# feeding crickets fish flakes



## Andy00 (Apr 23, 2016)

I tried feeding my crickets some carrots but they didn't seem to eat them after a day. Then I read that they can eat fish food so I tried that and they devoured it super fast. I was wondering if tropical fish flakes have some bad ingredient for feeder crickets that are fed to tarantulas. My avic avic just ate one of the crickets about 2 hours after I fed the crickets the fish flakes and there was some red colored goo that came out of it (Definitely not blood) that was the same color as the fish flakes. Is this going to do harm to my T's? Definitely gonna start giving them lettuce and carrots from now on


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## Poec54 (Apr 23, 2016)

I wouldn't use fish flakes, don't they have artificial colors, and god knows what preservatives and what else.  Lettuce, carrots and potatoes are how I hydrate my crickets, and a big part of their diet.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Andy00 (Apr 23, 2016)

Ya I just got bad advice from some website online. :/ never again. I hope nothing happens to my avic

Reactions: Like 1


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## Flexzone (Apr 23, 2016)

Like @Poec54 said its best to use the most  natural food sources as possible to feed your crickets because just like pretty much all commercial pet food there bound to be treated with beta carotene's, sex hormones, art. colors/flavors etc..All those chemicals gets passed down to the T, which who knows what that might entail in the long-term. I'm sure that it was just the red food flavoring in the cricket's gut that you saw & that your Avic will be fine

Reactions: Like 1


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## truecreature (Apr 23, 2016)

You can give them raw oat bran for a dry food, it's high in protein, iron, and such. I only give mine carrot or potato every other day or so for hydration

Reactions: Like 1


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## EulersK (Apr 23, 2016)

I can't speak to crickets specifically, but my roach colony lives on 100% pig or chick feed, whichever is cheaper when I go to buy. If it's pig feed, you'll need to put it in a blender. I prefer to feed dry food for two reasons: 1) Easier to stock up in bulk, and 2) Less chance of mold if food went uneaten. For water, garden crystals work perfectly.

I can't imagine the food requirements for crickets are much different than roaches, but someone feel free to call me a liar if I'm wrong!


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## viper69 (Apr 23, 2016)

Crickets aren't very nutritious, at least for reptiles, and doubt they are packed w/food potential for Ts. Lettuce isn't nutritious either, it's a source of moisture.

Never tried fish flakes for Ts. I've only used Fluker's Cricket Chow and some veggies like carrots.

I think if you feed fish flakes your T will grow gills.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1 | Optimistic 1


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## AphonopelmaTX (Apr 23, 2016)

I occasionally feed dubia roaches goldfish flakes and there are no ill effects to the spiders that eat them.  I tried giving goldfish flakes to crickets but the crickets wouldn't eat it as vigourously as the roaches.  I recommend though to stick with fresh fruits and vegetables just becase it provides both food and water to your feeder insects which makes for a healthier insect thus healthier spider.  And it's cheaper as well. My roaches and crickets both get regular diet of fruits and vegetables.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## darkness975 (Apr 23, 2016)

Hmmmm ... I feed my crickets fish flakes since they are cheap and readily available. Have not had any issues yet. Should I reconsider?


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## AphonopelmaTX (Apr 23, 2016)

darkness975 said:


> Hmmmm ... I feed my crickets fish flakes since they are cheap and readily available. Have not had any issues yet. Should I reconsider?


Let your own results dictate your course of action instead of relying on the advice of others which could be speculative at best.

Reactions: Like 2 | Award 1


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## darkness975 (Apr 24, 2016)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> Let your own results dictate your course of action instead of relying on the advice of others which could be speculative at best.


Fair enough. 10+ years feeding fish flakes to my feeder crickets and (knock on wood) no issues so I presume all is well. I also avoid the majorly crazy ones with all kinds of excess color enhancing formulas in them and what not. I stick with the classic Tetra-min flakes. I've had fish since I was a wee lad so the supply is readily available around here!


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## Tenevanica (Apr 24, 2016)

This probably should have been posted in the "Insects, Other Invertebrates, and Arthropods" sub-forum


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## Sana (Apr 24, 2016)

Tenevanica said:


> This probably should have been posted in the "Insects, Other Invertebrates, and Arthropods" sub-forum


I think that's sort of debatable since it directly relates to tarantula feeding.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tenevanica (Apr 24, 2016)

Sana said:


> I think that's sort of debatable since it directly relates to tarantula feeding.


