gutload question

[jah]

for my gutload atm i'm using orange,apples,carrots, and strawberries, all mixed together.,.i just chop them up into small pieces. My question is should I mush them all together, is that easier for crickets to consume rather than little cut up pieces?

 

[Silkyslim]

I put all mine into a blender and froze them into little cubes, I would thaw a cube a night and always have fresh gutload ready.

I would add a lot more dark leafy green veggies to your gutload, the vitamins and minerals they contain can't be beat.

But if you can't blend them, you can always offer slices of the food itself. Just make sure you keep it fresh because it will mold very quickly and kill feeders fast.

 

[jah]

alright thanks,.what would the best kind of leafs be

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO you need to have a wider variety of things in your gutload...dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, zucchini, carrots, etc. Its not necessary to use all of them at the same time of course.

 

[sandrachameleon]

ditto what kinyonga said

 

[wontbme]

if you choose lettuce romaine is the best, it's cheap too.
DO NOT use iceberg for it has no nutritional value.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

if you choose lettuce romaine is the best, it's cheap too.
DO NOT use iceberg for it has no nutritional value.

Romaine is only very, very marginally better than iceberg and is definitely NOT the best at all! It should be avoided as well. Collard, mustard, turnip greens, dandelions, endives and escarole lettuce have a much higher nutritional and calcium content. The link in my signature has nutritional info on commonly available fruits and veggies. Aim for those higher in calcium than phosphorus and avoid oxalates and goitrogens.

 

[wontbme]

sorry i was referring to best as in cost.
romaine tends to be cheaper, while iceberg is even cheaper than romaine it is useless to purchase,
by dandelion you mean the little yellow plants? the weeds? i have tons and tons outside... pesticide free. should i use those?

LOL Whole wheat bread? can anyone vouch this?

 

[suzi]

I use the dandelion leaves from my yard. I just wash them.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

sorry i was referring to best as in cost.
romaine tends to be cheaper, while iceberg is even cheaper than romaine it is useless to purchase,
by dandelion you mean the little yellow plants? the weeds? i have tons and tons outside... pesticide free. should i use those?

While it may be cheap it is not good for gutloading. Dandelion leaves, especially the new leaves, are high in calcium and other good nutrients (check sandra's blog for more info). They're great to use as long as you know they're pesticide free! Bread is high in phosphorus. Good veggies are much better than bread.