# Quick check on gutloading please?



## vicky1804 (Dec 12, 2006)

Ok, getting close to my leo coming(nx friday) so wanted to check iv have this gutloading thing right

Tropical fish flakes and some sort of veg for Crickets. We always have lettace in is that ok, and occasionally others leafys, small piece of cotton wool soaked and squeshed for moisture

Broken Weetabix and potato for Mealies? Anything else

Going to be getting these about Tuesday wednesday so plenty of time to gutload just want to check im doing it right

Advice would be great guys
Thanks


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

fish flakes are good, lettuce would be good for water but not much else, try dark leafy greens.
Potato is ok with other stuff but on its own its not very nutritious.

Cotton wool will harbour loads of bacteria, again not good, use a very shallow bowl or bug gel, TBH I dont provide any water they'll get it from the veg.

I found that crushed weetabix clumps together when it gets moist and it moulds quickly, for this reason I stopped using it.

For feeding mealies I use any crickets or locusts that have died off, they demolish everything.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

use a fish filter sponge in the water dish. cut it to size. rinse it EVERY day.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

I use crushed up wheatabix for all live food thats the dry food/substtrate for mealies etc.

and leafy veg for food and moisture.

fish flakes is an aded source of vits etc.

so you really only need those.


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## vicky1804 (Dec 12, 2006)

Thanks deanthorpe, so if i put weetabix in with both crickets and mealies?
Also veg and fishfood, this would be a suitable diet?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yes.
Leafy veg is best as they eat it all and no waste.
whereas harder veg like carrots, potatoes and thinsg liek cucumber, tomatoe etc go manky.


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## vicky1804 (Dec 12, 2006)

What sort of leafy veg would you suggest? Il get the otherhalf to pick some up next week.
Cabbage ok?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

use dark green veggies like kale


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

cabbage [inc kale] is ok.
But the easiest and most full of moisture and coem ina good variety is the bags of mixed leafs you can buy from supermarkets.
inc such as
frisee
radachio
romaine
tanog
chard
baby leaf
chinese leaf
escarole 
and that sort.

Spring greens, sometimes just saus "greens" on the bag, usually coems in a pk of 2 lettucey kinda shape but longer is ok too.


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## vicky1804 (Dec 12, 2006)

Ah so a bag of mixed salad prob he best way to go? preferrable the mixed leafs?

Cheers


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yeh.

and if you ever get a beardie...to save asking... its a good staple diet for them too  and iggys [but with much more stuff added too]


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## crosby (Jun 6, 2006)

Most of the food types have been covered by Dean but the specific dark green veg I use for gutloading is spring greens. I do also use carrots but as has been mentioned they can turn after a couple of days so don't leave them in with the crickets.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yeh spring greens are cool, often only labeled as "greens" in our sainsburies, havent used them in the past 3 weeks as i got a really dodgy batch [didnt have the inside bit, just hollow and was very very funny colour when wet]


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## boldoutlook (Nov 1, 2007)

You should be feeding your crickets greens and other veggies prior to gutloading which is done 24 hours before feeding crickets to your rep.

You can by Flukers cricket high calcium feed.

You also can try bee pollen, Animal Fat, Boitin, Bone Meal, Calcium Iodate, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Corn Gluten Mean, Dried Molasses, Dried Whey, Folic Acid, Garlic Oil, Ground Wheat, Ground Yellow Corn, L-Lysine (First limiting ameno acid), Manganese Sulfate, Meat Meal, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K), Niacin, Potassium Chloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Salt, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin D-3, Vitamin E, Wheat Middlings, Zinc sulfate


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