Bug puree'?

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WingedWolfPsion

New member
So, I had this crazy idea...folks feel that CGD isn't quite a complete enough diet for Phelsuma and other species that eat less fruit than Rhacs.
Has anyone tried blenderizing a bunch of dusted feeder insects, and then using that as an addition to CGD or another MRP? You could freeze the stuff in ice cube trays, and then mix it in at 25% with CGD.

Ignore the terrible image in your mind of what the blender looks like in operation, and tell me if you think this would be a viable solution. ^_^

(Not everyone has the means to raise insects, and simplifying the feeding of some reptiles could expand opportunities for owners in apartments and other places where bugs are harder to come by--you could buy a bunch in bulk, keep them for one day to gut-load them, then turn them into a shake and freeze them).

Apologies in advance if this double-posts, the forum is NOT playing nicely with Firefox today for some reason.
 
Adrn

Adrn

New member
I have actually brain stormed this idea as a way to get hatchlings to feed on a higher protein substance other than MRP. The laborius task of even finding fruit flies or purchasing pinheads and then maintaining them brought me to think of things similar. I have never tried it, though. I was thinking of just pulverizing a few gutloaded crickets or house flies and adding this to some repashy or honey. It sounds like a good idea as long as the frozen insects etc do not lose their nutritional value.
 
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WingedWolfPsion

New member
I wouldn't think they would lose anything critical. The addition of a little vitamin powder containing B vitamins should offset that completely.
 
kruler

kruler

New member
I know my phelsuma lick up whatever guts they shake out of their insect prey so maybe you wouldn't even have to mix it with anything.
 
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WingedWolfPsion

New member
Disturbing idea, lol. But if I mix it with CGD, then I know it's going to be a complete, nutritious diet with everything they need in it.
 
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proudwords

New member
Interesting idea but I would sure miss the sight of phelsuma excitement when live insects are introduced. One of my grandis girls usually meets me at the front door of the enclosure and when she was a youngster, she would even wag her tail. I throw a few big powdery moths in there early on a summer evening and she is in gecko heaven.
 
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colinmelsom

New member
Wow. The joke about Kermit in the blender comes to mind. :crackup:
In the U.K. we can buy cans of crickets which I think are dried and also a small vibrating device on which you put the dead crickets to make them look alive.This is supposed to attract the lizards,
Have you thought about feeding live waxworms?They need to be used sparingly but I dont think you will have a pest problem with them. Some of my Phelsuma will eat locusts which again will not be a pest in the cooler part of the U.S.A..They do have a chew at the plants in the vivarium though.
 
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WingedWolfPsion

New member
Locusts aren't really available as feeders in the US--I realize they're a staple in the UK. I'm raising mealworms, because they're no problem. I also have fruit fly and springtail cultures. But I'm lacking a good, solid staple feeder. I have some silkworms going, but dear lord...the fussiness of those creatures! I don't want to spend more time fiddling with the feeders than I do with the animals I'm feeding them to. Roaches and crickets are out of the question in this house. We will raise some orange-heads once we move next year.

I was just wondering whether anyone had tried this, and what they thought about the feasibility. I could easily buy a shipment of crickets, dust them good, and throw them in with a bunch of mealworms, and make a bug shake. I could use the CGD/bug shake mix as a staple food, and then offer live fruit flies occasionally as a treat, and for the stimulation.
This is less about me personally, though, and more about solutions for people who can't raise any insects at all, or who live in areas where getting live feeders is difficult year-round. If this actually works, it would enable a rather large group of people to keep these animals who previously could not.
 
Adrn

Adrn

New member
I think I am going to try the pulverized bug thing tonight. I purchased a ~500 2wk old cricket shipment from a local petstore that arrived on Tuesday. I did not get a chance to open the box until Wednesday evening and some of them died like usual anyway. I think I will scoop these up, mash them, and add this to my Repashy 2 part mix. I just have to figure out a good way to get them down to a fine ground almost liquid without using the wife's blender. Any ideas?
 
Adrn

Adrn

New member
Yeah, I looked at them and figured the same. I ended up using live ones that have been feeding on Repashy gutload, calcium plus, and super pig stirred together as well as Cricket Total Bites. I then mixed this paste-like subsatnce in with my Repashy MRP mix. Every single one of them didn't seem to mind and lapped it up eagerly as usual.
 
Adrn

Adrn

New member
***Update***

Here is what I found:
1. The mix was eaten with as much vigor as without bug puree, big plus!
2. The mix spoiled very quickly with the bug puree of live gutloaded crickets.
Big plus to have the added nutrition, but not without giving up the amount of time the mix can be kept in with them. With the added honey having antibacterial properties, I can usually leave it in there up to 1.5 days and even add moisture back to it with the daily spraying. I have found that they still will eat it up without any worries.This time, however, I noticed the mix that I put in there on Friday evening having a swollen look to it by Saturday afternoon-evening. I took out the little container and slightly shook it. Little bubbles seeped to the surface, a sure sign of bacterial growth. None of the phelsuma that were given this offering have shown any sign of "Repashy runs" or illness and actually ate the few live crickets I gave them last night, but I think that if I do this down the line I will only keep the mix in there for a short time.
 
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WingedWolfPsion

New member
I would think so too--I wouldn't leave it in there for longer than 3 hours, probably. That's enough time for them to fill their tummies, though.
 
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