Guttloading.
- Thread starter turk81
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ColorCham427
Avid Member
I've been using the gutload from cricketfood.com. The crickets love that stuff. Once in a while I switch it up.. Some days it's sweet potatoe with apple.. other days it's carrots and kale. I always use a tiny slice of orange for a water source. Make sure you clean your cricket's cage(s) atleast twice a week! Dirty crickets are no good. I use rep-cal daily... very lightly dusted. And Reptivite vitamin every 2 weeks. Make sure when you "dust" your crickets..they shouldnt be coated white. They should be coated a very light grey tint.
I use the same, its loaded with nutrients and they love it. I throw orange slices in there for hydration and load them with Vitamin C. I have used carrots in the past and never had issues but they seem to dry up faster than oranges so I stick with those
Phatturk
New Member
Maybe I jumped to conclusions about the carrots. I used to throw a couple in everyday and they would chow them to nothing and just 1 lot I guess died off really fast but it very well could have been some other factor I guess. But I stopped with the carrots and haven't seen the problem since. I think I will go back to using carrots since no one else had a problem. Maybe I had bad carrots?
I use the gutload from cricketfood as well, just started. My first batch of crix i lost about 15 out of 40 and im not sure why. Im thinking maybe I had too much of the food mix on the bottom and perhaps they were getting trampled or suffocating. Not sure yet. The 5LB bag will probably last 3-4 months depending on how much crix you keep.
I also use kale, mustard greens, collard greens, carrots, and oranges. The veggies have to be changed daily otherwise they start to stink real bad.
I also use kale, mustard greens, collard greens, carrots, and oranges. The veggies have to be changed daily otherwise they start to stink real bad.
Jeweledchameleons
Avid Member
There's no reason why you can't mix up your own cricket chow
there's many different formulations listed on different sites
search around a bit until you find one that sounds right for you
Oh, the problem with cricket die off isn't always with "the food" per sé,
It's quite likely that they're canabalizing they're own dead
and then, falling ill to the same bacteria or fungus.
Carrots aren't all that appetizing day in day out to the cricket's pallet...
(Hell, I would be looking for options as well... wouldn't you?)
So, it's always a good idea to remove the dead and ill insects quickly
to avoid dead protein nibbling,
and keep the container in such a way as to limit bacteria counts.
Last word: move up to keeping roaches as soon as you can handle the concept.
there's many different formulations listed on different sites
search around a bit until you find one that sounds right for you
Oh, the problem with cricket die off isn't always with "the food" per sé,
It's quite likely that they're canabalizing they're own dead
and then, falling ill to the same bacteria or fungus.
Carrots aren't all that appetizing day in day out to the cricket's pallet...
(Hell, I would be looking for options as well... wouldn't you?)
So, it's always a good idea to remove the dead and ill insects quickly
to avoid dead protein nibbling,
and keep the container in such a way as to limit bacteria counts.
Last word: move up to keeping roaches as soon as you can handle the concept.
Last edited:
dragonbreeder
New Member
Carrots are very important. Carrots not only supply some moisture but also beta carotene, which is naturally converted into vitamin A inside the crickets systems. I have kept carrots in my cricket bins at all times. Potatoes are useless. I have never used water crystals for crickets as the varied greens I give them satisfies their water needs. I have kept crickets for many years now, and always made my own cricket food out of ground-up oatmeal, baby rice cereal, wheat germ, 15 bean soup and (yes, also ground up). Again, this dry food was supplemented with dandelion greens, collards, romaine in an alternating fashion. Using this method, my crickets have always done well with virtually no dead or sick crickets.
Now, in recent times, I have found out that many people are using ground up dog food as their cricket food. Yes, simple, dry dog food. Supplemented with some greens and fruits, apparently it is all that they need for full nutrition. I guess it makes sense, after doing some research I have found that the ingredients in dog food are likely better than what I (as well as many other keepers) were making on our own. That alone was not proof for me, what convinced me was the healthy reptiles, and generations of reptiles produced from crickets and roaches that were fed this simple diet. Now that I am convinced, I am moving over to dog food.
With (all that) said, I am also making another major change. I am giving up crickets. This summer I have done much research on reptile feeder insects, and have ascertained that crickets are not as nutritious and not nearly as convenient as an insect source as blaptica dubia. I purchased a small colony from http://www.blapticadubia.com at a great price/service and have been using them for almost a month now. I have found that the claims are true. They have not produced any odor as of yet. They are clean, their droppings are small, granular and very dry. They pour right out of the bin, sticking to nothing. The dubias are quite, cannot climb, are calm, eat well and have been extremely convenient to use. I keep them at 85-95 during the day and allow them to go down to mid 70’s at night.
I will never go back to crickets. The initial investment of using dubias is at a cost higher than crickets, but the payoff is much bigger. And yes, they eat dog food too.
Now, in recent times, I have found out that many people are using ground up dog food as their cricket food. Yes, simple, dry dog food. Supplemented with some greens and fruits, apparently it is all that they need for full nutrition. I guess it makes sense, after doing some research I have found that the ingredients in dog food are likely better than what I (as well as many other keepers) were making on our own. That alone was not proof for me, what convinced me was the healthy reptiles, and generations of reptiles produced from crickets and roaches that were fed this simple diet. Now that I am convinced, I am moving over to dog food.
With (all that) said, I am also making another major change. I am giving up crickets. This summer I have done much research on reptile feeder insects, and have ascertained that crickets are not as nutritious and not nearly as convenient as an insect source as blaptica dubia. I purchased a small colony from http://www.blapticadubia.com at a great price/service and have been using them for almost a month now. I have found that the claims are true. They have not produced any odor as of yet. They are clean, their droppings are small, granular and very dry. They pour right out of the bin, sticking to nothing. The dubias are quite, cannot climb, are calm, eat well and have been extremely convenient to use. I keep them at 85-95 during the day and allow them to go down to mid 70’s at night.
I will never go back to crickets. The initial investment of using dubias is at a cost higher than crickets, but the payoff is much bigger. And yes, they eat dog food too.
dragonbreeder
New Member
Also please note that all crickets that I have kept always ate their carrots as fast as their fresh greens. I found that my blaptica dubias eat them just as fast!
