Feeding Meat to Crickets

[OntarioNative]

I currently make my own cricket food out of a variety of whole grains, cereals and veggies with great success. Its all baked dry and I freeze it until I need it, to keep it fresh(as I make 1 or 2 pounds at a time). I have been bouncing the idea of adding blended superworms or mealworms(I breed them both and have a surplus) to the mix. I think it could add some protein and phospherous that would be benificial to my lizards and inverts. Before I do this, does anyone have any suggestions or comments? Positive or negative, I don't want to harm the animals(except for the supers...they will die...). I myself don't see any harm in it, but there are so many experts on this site, I want your opinions!


Alex

 

[Exo]

Sounds like a good idea, just make sure to remove anything the crickets dont eat in 24 hours or your gonna have a hell of a smell.

 

[OntarioNative]

Sounds like a good idea, just make sure to remove anything the crickets dont eat in 24 hours or your gonna have a hell of a smell.

Hahah, I could imagine! Im going to dry roast them and blend them into mealworm flour first. Plus the mix is 100% dry, so it should be ok for a while. Ill monitor it carefully for the first couple of weeks, then I should know what my replacement regime will be.

Alex

 

[Falk]

You can mix in some chicken food and dry fish food.
I feed my B. dubias with oranges, chicken food + aquarium fish food and they grown and reproduce like crazy.

 

[Acro]

There are many veggies that are high in protein and phospherous (and calcium). Also cat food, and fish food are good to add in the crickets diet. I try to avoid things that may be smelly or may attract mites (like ground up superworms or mealworms).

Good luck to you!

 

[kripp_keeper]

My crickets eat fish food and fruit(bananas grapes) seems to keep them full. I don't know if going through the trouble to make that complex of a cricket mix would make enough difference for it to be worth it. Yet I don't think it would hurt them either.

 

[paul fleming]

not too sure about browns but blacks are nasty,vicious things that will eat anything,including your spider they if get half a chance (during a moult for instance).the reason i never use the horrible things......armoured plated jumping devils :evil:

 

[Falk]

not too sure about browns but blacks are nasty,vicious things that will eat anything,including your spider they if get half a chance (during a moult for instance).the reason i never use the horrible things......armoured plated jumping devils :evil:

I only feed my T´s with crickets or mealworms when im 100% that they will take it, otherwise i will feed with blattodeas.
I lost a Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens to an uneaten mealworm during a molt and i will never do that mistake again.:wall:

 

[OntarioNative]

I breed bearded dragons, sooo I need ALOT of crickets.(the only thing you can feed young dragons, besides cockroaches...but the GF wont go for that!!) I just thought it would be a good idea cause I have so many mealworms. But I suppose dog food would work just as well. But in any case, its alot cheaper to make it then buy it. Plus I dont have a steady supply of table scraps and spoiled veggies to give the unrelenting hoards...(I currently have about 2000). I need small food particles because they are all 1/4" or less, if they are large pieces they tend to drag them all over the enclosure. Mix that with poop and exoskeletons.....and man oh man what a stink!!!

Thanks for the info guys,
Keep the info comin!

Alex

 

[Vulgaris]

You have about 2000 of them!? Could you give some details on your setup and how you breed them? I know they do the mating on their own but its the eggs that I am having trouble with. I keep mine in an aquarium with no substrate, and in order of the females to lay their eggs I have to take them out and put them in a little dish filled with dirt. But the eggs dont have a good hatching rate

 

[OntarioNative]

You have about 2000 of them!? Could you give some details on your setup and how you breed them? I know they do the mating on their own but its the eggs that I am having trouble with. I keep mine in an aquarium with no substrate, and in order of the females to lay their eggs I have to take them out and put them in a little dish filled with dirt. But the eggs dont have a good hatching rate

Ill PM it to you