Dry gutload for crickets

KapitalJ

KapitalJ

Avid Member
As I realise there are blogs and recipes on the forum already. Most of these seem quite complex. I was wondering if anyone had a nice simple recipe. Something I can walk into Bulk Barn and grab a few ingredients. I will still be using my regular wet gutloading of leafy greens and fruits.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Yeah the ones I researched are pretty crazy in terms of # ingredients I understand those are ideal nutritionally but just not practical. There needs to be something that is based on cost and easy to get/make/store and what gives the best nutrition based on those few things. Mayb bug burger and cricket crack are those things but I would say most try other methods.
 
I take the main ingredients of the gutloads listed and look at what else is listed. I add a few items of each. About three items of dried fruit, 4 of dried seeds or nuts, I have a few spices chosen for their nutritional properties and added in small amounts as to what is acceptable for that spice... I also add vitamins with actual vitamin A and calcium with D3.
 
Variety is one of the main secrets to a healthy chameleon! My dry gutload has over 100 ingredients in it! I make a 5 galon bucket full at a time and keep it in a dry cool area. Sandrachameleon has a lot of great info like someone else already mentioned!
 
If you are using a decent wet gutload, which is way more laborious than a well thought out dry gutload ( I use both ), then you don't need a ton of stuff. Get some bee pollen, alfalfa powder, spirulina, add those things to a decent dry baby cereal and you have start. Avoid items like powdered milk, grains, and human vitamins.
When you look at a gut load recipe, mentally pick out a few ingredients that do what all the others do, for example alfalfa powder is your protein, so no need for hemp or other protein sources, bee pollen is full of vitamins, so that covers you there, now you're looking to add perhaps calcium, antioxidants, or specific nutrients, such as Vitamin A, so choose another ingredient or 2 accordingly. You can make a decent gutload with a trip to a decently equipped, though not specialty or super fancy grocery store. You could probably find a friend to order and split shipping with on a ready made gutload. It's far simpler, in my opinion. You don't want to know what I use and have to grind and chop to make my gutload.
 
A reminder of my favorite FREE gut load ingredients...wait for it! Wait for it!!!!
Dandelion Leaves. Yep, Dandelion Leaves. Really...Dandelion Leaves; serve them fresh, serve them dried out and crushed up, but serve them to your feeders. Did you know Silk Worms will eat fresh dandelion leaves (although not exclusively).

I also am a big supporter of using Bee Pollen, it is natures super food. The pollen comes mostly in granular form, and the blender fights to turn them into a fine powder. The end result is feeder insects can't eat the large granular pieces. Another challenge is it is one of the most expensive ingredients, so if you add a significant amount of it, your feeders will benefit greatly, but the wallet will feel it; 100 pounds is $650.00, or $6.50 a pound. That is why it is not an ingredient in most gut loads you buy, or if it is, the % is on the low end.

One of the keys I think is important if you make your own dry gut load is to have a percentage of it ground super fine so younger feeders can eat it. I have burned up 2 blenders, 1 high-end, and one almost high-end... Cricket Crack and Bug Buffet both have fine-ground gut-loads, while the Super Worm Chow is slightly courser.

The Roach Gut Loads I use and sell are courser than Super Chow; WOW Chow is fairly fine with some 1/8 inch-sized chunks, Roach Bedding Chow is more of the chunks.

All of the above gut loads/chows have the ingredients listed on my ad in the classifieds, under "Chameleon Supplies," the title is "Gut Loads and Feeder Stuff." Feel free to use these ingredient lists I posted to make your own!

CHEERS!

Nick
 
If it were simple, then everyone would be making their own gut-load. I don't know the cost of shipping to Canada, but a pound or two of cricket crack/bug buffet can go a long way. I only use a couple of finger pinches to sprinkle it on to the veggies.
 
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