What is gut-loading?

Some people are still not familiar with the term gut-loading. Gut-loading crickets (or any feeder insects) is actually beneficial for the reptile, not the insect. Gut-loading is the process of feeding nutritious foods to feeder insects (such as crickets, mealworms, and dubia roaches) before they are fed to a reptile, like a chameleon.

How does gut-loading work and why is gut-loading important?

1. Enhanced Nutrition:

The insect by itself is a good food choice, but it is lacking the nutritional benefit of calcium, fat soluble vitamins, and come minerals. Gut-loading ensures the insects are as nutritious as possible, providing essential vitamins and minerals to pet when consumed. By feeding the reptile "gut-loaded" insects, their nutritional value is significantly improved and these nutrients are transferred to your pet, benefiting the health of the reptile.

2. Variety of Gut-Loading Foods: 

Feeder insects can be gut-loaded with a range of fruits, vegetables, and specifically formulated gut-loading diets. Common gut-loading foods include: 

• Leafy Greens (e.g. kale, collard greens)
• Carrots
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Apples
• Oranges
• Commercial gut-loading diets

3. Timing:

Gut-loading should be done 24-48 hours before feeding the insects to your pet. This ensures the insects have had  enough time to consume and retain nutrition. 

4. Hydration: 

In addition to nutritious foods, feeder insects should be provided with a source of hydration to ensure they are adequately hydrated. 

By gut-loading feeder insects, you help ensure your reptile receives a well-rounded diet, which is crucial for its overall health, growth, and vitality. 

Where to Buy Gut-Loading products? 

Fluker's now has gut-loading essentials available for purchase on their website. 

Orange Cube Complete Cricket Diet (6oz, 12oz, and 6lbs.)

Orange Cube is the single solution to provide the three things crickets need most: food, water, and vitamins. It is specially formulated to be easily digested by both crickets and the animals that will consumer them. Using Orange Cube will drastically reduce your number of drowned, dehydrated, and nutrient-deficient crickets. This product is made from nutritious items such as kelp, spirulina, and brewer's yeast for all of your cricket nutritional needs. It is also packed with vitamins E, B12, A, D3, and calcium carbonate. This diet is a three-in-one: food, vitamins, and water in one diet!

Cricket Quencher Original Formula (8oz, 16oz, and 7.5lbs.)

Fluker's Cricket Quencher provides crickets and other feeder insects with a safe, clean water source in a convenient gel form. This easy-to-use formula eliminates many of the problems associated with additional watering methods, such as the formation of deadly bacteria and loss through drowning.

Cricket Quencher with Calcium (8oz, 16oz, and 7.5lbs.)

Fluker's Calcium Fortified Cricket Quencher provides crickets and other feeder insects with a safe, clean water source in a the problems associated with traditional watering methods, such convenient gel form. This easy-to-use formula eliminates many of as the formation of deadly bacteria and loss through drowning. Plus, it offers a source of calcium for "gut-loading" insects prior to feeding them to your reptile.

High Calcium Cricket Diet (11.5oz and 6lb.)

Fluker's High-Calcium Cricket Feed is a premium formula designed for "gut-loading" crickets to increase their vitamin/mineral content prior to offering them as prey to your pet. This allows insect-eating pets to benefit not only from the nutritional value of the insect itself, but from the insect's nutrient-rich gut content as well.

High Calcium Mealworm Diet (6oz, 12oz, and 3lb.)

Fluker's High-Calcium Mealworm Diet is a premium formula designed for "gut-loading" mealworms to increase their vitamin and mineral content prior to offering them as prey to your pet. It also serves as bedding for your mealworms. This veterinarian-formulated diet has been clinically proven to establish a positive calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in live mealworms when fed as directed. Invertebrates, such as mealworms, are deficient in calcium. Over time, this deficiency can lead to poor bone growth in reptiles. To prevent this, it is important to feed your pet reptile gut-loaded mealworms. Gut-loading ensures the calcium reaches appropriate levels. This allows insect-eating pets to benefit not only from the nutritional value of the mealworm itself but the insect's nutrient-rich gut content as well.

High Calcium Dubia Roach Diet (7oz, 14oz, and 3.75lb.)

Fluker's High-Calcium Dubia Roach Diet is a premium formula designed for "gut-loading" feeder roaches to increase their vitamin and mineral content prior to offering them as prey to your pet. This veterinarian-formulated diet has been clinically proven to establish a positive calcium-to-phosphorus ratio live roaches when fed as directed. Invertebrates, such as roaches, are deficient in calcium. Over time, this deficiency can lead to poor bone growth in reptiles. To prevent this, it is important to feed your pet reptile gut-loaded roaches. Gut-loading ensures the calcium reaches appropriate levels. This allows insect-eating pets to benefit from both the nutritional value of the roach itself and the insect's nutrient-rich gut content.