Gutloading
Introduction
When you decide to acquire a reptile, it's important to remember that you will also need to manage the sourcing and care of feeder animals. These feeder animals are essential as they provide the necessary nutrition that supports the health and well-being of your reptile. Ensuring that these animals receive proper care will help guarantee that they contain the best possible nutrients for your reptilian companion.
Enclosure
Many feeder animals are cannibalistic, which means they eat each other. Therefore, it is important to have good housing. Feeder animals that are given more space are less likely to eat each other. A faunarium or cricket pen are suitable containers. They have sufficient ventilation and provide a larger space than the container in which they are sold. A cricket pen contains tubes where crickets can hide. They prefer dark spaces, which makes it easier to retrieve them from the container as they will crawl into the pens.
Hygiëne
- Warm hide temperature: 26-28°C
- Cool zone temperature: 24-26°C
- Nighttime temperature: 22-24°C
Red-eyed crocodile skinks are exceptionally sensitive to dehydration, which can pose significant risks to their health. To ensure their well-being, it is crucial to maintain humidity levels around 70-80% during the day and even higher, ideally between 80-100%, at night. Monitoring ambient humidity is best accomplished by using a digital probe hygrometer, with the probe strategically placed in the middle of the enclosure setup for accurate readings. If you find that the humidity levels are not reaching the desired range, you can effectively raise the humidity in your enclosure by utilizing a pressure sprayer to mist the environment regularly.
Food & supplements
Feeder animals benefit from good food, enriching the diet of your live food is known as gut-loading. Once the stomach of the feeder animals is empty, your reptile's stomach will be as well. Ensure that once you have fed your feeder animals, you provide them to your reptile within 24 hours. This way, you can be certain you're getting the best out of the feeder animals.
There are ready-made powders available with which you can create food for your feeder animals (like Repashy Bug Burger). You can make cubes from this mixture and store them in the freezer, or prepare fresh portions as needed. These cubes contain moisture, nutrients, and the right vitamins your reptile requires.
There are also dry foods and moisture balls that should both be offered. Without moisture, your feeder animals will perish. Moisture in a water bowl is not advisable, as they can drown in it. You can also provide vegetables such as zucchini or carrot. Cucumber or tomato is less suitable because they mainly contain water.
Buffalo worms, mealworms, and morio worms can be fed Brinta. They are omnivores, so leftover vegetables and fruits can also be given to them, but make sure they don't get too moist. Wax worms do not need to eat; store them in a cool place to prolong their lifespan.
Fruit flies come in a container that already contains a nutrient medium. They usually arrive in a jar with a few flies inside, which lay their eggs in the jar, and the larvae eventually turn into flies. You will have a supply of them as long as the nutrient medium is still available, and you have larvae.
Dubia cockroaches can go a long time without eating. You can provide them vegetables or ready-made food. Grasshoppers can also be given fresh grass alongside the options mentioned above.
Conclusion & Difficulty
Gut loading is always beneficial for your animals, as long as you do it in the correct and appropriate manner. This is important because if you feed your feeders poor-quality food, you ultimately end up feeding your pet poor-quality nutrition as well. Ensuring that your feeders receive a well-balanced diet is essential for their health and, consequently, the health of your reptiles.