Food Preparation

Though you might think all you have to do is go to a store, buy a plastic baggy of crickets and dump them into the lizard tank, this approach usually doesn't work, ti you want to keep your lizards around for several years. Most people who buy lizards from pet stores seldom keep them for more than a few months. Many import~ lizards are not healthy; some are unsuitable for someone tvho is inexperienced; and also, they are typically not fed in the right manner.

Gut loading

Most cornmercially sold insects are usually nutrient (inc1uding vitamin and mineral) deficient for the purpose of feeding lizards. In brief, their guts are empty and the insect body itself cannot provide all the nutritional requirements of lizards. Virtually all cornmercially raised insects sold in stores are

calcium deficient. They may also be deficient in a number of vitamin precursors and vitamins, inc1uding beta-carotene, the B vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin D3, as well as minerals and trace elements. Plant pigments, which may contribute to an animal' s brightness of color, may also be lacking. Indeed, the coloration of many captive insect-eating amphibians and reptiles does tend to fade in captivity.

Solutions for retail stores

One solution for retail stores is to feed an improved diet to insects prior to selling them. This is actually a simple procedure. The following are some recornmendations for improving the diet of the most cornmon cornmercially raised insects.

Offer crickets and mealworms the powdered remains found at the bottom of rodent chow bags or dog chow bags. Flaked baby cereals and ground oatmeal can also be used. Mix in powdered calcium carbonate. For crickets, offer slices of orange as a source of water. For mealworms, offer carrot or squash. In addition to the above, crickets should be offered a variety of greens and vegetables such as: grated squashes, carrots, kale, mustard greens, and/or finely chopped thawed llÚxed vegetables, on a flat dish in order to prevent any moisture or water from spreading throughout the cricket enc1osure.

Food preparation lor herpetoculturists

Any hobbyist who buys insects on a regular basis should have plastic containers or bins in which to hold the insects for a couple of days prior to offering them. Some of the translucent plastic terrariums with lids which are.sold in pet stores work quite well for this purpose. . The following are methods that work for gut/ nutrient loading and vitallÚn/ llÚneralloading.