Gutload recipe

MamaD

MamaD

New Member
When I first started caring for chams, I gutloaded their feeders daily trying to change up what fruits and veggies I used. Started thinking about how I could make sure that my feeders could be fed to provide the best nutrition possible for my chams. I'm sure I'm not the first person ever to use this recipe but here it is. It saves me time and wasted produce.
Ingredients:
1 apple
1 pear
1 orange
1 mango
1 papaya
1 sweet potato
1 butternut squash
1 small bunch of mustard greens
1 small bunch of collard greens
1 small bunch of dandelion
2 carrots

1. Wash well, peel, and remove seeds from anything that has them
2. In a food processor, blend, blend, blend!
3. Add water as needed to help blend smoothly
4. Drain well and using a cheese cloth, squeeze out all extra juices
5. You can either mold into 1' balls and place onto a wax paper lined cookie
tray and freeze. Once frozen, place into a freezer bag and take out as
needed. Or, you can portion out into small plastic cups with lids (the kind
you get salad dressing at a restaurant) and freeze.

I make a batch once a month. Feeders go nuts over it! This way I know they will be super healthy for my chams. 100% natural.
 
Maybe I'm crazy, but since I started using this recipe, my veileds don't nibble at their leaves as much. And maybe I'm reaching a little, but their colors seem a little more intense. Everyone knows how much prettier they can be when they are exposed to natural light outside. I live in OH so it is so rare when I can get my chams outside for some real sunshine. So every little bit helps,right?! You've gotta let me know if you notice the same. Good luck!:)
 
MamaD said:
Maybe I'm crazy, but since I started using this recipe, my veileds don't nibble at their leaves as much. And maybe I'm reaching a little, but their colors seem a little more intense. Everyone knows how much prettier they can be when they are exposed to natural light outside. I live in OH so it is so rare when I can get my chams outside for some real sunshine. So every little bit helps,right?! You've gotta let me know if you notice the same. Good luck!:)
Click to expand...

That's really nice! i will definately know!

could you just please link me to images of a butternut squash, mustard greens, collard greens, and a dandelion? im trying to translate them to spanish so i can go buy them at the supermarket but some sites give me different translations.... for example, a site tells me that a butternut squash is the same as a pumpkin, and im not too sure about that haha... thanks for your help!
 
nice mix
do you steam cook the sweet potatoe and the squash first, or use raw?
suprised you had to add water.
and curious why you remove the liquid before freezing - would you not like this to help hydrate your crickets?
do you also use a dry gutload, to round out the nutrients?
 
Last edited:
LeoM said:
That's really nice! i will definately know!

could you just please link me to images of a butternut squash, mustard greens, collard greens, and a dandelion? im trying to translate them to spanish so i can go buy them at the supermarket but some sites give me different translations.... for example, a site tells me that a butternut squash is the same as a pumpkin, and im not too sure about that haha... thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Squash often considered a type of pumpkin, but butternut has a higher concentration of calcium than most squash. Spagetti squash is also good. Photos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_squash
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/images/butternutsquash.jpg
http://www.butternutsquashrecipes.ca/picture/butternutsquash.jpg
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/144-nutritional-value-winter-squash.html

Dandelion (taraxacum officinale) is a green "tooth" leaf plant with yellow flowers and a thick tap root (spring leaves have less oxalic acid than older bitter leaves):
http://www.rawfoodscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/dandelion-leaves.jpg
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/benefits-of/organic-dandelion-leaf
http://www.terawarner.com/hhh/istockimages/dandelion_2.jpg
http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/cm/dandelions-0410-de.jpg
http://www.lawn-care-academy.com/images/dandelion.jpg
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/140-nutitional-value-raw-dandelion-leaves.html
 
Last edited:
You can add a preservative if you're comfortable with it. A lot of places that sell fruit flies and the ingredients to the medias sell methylparaben.
 
LeoM said:
That's really nice! i will definately know!

could you just please link me to images of a butternut squash, mustard greens, collard greens, and a dandelion? im trying to translate them to spanish so i can go buy them at the supermarket but some sites give me different translations.... for example, a site tells me that a butternut squash is the same as a pumpkin, and im not too sure about that haha... thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
I'll try to get some to ya today.
 
sandrachameleon said:
nice mix
do you steam cook the sweet potatoe and the squash first, or use raw?
suprised you had to add water.
and curious why you remove the liquid before freezing - would you not like this to help hydrate your crickets?
do you also use a dry gutload, to round out the nutrients?
Click to expand...
I don't steam or blanch anything. Just make sure it's all peeled and clean. I cut everything into small chunks and put a little of each thing at a time. I'm a freak about making sure its mixed well. I add water just when it seems like its a little thick and won't blend really well. If you dont squeeze out the excess water it will get everything in the cricket bin too moist and makes a mess.
 
coldbloodedAL said:
I tried something similar to this, but the frozen bricks just kept molding over so i stopped using them
Click to expand...
What size pieces or bricks did you make? I try to separate servings to whatever amount I think I might need to feed however many crickets I have to feed. Try freezing them in the cups with lids or make sure they are sealed really well before freezing. Just like with fruit that you gut load with, make sure you remove whatever isn't eaten in a 24hr period. If you notice there is a lot left, then put less in the next time. I pull out of the freezer only what I plan on using for the day. Did this help or are you just sold on not trying again?
 
