Gut-loading
Feeding feeder insects a nutritious diet before offering them, so the nutrients pass to your reptile.
Feeder insects are only as nutritious as what they have eaten. Gut-loading means feeding crickets, roaches or similar a quality diet (leafy greens, veg and a commercial gut-load) for 24 to 48 hours before they go to your animal, so they arrive full of useful nutrition.
Gut-loading works alongside dusting with a calcium (and where appropriate D3) supplement. Together they are a core defence against nutritional problems like metabolic bone disease in insectivores.
Related terms
baskr turns the fundamentals into practice, log temperature, humidity and weight and it scores each animal against species ideal ranges, flagging problems early.
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General husbandry guidance, not veterinary advice. Always confirm details for your species with an up-to-date care sheet, an experienced keeper or an exotics vet.