Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found this on the web over a year ago

For those looking for an alternative to FLuckers crix water, try this...

2 Tablespoons of Agar Agar powder or Agar Agar flakes (Agar Agar can be bought at most health food stores)
2 1/2 Cups of water
Mix together and bring to a boil.
Boil approx 2 minutes.
Pour liquid into a shallow pan and let sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
After it has set, slice with a knife and cut it into small cube pieces or large blocks. Place the pieces into a plastic container or jar, cover and store in the fridge.
For serving to your bugs put some of the cubes on a plastic peanut butter jar lid.
This gel will not disintegrate into a puddle of water even when kept at high temperatures within cricket cages.
Feed the cubes to anything that requires water such as crickets, super worms, mealworms, roaches, etc. They all love it!
It is even safe for you! Try to make “Jell-O” with it sometime.

Basic Agar Agar info……..

Agar Agar is a gelatinous colloid extracted from a red alga/seaweed and used as a gelling and stabilizing agent in liquids and foods. It is also full of minerals and has a great Calcium/Phos ratio as well. Check out the USDA site for the nutrient contents.

OTHER USES:

You can experiment with it in many ways, such as using diluted fruit juices, instead of just water to make it more palatable for your lizards. Apple juice and water, is a pretty big hit with most lizards. In cases where Hydration is needed, it's much easier to stick a “water cube” into a mouth rather than a syringe or dropper. Try adding chopped veggies or fruit to the mixture after it has boiled. Put your imagination to work with this great formula.

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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Crickets eat most anything, such as stale bread, cornmeal, powdered dog or cat food, tropical fish flakes, rabbit chow and many other similar foods.
Feeding crickets the proper food is important because they require a very high protein diet to keep them healthy, alive and breeding. Without an good diet, they often prey upon each other and all you end up with is a lot of dead crickets!!
This recipe is GREAT and flexible!
It is inexpensive and a few dollars worth will last you several months or more, depending on the number of crickets you are feeding or breeding.
This food is used for all sizes of crickets from pins to adults.
Basic ingredients needed…
1 box kitten food (available at any grocery store)
Skim milk powder (Also available at any grocery store)
Reptile calcium supplement (Optional) … Some think the calcium makes the exoskeleton to tough for hatchling lizards to digest.
Blend or crush the kitten food to make it vary in sizes. Can be blended until powdered for pins.
Add skim milk powder to crushed kitten food (approx 50% as much skim milk powder as kitten food by volume)
Add 2 tablespoons of calcium supplement (adjust accordingly for amount of food made)
The mixture is shaken or blended until well coated
Store in a sealed container in your fridge!
You’re ready to go!
More supplements can be sprinkled onto the food as the crickets eat it.
To provide a balanced diet, this food can be supplemented with alfalfa pellets (commercial rabbit food), raw vegetable or fruit scraps. You can also add varying amounts of cornmeal, crushed bran flakes (not sweetened) or “Quaker” oats (not the instant variety) to make the recipe stretch further!

This recipe is also very flexible and can be mixed in any sized batch you like. You can always have a FRESH supply of cricket food available and at hand in your fridge.
Try other options and add cornmeal, bran flakes, oats, bread crumbs, pond fish food pellets and more!
Let your imagination rule and try different mixes and varying ratios to give your crickets some variety!
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com