# gut loading question



## the-tick (Nov 27, 2006)

Been reading up on gut loading, cricket keeping etc

Found a site that recommends powdered baby milk as a source of calcium for the crickets, if this was fed to them would that be enough for a leo so no need to dust with calci powder?

on a side note how the heck do you get crix out of a keeper with out letting half of them escape ?

(I have a faunarium that it's vents are taped along the side and I will be making a netting screen for the top of it to keep them in)


----------



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

no gutload crickets and dust them, gutloading is not a replacement for dusting.

apparently feeding them any actual neatish calcium blocks thier guts up, i wouldnt bother, just feed the normal crushed up wheat or bran based stuff and fresh veg.

if crickets are in a keeper...in tubes [kitchen roll/loo roll] its not too hard to pick one tube out and shake the contents into a bag.


----------



## the-tick (Nov 27, 2006)

DeanThorpe said:


> no gutload crickets and dust them, gutloading is not a replacement for dusting.
> 
> apparently feeding them any actual neatish calcium blocks thier guts up, i wouldnt bother, just feed the normal crushed up wheat or bran based stuff and fresh veg.
> 
> if crickets are in a keeper...in tubes [kitchen roll/loo roll] its not too hard to pick one tube out and shake the contents into a bag.



Thanks


----------



## Magpye (Jan 26, 2007)

Even with a formulated cricket diet the Ca ration in a cricket is still below the minimum 1:1 recommendation. I believe Leo's will self-medicate if you provide a shallow dish of Ca carbonate in their enclosure, but I'm not 100% as I don't keep them.


----------



## Jas (Mar 9, 2005)

Bran isnt a good food to feed to your crickets as its too high in Phosphorus, the gutload Pro-Formula i developed is a high calcium food and after feeding the insects they tested:
Calc/Phos .53/.29 g/ per 100g
Crickets dont do to well if permanently fed on a high calcium diet but as a gutload its perfect. As Magpy says leopard geckos will help themselves to Calcium and vitamins if a small pot of it is in there vivarium.


----------



## Faith (May 17, 2007)

We feed our crickets vegies fruit and wheetabix :? 
Leos do great on them dusted and calcium in the vivs


----------



## jsconwy (Feb 20, 2008)

*no escape!!*

Hi
I'm very new to rep keeping, through trial and error I hit on a solution for keeping the crickets from escaping, I don't use a bag, I use a tall plastic picnic/outdoor jug - the kind you get in Asda or Tesco in the summer, they can't quite jump that high and the sides are nice and slippy. I put the dust in first, grab a loo-roll or egg box out of the aquarium(I have a nice tall narrow one with fine wire mesh from B&Q over it) and shake it into the jug tapping it quite far down so they can't use it as a jumping platform. I do this several times until I have enough in the jug, then swish them around a bit in the powder and throw them in with the bearded dragons or little Lemon-Drop our new super-hypo tangerine leopard gecko. It works really well - it's also easier to tip them from the jug into a storage box when I need to clean them out.
Sorry it's a bit wordy guys but it's either this or talking to the husband!!
Jilly


----------



## Jas (Mar 9, 2005)

I feed mine exactly the same way Jsconwy does, works a treat.


----------



## SUZI (Jan 13, 2008)

Has anyone used T-rex calcium plus food to feed their crickets seen some on a site and wondered if it would be better than veg.


----------



## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

the stuff you can buy is good but my crickets didnt eat it!!!


----------



## [email protected] (Dec 27, 2007)

Try flaked tropical fish food.....crix luv it


----------



## Corny-Dawny (Jun 10, 2007)

I bought some bug grub from petzoo I put some of that in the bottom of the tub I keep crickets in and some aqua gel.
Then I dust with leopard gecko dust and put calcium powder in a little milk bottle top in the faunarium with my leo.
Dawn


----------



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

true bran is low in calcium and high in ph... but the veg is usually much better..blancing it out and allowing the crickets to live and grow and stay clean and healthy..not dissing the premade stuff... but all that is is crap with calcium mixed in...to upp the ca-ph ratio which can be done with the fresh veg anyway..and of course dusting crix before feeding as we do sorts any probs out.


