Feeding crickets fruits and veggies?

GeckoFanboy

GeckoFanboy

Member
Would like to hear from others here.

For many years, with my late gecko, I had a cricket critter cage, and I supplied the crickets with Flukers cricket supplements regularly...meaning they had access to food 24/7. Lately, with my new gecko, I am trying different things with my crickets.

In the cricket cage, at all times, I am making sure they have fresh carrots and an orange slice. They ravage the orange slice, and probably eat more of it than the carrots. Then, 24 hours before I feed the crickets to my gecko, I remove about 6 of them from the critter cage, and place them in another container with Flukers orange cubes, grain food, and quencher. These 6 crickets get fed to my gecko. I'm hoping they have plenty of gut load in them. Thoughts?

Also, I am wondering what exact fruits and veggies are the most nutritious to feed the crickets? And which ones you should NOT feed to your crickets? And is there anything else healthy to feed a cricket that is not a fruit or veggie?
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Here's exactly how I manage my crickets:
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Click: #6---Gutload Ingredients for Bugs & Worms.....contributed by Olimpia -- August 2013

"Lettuce (except dark, leafy greens) is just water and nutritionally irrelevant. People don't even give lettuce to tortoises and iguanas because it's worthless as food. The same could be said for potatoes. Fish flakes are very high in protein and this can lead to a build-up of uric acid in feeders/reptiles and end up causing gout. A little now and then is fine but this should never be the bulk of any gutload.

"A commercial gutloading food like Bug Burger or Superload (both by Repashy), Cricket Crack, Dinofuel, etc. is going to make your life easier AND provide a nutritious diet to your crickets at the same time. Avoid Fluker's gutloads, as they are super feeble in their formulas.

"If you opt for making your own gutload at home, here is a list of great ingredients to use:
Best: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress, and alfalfa.
Good: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy, and green beans.
Dry food: bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed, and organic non-salted almonds.
Avoid as much as possible: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates.
Click to expand...

------>"As far as how to keep crickets, a large plastic storage container will work well, but really anything with smooth sides. On a large plastic container you can cut out a panel on two sides and glue on aluminum screening (and do the same on the lid) and this will provide plenty of air flow. Bad air is the #1 killer of crickets, along with poor hydration, so having good airflow will make the difference if you start getting into bulk orders of crickets.

------>"And I just dust mine using a large plastic cup. You don't need to coat crickets in a thick layer of calcium. Just put a pinch of calcium into the cup, get some crickets into the cup, swirl, and dump. The crickets end up evenly but lightly coated and there isn't any excess calcium left over."

"Hope that helps!"

(Last edited by Olimpia; 08-21-2013 at 02:03 PM.)
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
GeckoFanboy said:
Elizabeth, I am curious...do these same fruits and veggies apply to Dubia roaches and mealworms/superworms?
Click to expand...

These fruits and veggies work for many feeders: crickets, roaches, and mealworms/superworms.


PS: Thanks to acpart (Aliza)
"Most veggie peels work well. You can also feed crickets, mealworms, and superworms vegetable pieces that you would normally throw away: eggplant peels, carrot tops, cucumber peels, broccoli and cauliflower stems, Bell pepper cores, sweet potato ends, apples, and strawberry tops. They completely demolish them!

"Very juicy veggies and fruits are not a good idea. I tried cantaloupe rinds once and it was a disaster!

"Remove seeds from apples and Bell peppers. Apple seeds can, and have, caused choking!"
 
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GeckoFanboy

GeckoFanboy

Member
Okay, so since it's now feeding time, LOL, I got another question for you...
I tend to dump some of my calcium D3 powder into a baggie, drop a couple bugs in and shake it up, then I grab the bugs and put them in another bag, bounce them around a tiny bit, just so they don't have a ton of calcium powder stuck to them, but enough to see they are visibly "white". Anyway, I notice after awhile that the powder baggie starts getting legs and droppings in it. How long do you usually use this powder bag before you chuck it and start over with a fresh bag of brand new powder?
 
B

buppiboyo12

New member
GeckoFanboy said:
Okay, so since it's now feeding time, LOL, I got another question for you...
I tend to dump some of my calcium D3 powder into a baggie, drop a couple bugs in and shake it up, then I grab the bugs and put them in another bag, bounce them around a tiny bit, just so they don't have a ton of calcium powder stuck to them, but enough to see they are visibly "white". Anyway, I notice after awhile that the powder baggie starts getting legs and droppings in it. How long do you usually use this powder bag before you chuck it and start over with a fresh bag of brand new powder?
Click to expand...

I would say put new powder in once a week, or as soon as you seen any legs/droppings. You don't want it to be contaminated.

As for feeding the insects like you mentioned earlier, fruits and vegetables are great and should be provided. I was recently recommended Zoo Med's Adult Bearded Dragon food. It is nutritionally complete for the insects (and eventually your gecko!) and safe. You can just ground some of it up and place it in with your insects.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
GeckoFanboy said:
Okay, so since it's now feeding time, LOL, I got another question for you...
I tend to dump some of my calcium D3 powder into a baggie, drop a couple bugs in and shake it up, then I grab the bugs and put them in another bag, bounce them around a tiny bit, just so they don't have a ton of calcium powder stuck to them, but enough to see they are visibly "white". Anyway, I notice after awhile that the powder baggie starts getting legs and droppings in it. How long do you usually use this powder bag before you chuck it and start over with a fresh bag of brand new powder?
Click to expand...
Are you also using a multivitamin for your leo?

IF the powder has ANY droppings, chuck it. Cap the container so it's airtight. Then use it up.

This method only requires 1 procedure once. :)

I use 32 ounce size deli cups. Any tall container will work.
  • Put powder in container
  • Add bugs or worms
  • Swirl bugs and worms to lightly cover them.
  • If too much powder sticks to the bugs, bounce the bugs against the bottom of the container with up and down motions of your arm.
  • Cap the container with an airtight lid. It's then ready for the next dusting.
 
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