DIY Cricket water gel

[ChristinaM]

Has anyone ever tried this recipe?
Or do you have any other recipes?

cricket gel (http://sidorsky_1.tripod.com/dragons/faqs2.html#cricketgel)

[Invictus]

Interesting! Now to find some "Agar agar"....

[Edwin]

Most Asian groceries carry it, as well as health food stores. Guess which place is cheaper? LOL.

[Invictus]

I haveno idea where to find a health food store in Calgary, but I'll look for one. I'm curious to know if anyone has done it this way too.

[Will]

I tried it, it does what it should.

I ended up ditching it and just using fresh veggies as a water source.

Problem is, you end up making so much of it, and only actually using very little of it.

[ChristinaM]

Providing I can find some agar agar, I think I'm going to try it.
I don't often buy water gel, but I do like to have it around....I feel veggies as well, but sometimes crickets and worms are the least of my worries and get neglected, so I leave little tubs of water gel in there for them.

[Jawz]

just learned about this stuff today...its scientific use is a food source for bacteria in a petri dish to make it grow...suppose to be loaded with nutrients needed in life...good ol gr.12 biology class

[concept3]

I use calcium fortified cricket gel, I also feed veggies but they are in the gel dish lots so I assume they use it.

[Edwin]

You can also get them at stores that cater to vegans. Agar-agar is the non-meat equivalent of Jell-O.

[Invictus]

Are you saying Jell-O has meat in it?

[Double J]

I have tried numerous things, but I have found that the easiest thing for me has always been a dish with some soggy paper towel. I go through 4000 to 6000 crickets a week in my herp rooms, and that has worked the best for me. It is disposable, fast, easy to clean and replace, and CHEAP!
It is a lot easier than messing around with making that gel. I spend enough time in a week makking fruit fly cultures, that the paper towel water delivery method has been the fastest, easiest and cheapest way for me.

[Edwin]

Originally posted by Invictus
Are you saying Jell-O has meat in it?

Yup.

How is gelatin made?
"The production of the gelatin starts w/refinement of collagen-bearing tissues of ANY ANIMAL that has raised and slaughtered for food purposes. ....These materials are carefully soaked in alkalies and/or acids and washed in clean water to remove almost all non-collagen constituents, including meat. During this soaking period the collagen is converted to gelatin. The treated materials are then cooked gently in pure water to extract the gelatin, which is further refined by filtration....(Contrary to common belief, gelatin is not manufactured from horns or hooves or meat of animals, for these do not contain the necessary collagen).

"It is interesting to note that during manufacture of gelatin, chemical changes take place so that, in the final gelatin product, the composition and identity of the orignal material is completely eliminated. Because of this, gelatin is not considered a meat food product by the United States government..."

[Asian Jon]

Agar agar tastes good too IMO hahaha I eat it all the time...mmm yummy. Yes, you can get them at most asian groceries. Beleive me I know, I am asian.

[Linds]

Originally posted by concept3
I use calcium fortified cricket gel, I also feed veggies but they are in the gel dish lots so I assume they use it.

Most, if not all, of the commercial gels are not supposed to be ingested by reptiles, and can cause loss of appettite amongst other things, if they are. Most of them state warnings on the side of the container. Makes you wonder why they are even used in the first place, since what goes in to your feeders goes in to your reptiles...

[Ixidor]

Yeah, I agree with Linds, commercial (not sure about the other stuff) gel is bad for the reptiles, so why even risk it when its cheaper and easier to grab some letuce from your fridge ?