# wat is gutloading?



## speedy123 (Aug 26, 2006)

was wondering what wud gutloading was and why should i do it to my crickets???

i feed them bran flakes, salad and carrots is that ok???


----------



## Matt W (Aug 6, 2005)

Gut loading is where you fill the live food with nutrition just before it is fed to your reptile, so that the food is very good for them.

I feed my crickets on veg and crappy cricket feed up until a day before feeding to my reptiles, I put the few I will be feeding tommorow in a seperate pot and feed them this:

http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=106

It just makes it so the food is filled with all the needed vitamins and minerals.

Thx
Matt


----------



## speedy123 (Aug 26, 2006)

so matt do you sprinkle this 'cricket diet plus' onto the vegtables or is it in the form of pellets?

and where could i get it from, are they sold in reptile shops? i might order it online but just incase.

is there anything i could use to gutload the crickets from home? i heard milk powder mixed with catfood is good???

many thanks

tom


----------



## Matt W (Aug 6, 2005)

No, I feed vegies normally to the main population of crikets. But I take two crickets each night for my leopard gecko and place them in a seperate container for one day which I fill with only the "cricket diet plus". They'll eat it on it's own and it fills them up and then I give them to my leopard gecko so that she gets all the vitamins and minerals from the "cricket diet plus". Also, because you asked, it is like sand, it is loads of very small granuals. Finally, I have never seen it in any shops near me, only on websites like that, I personally buy it from the link I left.

Thx
Matt


----------



## speedy123 (Aug 26, 2006)

ok thanks alot matt, one last question i sprinkle the dust thing on the crickets, the calcium dust should i keep using that aswell?


----------



## thorrshamri (Jul 4, 2006)

Preferrably yes :wink:


----------



## speedy123 (Aug 26, 2006)

ok thanks man  i was also wondering what does 1 instar and 2nd instar mean about the sizes of crickets??? mine usually eats medium so i dont know which ones to pick.


----------



## Kooli (Jun 13, 2006)

hope you don't mind me butting into your thread but how the hell do you only get 2 or so crickets out of the tub at once without the rest jumping out all over the place and giving my cats entertainment for the rest of the night trying to catch them!!!


----------



## Matt W (Aug 6, 2005)

I just open one corner of the pot and tip two out  !

Thx
Matt


----------



## Bonnie Mitchell (Jul 24, 2006)

Have had the cat scenario myself! Now I use a cricket keeper to keep them in with lots of space, feeding dishes & a tube to insert that lets you only take a few at a time. You can dust this removal tube with calcium dust so they get it on them before you feed your herp.

On the subject of feeding/gutloading: I use JurassiDiet from getting 'em to sending 'em into the viv. It fills 'em up, keeps 'em healthy & cuts down on the amount of eachother they eat in the keeper tank. It's £7.50 a tub from all good herp stores & some crappy ones too. The benefits to the crix and lizards outweighs any expense. I only buy it once every 3 months to keep my 2 agamas in crix. 
I use JurassiQuench to give the crix fluid 'cos it gives them water based vitamins too, cuts out the need for smelly veg, stops 'em drowning in pools and is nicer to handle. Again a bit costly but worth it if you want to keep crix nutritious & handle as little as possible (also avoid feeding 'em to cat instead of lizzies!)


----------



## nicky (Jul 13, 2005)

kooli pop them in fridge first for a few mins this slows them right down.. :wink:


----------



## dragonsdad&mum (Aug 18, 2006)

Yes - Fridge=good, however Freezer=BAD!!

When we first got r Beardies I hated the insects so I put the hoppers in the freezer, only for a minute and it looked like they'd all died!! 

Thankfully after a few more than a copupla minutes they woke up, wouldn't do it all the time tho, give the poor little blighters BRAIN FREEZE!!


----------

