Gut Loading is Not Just Feeding Feeders

Digs

Member
I want to tell everyone why gut loading is not a simple process of just feeding the feeders any food before they go to the insectivore. It’s not even choosing high calcium fresh produce like collard greens, bok choy, mustard greens, or dandelion greens. Scientific studies suggest that gut loading is difficult to achieve with a homemade diet, and most commercial diets that claim to effectively gut load feeders don’t work either. There are only a few commercial gut loading diets that have actually been shown to work, and that’s Mazuri Better Bug, Mazuri Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet, Repashy Superload(not Bug Burger), Zeigler Monster Cricket Diet, T-Rex Calcium Plus, Zukudla Cricket Max2, and Fluker’s High Calcium Mealworm/Dubia Roach Diet (not High Calcium Cricket Diet, but someone has suggested that they might be reformulating this specific diet to be better so its effectiveness might change in the future).

How effective each of the gut loading diets listed above are can also depend not only on the specie of feeder, but also their age.
For example, the calcium to phosphorus ratio of adult crickets is altered better by Mazuri Better Bug and Zeigler Monster Cricket Diet than Repashy Superload, while pinhead crickets have their calcium to phosphorus ratio altered better by Repashy Superload.
An example of specie specific gut loading is that crickets and superworms are shown to have their calcium to phosphorus ratio improved more with Mazuri Better Bug than with Mazuri Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet, while for mealworms it’s the other way around.

Timing is important as well. 24 hours is the minimum amount of time that a feeder should be gut loaded. 48 hours is typically the maximum amount of time that you want to gut load feeders, as in most studies, it has been found that nutrient levels peak around 48 hours then drop afterwards. There have been exceptions found to this for a very well formulated gut loading diet. Zukudla Cricket Max2 was found to go over the target nutrient levels of the calcium to phosphorus ratio, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin D3. Although nutrients did decrease after 48 hours, the gut loading diet was still able to maintain nutrient levels slightly over the target levels.

Fresh produce should not be used as a source of moisture while the insects are being gut loaded. A gut loading diet needs to be force fed to feeder insects, fresh produce is more palatable to the insects than the gut loading diet and they’ll choose it over the gut load. Instead of fresh produce, plain water should be provided through a wet paper towel, or what I like to do is use Repashy Superload in gel form as a moisture source for the feeders that I’m gut loading.

(T-Rex Calcium Plus, Fluker’s High Calcium Cricket Diet, Timberline Cricket Power Food, Timberline Cricket Power Food + 15% CaCO3, Jurassi Diet Gut Load, and Energy Savers Unlimited Cricket and Insect Food)
https://meridian.allenpress.com/jhm...Evaluation-of-Four-Dry-Commercial-Gut-Loading

(Mazuri Better Bug, Mazuri Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet, Purina Gamebird Starter, and fresh produce mixed with Mazuri LS Tortoise Diet)

(Repashy Superload, Mazuri Better Bug, Mazuri Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet, and Timberline Cricket Aid)

(Nutrient composition of Repashy Superload, Mazuri Better Bug, Mazuri Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet, and Timberline Cricket Aid)


(Repashy Superload, Zeigler Monster Cricket Diet, and fresh produce mix)


(Zukudla Cricket Max2)


(Gel vs dry gut loading diet for cricket nymphs)


(Fluker’s High Calcium Mealworm Diet)


(Apple, papaya,carrot, sweet potato, or calcium carbonate)

https://nagonline.net/1751/effect-p...amin-content-adult-crickets-acheta-domestica/

Note: I should mention why Fluker’s High Calcium Cricket Diet isn’t considered gut load while High Calcium Mealworm/Dubia Roach Diet is. If you look at the study with T-Rex Calcium Plus, you’ll find that they discovered Fluker’s High Calcium Cricket Diet actually had lower calcium levels than what they state it had on the package. It proved to be ineffective for gut loading

Warning: A proven gut loading diet is known to kill feeders from calcium overdose.
Mazuri warns keepers on their website that Better Bug and Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet is not intended for breeding or raising insects.

(Picture is of study for Fluker's High Calcium Dubia Roach Diet)
Fluker's High Calcium Dubia Roach Diet.jpeg
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Hi Digs ~
In a couple other online groups you mentioned that diets super high in calcium like Mazuri, T-Rex, plus, contained enough calcium to actually kill some insects. Did I miss your warning here?
 
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