----------



## Jas (Mar 9, 2005)

DeanThorpe said:


> not dissing the premade stuff... but all that is is crap with calcium mixed in...


Thats like saying all human food is crap...Its all about the ingredients there are good and bad out there, the same with our food. Ingredients like Bee pollen, spirulina, alfalfa are some of the best ingredients you can feed to your herps supplying virtually every vitamin/mineral and trace element to them. Just look at the label before you buy.


----------



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

actually it was like saying the bran or anything that alone has a higher phosporou ratio than calcium is crap which is what i meant by it..

although if you wana get into it.. the stuff in those gutload bags you buy ARE CRAP...not a patch on fresh wheat and veg.


----------



## Jas (Mar 9, 2005)

DeanThorpe said:


> although if you wana get into it.. the stuff in those gutload bags you buy ARE CRAP...


Why the agressive tone?
As you are refering to all the pre made gutloads as Crap! and i produce one of those gutloads i feel i "Do wana get into it". I spent alot of money on having ingredients tested and analyzed to make my recipe and then to have the insects that eat it tested to show the effects on consuming the diet. So when someone slates all gutloads on an open forum its a bit annoying.. I see you point in some respect that there are gutloads out there that little thought has gone into making them but like i said in my first post its up to the buyer to read the label and see first was is actually in it.:smile:


----------



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

ok..what is the main ingredient of your gutload formula?

whats on the label to be honest is over most ppls heads...as they dont know whats in fresh greens...
they see this..and that..and calcium..and protien ...but without realising its all also in fresh food in usually higher qauntities.
there wasnt an agressive tone...where you drew any similarity to what i said and me saying "all human food is crap" is a bit anoying... all human processed, ground up and mixed to shi2 food is crap, i dont think anyone can dissagree with a straight face.

and you missed a bit out of the quote


DeanThorpe said:


> although if you wana get into it.. the stuff in those gutload bags you buy ARE CRAP...*not a patch on fresh wheat and veg*.


By putting the ingredients on the bag and saying its for gutloading crix etc people THINK its better than what they can give themselves as they ar eused to being told they have to buy specialist things for there reptiles... the gutload formulas are just the same.

In creating your gutload formula i would imagine you looked at the ingredients in a decent fresh diet ,broke it down into its raw ingredients and %'s and made it yourself in dry powder form.. would you put on the bag "gives same nutrients as these fresh ingredients you have around your home" ? cos that...i would respect.


----------



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Jas said:


> Thats like saying all human food is crap...Its all about the ingredients there are good and bad out there, the same with our food. Ingredients like Bee pollen, spirulina, alfalfa are some of the best ingredients you can feed to your herps supplying virtually every vitamin/mineral and trace element to them. Just look at the label before you buy.


Notice how i quote your hole post not just part of it..

fair enough on the alfalfa, bee pollen etc..but if you can buy it to mix into your gutload diet... and i assuem youy saying you do have this liste don yours rather than just crude %'S which is good... its best for ppl to realise they can too.

so what company distributes your gutload formala? is it in many shops or do you have your own?


----------



## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Jas said:


> Bran isnt a good food to feed to your crickets as its too high in Phosphorus, the gutload Pro-Formula i developed is a high calcium food and after feeding the insects they tested:
> Calc/Phos .53/.29 g/ per 100g
> Crickets dont do to well if permanently fed on a high calcium diet but as a gutload its perfect. As Magpy says leopard geckos will help themselves to Calcium and vitamins if a small pot of it is in there vivarium.


just so you know i wasnt refering or indeed having this post of yours in mind when i replied originally, infact i was oblivious to it..

just as you mention the ca-ph ratio... could be done by adding pure calcium to pure bran...

or as i did say in my initial post by dusting the crix..

When i say premade stuff by the way i mean those white powders of ground up ash of all origins that wouldnt know "fresh" if it bit them in the arse that i see in the rep shops.. SO if yours isnt in the shops.... i wasnt talking about you...although im not saying yours is any different...because it prolly isnt.
keeping the body of the feeder insect ticking along nicely is what i think is important.


----------



## Jas (Mar 9, 2005)

Dean im not really into online slanging matches, maybe its my age or something....
You have far too many incorrect comments in your posts for me to spare the time to answer them all so we will just have to agree to disagree......


----------

