like: dandelion leaves, squash, carrot, yam, orange, mustard greens....

More: entry:https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition.html

 

[froggysan]

Sounds pretty good to me.

One question though... What the heck is spirulina?


EDIT: And where the heck does someone get alfalfa? Other than the sprouts...

 

[jojackson]

Sounds pretty good to me.

One question though... What the heck is spirulina?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement)

I think you can buy poweder but

EDIT: And where the heck does someone get alfalfa? Other than the sprouts...

Health food store maybe? or nursery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa

 

[froggysan]

I think you can buy poweder but

If not, that's what my friends Mortar and Pestle are for.

 

[Docility]

oui. Very easy.

The dry portion of a gutload can include (blend with a coffee grinder or food processor): quality whole grain cereal (Im currently using Kashi); spirulina; bee pollen; alfalfa; organic raw sunflower seeds; dried seaweed/kelp/dulse; oats; ground almonds; ...
A wet gutload (switch it up with a different couple of items every other day or so) can frequently includes things like: dandelion leaves, squash, carrot, yam, orange, mustard greens....

More: entry:https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition.html

now i thought dandelion was poisonous to chams?

 

[froggysan]

now i thought dandelion was poisonous to chams?

I don't think it is. I know it's a staple green for Iguanas... Granted chams are a different species, most things that are poisonous to one are also poisonous to the other.

Anyone else know for sure?

 

[ColorCham427]

I use the Kammer's cricket page's recipe. Also sweet potato, carrot, kale, romaine lettuce, and a few other things.

 

[yoza717]

EDIT: And where the heck does someone get alfalfa? Other than the sprouts...

They sell bales of alfalfa at feed stores. But for smaller amounts, I saw small cubes in the hamster aisle at the pet store.

 

[sandrachameleon]

You can get dried alfalfa pellets from most feed stores - for livestock or rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters.

Spirulina from most health food stores and many reptile supply places as well. a little goes a long way

Dandelion greens are NOT dangerous. I use this quite a lot for crickets, roaches, silkworms, etc and I eat it myself in salads in the spring.