Cricket dusting

[vandorec]

Hello everyone! I just purchased Shadow yesterday and I am a new beardie owner. If I buy gut loaded crickets, is it necessary to dust them as well? I'm a bit confused on this piece. Thank you!

 

[Taterbug]

Generally yes. Most commonly gutloading is making sure the insects have good nutrient rich food filling them up prior to being fed off, it doesn't usually balance their calcium levels. What does the shop feed them that they sell them as "gut loaded?" you should continue to feed them good produce or a quality cricket feed - they will digest the food from the store anyway in a day or so and no longer be gut loaded.

It possible (but difficult) to balance calcium with diet but most of us dust.

 

[vandorec]

Thank you for the info! I will pick some up tomorrow. Also, Shadow ate about 5 mealworms yesterday - on advice from the pet store. Keep in mind, we just got him yesterday. After doing more reading, I see that was probably not a good thing :-(. He won't touch any crickets or greens that we offered today and I will not feed him any more of those worms. However he is active and content today. I've given him water with a dropper a couple times as well which he seems to like. Any other feeding advice? I tried a cricket with tweezers too - no interest. He is probably about the length of my hand right now ?

 

[kingofnobbys]

I wouldn't put much credit in shop bought "gutloaded" claims - they probably just dump some chook pellets and some carrot in with crickets (if they are lucky).

I feed my crickets fresh chunks of carrot (hydrates them too) + dry straight out the bottle repcal adult beardie pellets (crickets LOVE these pellets and actually fight over them and knick them off each other LOL (I discovered this by accident one day when lost a few cricket from a bulk shipment while I was transferring them to keeper tubs and I there was a pellet on the floor from a beardie snack, I saw a cricket grab the pellet and drag it off).
I gut load my crickets with buk choi greens (or puk choi and sometimes dandelion greens and nasturtium greens if I have any) , starting at least 24 hrs before the crickets are fed to the lizards.

I also dust nearly all my crickets with calcium powder 6 days a week , and 3 of those days it's calcium mixed with an equal amount of reptivite powder. Works out a very light dusting - I don't coat the insects with thick layer of calcium or calcium+vits.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Thank you for the info! I will pick some up tomorrow. Also, Shadow ate about 5 mealworms yesterday - on advice from the pet store. <<<< how old more or less is Shadow ? (how big in grams ?
mealworms are very poor feeder insect choice , especially for a young beardie . VERY POOR SHOP ADVISE
better off giving Shadow the following :
---- calcigents (phoenix worms / bsf maggots) these do not require dusting with calcium
---- silkworms , these do not require dusting with calcium
---- crickets or roaches (these do require gutloading and dusting)

===> you say he's about a hand long - sound like he's about 4 - 6 weeks old.
I'd have him on small silkworms (about 1 - 1.5inches long) and small (up to 1/3 sized crickets) and calcigents.
At that age if he eats greens and veg it's a bonus. MUCH MORE IMPORTANT he gets as many live high quality insects as he wants AT LEAST TWO TIMES A DAY ( THREE times per day is better).

Keep in mind, we just got him yesterday. After doing more reading, I see that was probably not a good thing :-(. He won't touch any crickets or greens that we offered today and I will not feed him any more of those worms. However he is active and content today. <<<< he is likely going through location stress, and will be off his insects for a few days to a week, this is normal , keep offering insects and greens and salad each day and give him space and time to settling in and adjust to the digs , new pet humans (slave) , new feeding routing, new smells and sounds and new foods.
I've given him water with a dropper a couple times as well which he seems to like. Any other feeding advice? I tried a cricket with tweezers too - no interest. He is probably about the length of my hand right now ?

Try squishing the cricket's head between the tips of your fingers , and squeezing out a little of the cricket guts , and present this against his lips on the end of the cricket by hand (holding it by finger tips) , he'll smell and then likely will taste the guts, and this will likely get him interested especially if he's hungry.
Expect the occasional finger tip nip by accident while you and Shadow are learning how to handfeed, timing is everything , a very hungry beardie has very poor table manners, but as they get the hang of hand feeding they soon learn how to gently take the bug while not getting some finger tip at the same time.

 

[vandorec]

Thank you for all the advice! I will be doing a bit more shopping today for sure?