crested "recipe"

[orky4969]

what is this "crestie recipie" that every one use's i know concept3 has one that people seem to like, but i cant find any on these forums. a direct link if any one has it off hand would be awesome. Thanks.

[little_dragon_]

If some could list one made in bulk for a year would be great.

[clint545]

orky it's on the 2nd page of the Crested Forum

[Matt_K]

Here's one that was posted on here a few weeks back..

Crested Recipe.. (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56956&highlight=recipe)

-Matt

[DragnDrop]

I've used this recipe since I first got Rhacs back in '96. I start with 1 large can (approx. 800 g./ 28 oz.) of unsweetened mango pulp (plain mango will do since it all goes into the blender later), 1 small to medium very ripe banana, 1 or 2 soft (yellow) pears, 3-4 figs, and one or two other fruits in season. They love peach, mango, pear, banana, dates, figs, grapes and berries - especially strawberries. Just about any fruit will do, but try not to use citrus fruit. All the fruit is blended until smooth and then poured into a mixing bowl. I then add low fat or fat-free yogurt, strawberry, mixed berries or peach. They have no problems digesting the lactose since the bacteria in the yogurt culture convert it to a safe form for them. A one serving size container of yogurt is added to the fruit mix and stirred until blended. Some batches also get a half a jar of CGD added while still in the blender, but that also means adding a bit of water to keep it at a lickable consistency. Don't add too much CGD or it will be too thick, and they might not bother eating it if they have to bite and chew it. Pour it all into ice cube trays and freeze.

Each batch is a bit different since I use whatever fruit is in season, so they get different flavours throughout the year. I try to have 2 different batches going at a time and alternate with each feeding. To give them a change every once in a while, I add something to the thawed cubes before feeding. I'll sprinkle some pollen over the top, mix in a different blended fruit from the other batch in the freezer, maybe add a bit of different yogurt flavour or some finely chopped figs or fruit.

Feedings alternate with crickets 2-3 times a week, this fruit mix at least twice a week and silkworms or 'plain' CGD for those who'll eat it.

[Betty Miskie]

I too use the same recipe that Hilde posted and find the cresties love it. The only problem I find is that the cresties love it so much that I can not seem to get them to eat crickets (especially when they are very young). I think I make the mistake by handfeeding the cresties and so they would rather wait for the handfeeding then hunt for themselves :)
Betty

[little_dragon_]

Having Cresties that relish a recipe over crickets must really cut down on cricket cost. Is it better to add the cgd in the blender or mix it in before serving?

[DragnDrop]

You could add the CGD either way. I do the blender if I add it at all, it's easier considering how big a batch I make. Getting it evenly stirred in can be the pits if you're dealing with 2 liters. If you only have a few (say 10 or fewer) geckos to feed, it might be easier to mix some CGD in at feeding time.

[little_dragon_]

I'll take your advice and try the mixture. Sounds good even for myself....add a bit of ice and I'll have a very nice smoothy.

How many geckos do you have DragonDrop? What types? It's like a big mystery!

[DragnDrop]

How many geckos do you have DragonDrop? What types? It's like a big mystery!

Nah, no mystery here.
I've got 6.6 crestie breeders, 2 unsexed holdbacks and as of this afternoon, I'm down to 18 hatchling/juvie cresties. There are also 2.2.1 gargoyles and 1.1 Gehyra vorax and one lonely single spinster leachianus. These are the regular fruit eating geckos, but during breeding season the female leos and fat-tails get some of the fruit as treats. It's amazing to see a fattie lick the fruit lid clean, but turn up her nose at butterworms and waxworms. :confused:
I've also got 1.1 fat-tails, and 5 juvies. In the leo department there's 4.15 breeders but I don't breed all the females every year, so any given year there's only about 6 females breeding. I like to give them a few months off, but the guys get to do their thing every year. In the background I'm raising 5 female leos from The Urban Gecko, they're 2 years old so I'll get them breeding for the first time this spring (I figure 30 months is a good age to start, they should be about as ready as they'll ever be). And another 2.5 juvies under 2 years who have another year or so to go before they get to go to their first co-ed sleepover.

.... and in the non-gecko department there are a few dart frogs and one bachelor Kingsnake - L. ruthveni who's het for albino.

[little_dragon_]

Wow, that's a nice collection!

[Betty Miskie]

little dragon: cricket costs? In our business we still have 4.10.5 fatties and 4.15.0 Leos as well as a juvie chahoua. So..........I still need crickets. We are sitting with 5.8.11 cresties. Out of the 11, 4 are holdbacks. They do eat a few crickets but not as much as one would think.
When you say that the fruit mixture sounds good enough for you to eat, I find the frozen bag of fruit mixture going down faster, I think someone in my family likes it as well as the cresties.
Hilde: I think I will try the fruit mixture with our leos and fatties as well. I have only tried that if we have a picky eater! I will give them a treat and see how they like it.
Thanks for the recipe and for the tips!
Betty

[DragnDrop]

One of my Tremper albino female leos loved the fruit mix so much, she'd lick the bottle cap clean everytime. She actually went overboard cleaning it, licking every little crevice so intently that her tongue would push the cap. It was cute watching the empty lid move all over the place, her walking behind it, tongue still searching for another drop someplace :) She just died last spring, so I buried her with a capful of the mix :)

[Stevo26]

Do you still add vitamins to this recipe when feeding?

[Siretsap]

You can try some tuna that was canned in water for your fat tails, we sometimes give that to our females when in breeding season. They really go crazy over the smell, they run out their hide (anyone who has a fat tail know they usually never move unless a cricket runs past them ;) ).

I did notice that one of the female fat tails would like some baby food if presented to her, but the 2 other adults wouln't eat any.

We are working with 7 cresteds at the moment, and when we use the baby food, my gf always let the pet rats lick up the left over on the spoon, they also love it.

[DragnDrop]

Do you still add vitamins to this recipe when feeding?

I use Miner-All I and Herptivite for supplements, but add it at feeding time. This way I can vary the amount of supplements according to who's being fed. Females during breeding season or babies need different amounts than adult males. It's hard to adjust the amounts if you add it to the whole mixture when you make it up.