But it doesn't relate directly to tarantula feeding. It relates to cricket feeding...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## shining (Jul 10, 2016)

When I used to keep crickets fish food was a staple in their diets along with dog/cat food and fruits/veggies. Never had any problems and all of my punks (Ts) are still alive and well. Granted I used good/pricier fish food that I fed my SA cichlids and I also switched to dubias. My dubias get a fish food treat every now and then and they tear it up.


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## BQC123 (Jul 10, 2016)

shining said:


> When I used to keep crickets fish food was a staple in their diets along with dog/cat food and fruits/veggies. Never had any problems and all of my punks (Ts) are still alive and well. Granted I used good/pricier fish food that I fed my SA cichlids and I also switched to dubias. My dubias get a fish food treat every now and then and they tear it up.


My dubias always get veggies, appropriate table scraps, chick feed, as well as turtle and fish food when I am busy or lazy.  Never had an issue.


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## Galapoheros (Jul 10, 2016)

Thread almost died but not too old, I use fishflakes.  I consider that some of the most environmentally sensitive animals are fish.  Fish, shrimp, crawdads, ...they all do fine on fishflakes.  You can also go to youtube and see how it's made in the factory.  I feed them other things too though.


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## Ceymann (Jul 10, 2016)

I used to make a dry mixture of rolled oats and Kelloggs cornflakes in a food processor for cricket gut load when I was first into herps and Ts, not sure when Dubia roaches and other varieties started becoming available, but back during my first streak 1996~2005 roaches where not readily available. Crickets, superworms and occasionally wax worms were all that was available.
When did dubias and the trend of keeping roach colonies become popular?


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## Ellenantula (Jul 10, 2016)

I've been known to toss in some fish flakes but I do find it makes their enclosure stink more.  If I didn't happen to have plenty of fish flakes on hand already, then I wouldn't bother purchasing it just for feeders.  I mostly feed fresh produces (mustard greens, carrots, romaines, apples, oranges along with whole wheat bread and sometimes Iams cat food) and my roaches are on their 20+ generation by now and doing fine.


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## Jacob Ma (Jul 10, 2016)

Fish flakes get moldy for me too fast.  Preferably something more solid like shrimp pellets would be better as they contain lots of calcium and prorteins that both your feeder and eater will enjoy.  They also come in large containers that are not very expensive which come with more food than fish flake cans of the same size.

Dubias were popular for quite a while now, as they are probably the best sustainable feeder for insectivores out there.  They have minimal care requirements and contain lots of proteins and vitamin A & E, while being quieter, calmer, and less odorous than crickets.  They are also great pets for the beginning enthusiast or someone who wants to get used to "creepy-crawlers" as they can be very interesting to watch and are somewhat handleable.


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## Ellenantula (Jul 10, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> Dubias were popular for quite a while now, as they are probably the best sustainable feeder for insectivores out there.


I have never seen the thrill in keeping dubias.  I cannot stand anything that burrows.  B lats -- now those I love!  If only they weren't SO successful; I have to cull often and I really hate doing that.


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## Andy00 (Jul 10, 2016)

I got my first order of B lats or red runners about a month ago and they've been doing great with carrots, some lettuce, and the free roach chow that they gave me. Now that they've finished all the roach chow I've been giving them left over fish flakes that I have. I agree, they sure do make the enclosure more stinky but I've never had issues with mold. I'm thinking of using dog food now. Do I have to crush up the dog food or can I just put it in as little pebbles? I really prefer b lats over any other feeder, but they sure are fast so what I do is grab their vegetable dish and put it in an extra container and flick out all the lats that are in the dish. Then I've got a container with a good amount of lats that I can feed to my collection.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ellenantula (Jul 10, 2016)

Andy00 said:


> Do I have to crush up the dog food or can I just put it in as little pebbles?


I used to grind up cereals and catfood for my pinheads but soon discovered they can nibble just fine on whole pieces.  
I think you'll enjoy the B lats.  They're faster and I think my Ts have become better hunters due to them.


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