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Fresh Gutload or Fluker's?

Aleman732

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3 Year Member
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So I'm a total newb at anything tarantula or cricket. I actually haven't even gotten my tarantula yet because I want to make sure I have all the items and knowledge I'll need.
But anyway, I've heard alot of bad things about the Fluker's stuff and that a fresh gutload is better? Is it really?
What should I use for a fresh gutload? I heard Kale is simultaneously good and bad if you use too much?
If I go with a fresh gutload, do I still need to provide water or do they get all the necessary hydration from the fresh greens/veggies? If I do still need to give them water, then would using Fluker's cricket gel be fine?
 

Thistles

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Virginia
I just use whatever I have left from juicing or salads. Gut load isn't bad but it's overpriced. You probably won't have to even feed crickets if you just have one tarantula. Just buy crix as needed. The gel is fine, but fruits are juicy enough.
 

kormath

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I use flukers orange gel as a water/nutrient addition to the ground dog food or roach chow i feed my roaches and occassional crickets. Just make sure it doesn't have calcium in it.

Add to that carrots or other veggies - no tomatoes or potatoes or iceburg lettuce - and they'll be fine to feed to your Ts.
 

MatthewM1

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Cortland, NY
Commercial made is crap. Use fresh fruits and veggies. I use a slightly different blend each time I make up a batch of food. Variety is the key, if you are gut loading you feeders with the same food item every time you aren't offering any nutritional variety to the animals they are being fed to.
 

kormath

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using the gels, fruits and veggies IS a variety, it's not like every roach will run to the carrots every single time regardless of what else is in there. Gels provide hydration between the veggies, I use both plain water gel, and the orange cubes, along with fruits/vegies/pizza (Thanks @MassExodus !!) ground puppy chow, and fish food now since i sold my tank and fish recently :)

They get PLENTY of variety.
 

Entity

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I use the orange cube and if i have left over veggies i use them too. It never hurts to have the cube on hand. and it is not expensive for people with only a few spiders. it last for a long long time.

@kormath ....pizza? lmao. is that and inside joke i missed?
 

kormath

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I use the orange cube and if i have left over veggies i use them too. It never hurts to have the cube on hand. and it is not expensive for people with only a few spiders. it last for a long long time.

@kormath ....pizza? lmao. is that and inside joke i missed?
@MassExodus started it! :) he kept talking about dropping pizza in for his roaches. So last time i ordered a supreme or whatever they're called with all the veggies and meats i dropped a small slice in my enclosure. couple hours later i could barely see the pizza, it was covered in roaches. they didn't care for the pepperoni, i pulled it out the next day. But the rest of the pizza was eaten well. Nothing left of the mushrooms and bell peppers, they seemed to love those, only bits of the sausage and ham, and they were working hard on the crust ;)
 

Scoolman

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Why use synthetic reproductions when fresh is so easy and so readily available? I offer fresh veggies and fruits a few times a week, no need for additional water. I give a cat chow/oatmeal mixture daily.
 

MassExodus

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@MassExodus started it! :) he kept talking about dropping pizza in for his roaches. So last time i ordered a supreme or whatever they're called with all the veggies and meats i dropped a small slice in my enclosure. couple hours later i could barely see the pizza, it was covered in roaches. they didn't care for the pepperoni, i pulled it out the next day. But the rest of the pizza was eaten well. Nothing left of the mushrooms and bell peppers, they seemed to love those, only bits of the sausage and ham, and they were working hard on the crust ;)

Mine always eat the cheese last, but yeah for whatever reason, they will devour an occasional piece of pizza. Dont feed it too often though..they'll start getting a lil stanky. Lol. I had to rehouse my dubia..
 

kormath

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Mine always eat the cheese last, but yeah for whatever reason, they will devour an occasional piece of pizza. Dont feed it too often though..they'll start getting a lil stanky. Lol. I had to rehouse my dubia..
yeah i've only fed them a small slice once just to see how they'd do ;)

Why use synthetic reproductions when fresh is so easy and so readily available? I offer fresh veggies and fruits a few times a week, no need for additional water. I give a cat chow/oatmeal mixture daily.
My son and I don't eat much veggies, if we do it's usally taters or tomatoes that we can't feed the roaches. so i use the water gel or orange cubes because that's easier for us to do than to remember to grab some carrots or something at the store. For the food i have a 2 or 3 lb bag i ordered for cheap with a roach order after reading your post on the calcium fortified cricket chow i had was bad for the Ts. On top of that i have 2 large containers of fish food the person i sold my tank to didn't want, so rather than waste that i'm mixing it with the roach chow. And then on top of that i have about 10 lb of puppy chow my dog can't eat anymore cause it makes him sick. So i'll grind that up and add it to the mix.

I have years and years of roach chow now lol :D
 

Prudance

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Washington State, US
It looks like you've already gotten some good advice. I'd like to throw in that I don't keep crickets, I just buy them as I need them. I have a local pet store that keeps a variety of feeders in stock. What I do keep for extended periods of time are dubias, silkworms, mealies and supers. I give them a varied diet but shy away from nightshades. Well except for the silkworms, they have a special chow.

If you don't have a large collection or other animals that need the insects why not just purchase as needed?
 

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