Is my Homemade gutload ok ?

[OffshoreMetal]

Hello , Today i decided to make my own gutload for my crickets.

I dont have the quantity i putted in it, Just putted some together.

I used some cow grain wich is in fact Barley, Wheat, Corn and Oats.
I added some hulled grain (groats)
with some puppy food.
I also added a little bit of Wardley reptile multi-vitamins.
Putted all that in a coffee grinder that i carefully washed before.
Grinded it to a powder.

I want to know if everything is ok and what i should add.

Thanks

 

[OffshoreMetal]

Anyone ? Should i feed them only this or should i add something ?
And for water i only give them plain water with a sponge in it. So they dont get nutriments in the water.

 

[T-ReXx]

Anyone ? Should i feed them only this or should i add something ?
And for water i only give them plain water with a sponge in it. So they dont get nutriments in the water.

I'd add some fresh fruits/veggies like Orange, Romaine Lettuce, carrots, etc. That plus your gutload should be fine. And try water crystals instead of a sponge, it's easier/cleaner. Or just offer fresh orange slices daily, they will get all the water they need from that.

 

[OffshoreMetal]

Thanks ill add veggies from my garden today

 

[MauricesExoticPets]

Add 20% calcium carbonate to the mix by weight and you have a gutload, you don't need any more than 1% of the vitamin mix also by weight, otherwise its just bug food.

Feed this for 18 to 24 prior to using the insects as feeders and they will be good to go.

This will kill the insects if fed as a regular diet, your mixture minus the vitamin powder will be fine as a regular diet.

Maurice Pudlo

 

[Emily]

I would be concerned with what kind of puppy food you are using. Many so-called "healthy" dog foods are still made of sub-par products and full of fillers. I use the food we feed our dogs, which only has human-grade ingredients in it.

I'm certainly no expert, but here's my "Bug Chow" recipe that has proven to be a great gutload for crickets and roaches, if anyone is interested:

1 Cup Solid Gold Wolf King dog food
1 Cup Rep Cal Bearded Dragon food (that the beardies won't eat...I have a 4 pound bag of it! :roll
1 Tablespoon Repashy Insect Gutload
1 Tablespoon Repashy Crested Gecko Diet

I also throw pieces of veggies in the bins every few days for them to munch on.

 

[MauricesExoticPets]

This is my personal no frills gets the job done gutload for most insects except waxworms, silks, hornworms, and a few other odd things I use as feeders.

All measures are by weight.

1% powdered vitamin
7.5% Brewer's yeast
20% Precipitated calcium carbonate
25% Fresh vegtables chopped and blended into dry ingredients
46.5% Powdered infant formula

The dry ingredients can be mixed in bulk, add the fresh vegtables the day you feed this to the insects.

I use green beans mostly, sometimes carrots, in November I use pumpkin or squash, it truly does not matter as long as they are fresh and provide enough moisture to make the gutload very slightly moist.

As for the vitamin component, the reptile powder vitamins are just fine, or crush your own into a fine powder. At this point do not stress about phosphorous content, it will not alter the diet in any way that will show in your reptile because of the very high calcium content.

There are a ton of infant formulas out there, use a brand you would feed to your own child.

I feed this to the insects for 18-24 hours just prior to feeding them off to the reptiles.

Maurice Pudlo

 

[baseball2k26]

Deffinately some greens to add moisture