MamaD said:
What size pieces or bricks did you make? I try to separate servings to whatever amount I think I might need to feed however many crickets I have to feed. Try freezing them in the cups with lids or make sure they are sealed really well before freezing. Just like with fruit that you gut load with, make sure you remove whatever isn't eaten in a 24hr period. If you notice there is a lot left, then put less in the next time. I pull out of the freezer only what I plan on using for the day. Did this help or are you just sold on not trying again?
Click to expand...

The bricks are 2x2x1 inches approximately,1000-1500 crickets, and the moisture getting all over the cricket bin bothered me as well. I can cut them into smaller pieces, but is that really sufficient for the amount of crickets I am feeding?I would definitely start using them again if I can keep them from molding
 
sandrachameleon said:
Squash often considered a type of pumpkin, but butternut has a higher concentration of calcium than most squash. Spagetti squash is also good. Photos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_squash
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/images/butternutsquash.jpg
http://www.butternutsquashrecipes.ca/picture/butternutsquash.jpg
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/144-nutritional-value-winter-squash.html

Dandelion (taraxacum officinale) is a green "tooth" leaf plant with yellow flowers and a thick tap root (spring leaves have less oxalic acid than older bitter leaves):
http://www.rawfoodscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/dandelion-leaves.jpg
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/benefits-of/organic-dandelion-leaf
http://www.terawarner.com/hhh/istockimages/dandelion_2.jpg
http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/cm/dandelions-0410-de.jpg
http://www.lawn-care-academy.com/images/dandelion.jpg
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/140-nutitional-value-raw-dandelion-leaves.html
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you so much for helping out!
Here are mustard greens:
BW7PH.jpg

and collard greens:
TcSdI.jpg
 
MamaD said:
When I first started caring for chams, I gutloaded their feeders daily trying to change up what fruits and veggies I used. Started thinking about how I could make sure that my feeders could be fed to provide the best nutrition possible for my chams. I'm sure I'm not the first person ever to use this recipe but here it is. It saves me time and wasted produce.
Ingredients:
1 apple
1 pear
1 orange
1 mango
1 papaya
1 sweet potato
1 butternut squash
1 small bunch of mustard greens
1 small bunch of collard greens
1 small bunch of dandelion
2 carrots

1. Wash well, peel, and remove seeds from anything that has them
2. In a food processor, blend, blend, blend!
3. Add water as needed to help blend smoothly
4. Drain well and using a cheese cloth, squeeze out all extra juices
5. You can either mold into 1' balls and place onto a wax paper lined cookie
tray and freeze. Once frozen, place into a freezer bag and take out as
needed. Or, you can portion out into small plastic cups with lids (the kind
you get salad dressing at a restaurant) and freeze.

I make a batch once a month. Feeders go nuts over it! This way I know they will be super healthy for my chams. 100% natural.
Click to expand...
Oops, forgot to add strawberries and blueberries :)
 
I'm so glad you posted this. I just went and bought all the stuff to make it last night. Going to go get a cheese cloth today and make my cricket smoothie today. Thanks for sharing!
 
Ok so I just tried to make this. I blended everything in the blender and tried to strain it with the cheese cloth. But I think my blend was too blended because I squeezed out the water and it was like everything was coming out. I ended up with very little to freeze. What did I do wrong?
 
ice cube trays

Thanks for the recipe. I've tried it out and the crickets and roaches love it. I separated mine out into ice cube trays (which I may end up having to split) and then put them into a freezer bag.

MamaD said:
When I first started caring for chams, I gutloaded their feeders daily trying to change up what fruits and veggies I used. Started thinking about how I could make sure that my feeders could be fed to provide the best nutrition possible for my chams. I'm sure I'm not the first person ever to use this recipe but here it is. It saves me time and wasted produce.
Ingredients:
1 apple
1 pear
1 orange
1 mango
1 papaya
1 sweet potato
1 butternut squash
1 small bunch of mustard greens
1 small bunch of collard greens
1 small bunch of dandelion
2 carrots

1. Wash well, peel, and remove seeds from anything that has them
2. In a food processor, blend, blend, blend!
3. Add water as needed to help blend smoothly
4. Drain well and using a cheese cloth, squeeze out all extra juices
5. You can either mold into 1' balls and place onto a wax paper lined cookie
tray and freeze. Once frozen, place into a freezer bag and take out as
needed. Or, you can portion out into small plastic cups with lids (the kind
you get salad dressing at a restaurant) and freeze.

I make a batch once a month. Feeders go nuts over it! This way I know they will be super healthy for my chams. 100% natural.
Click to expand...
 
Might have to try this but no where around here sells butternut squash and there's no dandelions around here.... and i dont have a food processor
 
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