gut loading

[crazyboy]

how do u go about gut loading mealies and crixxx

how do u breed the to


where isd a good place to gey mealies

[stretch]

I gut load my crix with "cricket gutload". My mealies I just throw some carrots and potatoes in there tank. I don't know much about breeding them. I buy my crix and mealies from local pet stores.

[crazyboy]

ok thanks

[Linds]

I keep my mealies in a substrate of:

pablum (the mixed fruit type)
rolled oats
12 grain mix
rye flakes
spirulina
wheat germ
red bran
white bran
oat bran
fish food flakes

and feed them for water all sorts of fruits, veggies, and greens such as:

collards
spring greens
orange pepper
kiwi
pears
strawberries
dandelion
grapes
mandarin oranges
cucumber
(etc, etc.....)

There is another grain I use in the substrate but its name eludes me at the moment. I'm always looking and trying new things with my supers and mealies, the more I can find to put in there the better. When I have better funds I am gonna give bee pollen a shot as well :)

As mentioned above, and I'm sure by alot of people, carrots and potatoes are frequently used. These are more sources of moisture than actual nutrition, as these are not highly nutritious food items. Good to throw in for variety, but I wouldn't recommend using it as a stape source.

As for breeding... just throw a bunch of mealies in a container of subtrate and food sources like you would be keeping them, only let them pupate in to beetles. Some people switch beetles around a fwe containers, I personally find it too tedious and can't be btohered. It works fine as well jsut to leave them uninterrupted. The warmer you keep them (within reason) the faster they their life cycle will be. It may take a few months for your colony to be visibly active I find. I wouldn't recommend starting with any less than a few hundred beetles, and this is only if you are feeding a few geckos or whatnot.

For crickets I use the same gutload recipe as my mealies, only not so much of grains (and I keep them on a substrate of shavings), and more greens, veggies, and fruits.

Don't breed them so I cannot help you with that :(

[crazyboy]

ok thanks very helpful