Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What would be the healthiest homemade cricket food recipe? I've been using this stuff that I pick up @ the vet's office but it's pretty expensive.

I'm thinking more nutritious than easy-to-make. The crix are for my Beardie and in addition to supplementation I would like their crickets to be optimally nutritious.

Ray

www.drgecko.com/insectdiet.htm

NOT easy to make at all... but probably the most extensive and nutritious diet i've ever seen.
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Later,
WhisQuila

np

This site has a decently priced Cricket food that you should check out. I'll put in a handy link.
Cricket Diet

This was formulated by a cham group and is posted at http://www.gexfiles.com/.

NUTRIONALLY COMPLETE DRY CRICKET DIET

1 bag: Dry milk (D, calcium, iron)
1 cup: Sunflower seeds (E)
1 box: Rice baby cereal (iron, calcium, phosphorus, B1, B2, niacin)
1/3 cup: Spirulina (B1, B5, B6, B12, E, beta-carotene, iron, chlorophyll, amino acids)
3/4cup: Raw bee pollen (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, C, D, E, K, minerals)
1 cup: Wheat germ (E)
1 cup: Alfalfa leaf tablets (A, B6, E, K, enzymes)
1/2 cup: Dried sea kelp (iodine)
1 Dried egg yolk
1/2 cup: Dried high protein kitty chow or monkey chow

Entire mixture should be ground up to a powder in a food processor, individually and remixed or all together at the same time.

*Greens powder can replace the spirlina, bee pollen, alflafa leaf tablets and sea kelp. Greens is a fantastic product for YOU! (for more info go to www.greensplus.com or www.greenspluscanada.com) Add 1 1/2 cups of Greens to the diet in replacement.

Most ingredients in above recipe can be purchased at a health food/bulk food store. Ask the worker for help if you are unsure of some of the health products in this recipe. If you do not think you will use entire diet within 3 months, divide recipe in half.

Storing Cricket Diet:
Freeze what you will not use within a week, last for up to 3 months.
Refrigerate what you will use within the week. Change food daily in cricket feed bin because of the few perishable product content.

FRESH FOODS TO USE AS THE WATER/NUTRIENT SOURCE
These are pretty much as important as the protein source and will fill the insects with even more nutrients your reptile need.

Prickly pears (Vit C)
Citrus fruits (Vit C)
Mustard greens (Vit C, beta-carotene)
Carrots (beta-carotene)
Squashes (Vit C, beta-carotene)
Other fruits and veggies but avoid spinach and broccoli which are calcium binders.

Place fresh foods in disposable cups in cricket bins and alternate food types from carrots to greens to squashes etc to vary the vitamins the reptiles are absorbing from the insects.

This works for mealworms as well as crickets. Just put the worms in a feeding container with the dry food mixed with wheat germ the night before you are going to feed them so they gut-load themselves.

Bugs should be constantly constantly gut-loaded for the best health of your reptile.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

groups.yahoo.com/group/agamid/join
(click the link to join the agamid group on yahoo)