# Dry Bug Burger



## ZenMonkey (Sep 17, 2013)

I've done some reading on this but I wanted a little feedback. The requirement to prepare the Bug Burger and replace it every two days is more work than I can handle in addition to everything else I do for bugs and frogs. (I'm disabled, not lazy. Well, not ONLY lazy.  )

I've seen many people mention that they love BB for their isopods. I'm starting a new colony of dwarf purples. In addition to banana, I would like to use BB dry. I'm curious about the methods used by those of you who do this. Is it better to do a light overall dusting, or to sprinkle a bunch in one area? As others have described, I have seen it gel up pretty quickly in the moist soil, but do you still have to remove it after 48h? 

Thanks for your help.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Why would you remove it after 48 hours? I make my burger as instructions state and simply cut into cubes once cooled down. I leave it in the cultures until its completely gone and have had zero bad effects with it. it molds over pretty quick, but that doesnt stop the buggies


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

I don't remove it either. I put sugar cube sized pieces in once a week, sometimes 2 or more if it's a larger culture. I make the bug burger by the cup (1/4 cup burger: 3/4 cup water), cube it, toss in a ziploc, into the freezer, and I have bug burger for the month.


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

I use moist cardboard in my isopod cultures along with leaves as a food source. When I want to use the Bug Burger I spray my cardboard down a little and then sprinkle bug burger in a couple places on the cardboard, especially where there is a little puddle. The pods seem to like it just as well as when I used to make it into gelatin.


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

I've had no problem just leaving it in cultures or vivs.


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## MELLOWROO421 (Feb 21, 2007)

I sprinkle it in my iso cultures as a powder in an area about the size of a 50 cent piece, sometimes larger depending on how populated the culture is. Never seems to be a problem.


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Now, I have Morning Wood for my isos. (Hey, Alan Repashy started it!)

On topic, isn't there a possibility of some nutrients being absorbed by the substrate without first making it into a gel? When you make it in a container all of it gets solidified homogeneously. When sprinkled, not all of it happens to land near the gelling agent. just a thought.


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## ZenMonkey (Sep 17, 2013)

Nismo95 said:


> Why would you remove it after 48 hours? I make my burger as instructions state



Those instructions state to remove the uneaten portion after 48 hours. 

Thanks everyone for your replies! You've been very helpful.


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## hun73r (Jul 1, 2013)

I also have always just fed it dry and my cultures of white, purple, and orange are all thriving. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Are they as nutritious? would be my question.



hun73r said:


> I also have always just fed it dry and my cultures of white, purple, and orange are all thriving.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wusserton (Feb 21, 2014)

aspidites73 said:


> I don't remove it either. I put sugar cube sized pieces in once a week, sometimes 2 or more if it's a larger culture. I make the bug burger by the cup (1/4 cup burger: 3/4 cup water), cube it, toss in a ziploc, into the freezer, and I have bug burger for the month.


This is exactly how I do it, ice cube trays are extremely cheap and you can pour the boiling liquid right into them and chuck em in the freezer until needed, they last for 6 months this way so its really minimal maintenance, takes about the same amount of time as cookin up a fruit fly culture (time it takes 3/4 cup of water to boil)


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## ZenMonkey (Sep 17, 2013)

I do appreciate the responses about cooking the Bug Burger. I blew off my disability in the first post, but it's severe. I'm mostly housebound and my energy is so limited that on a bad day, I might not even be able to feed the frogs. (There's plenty of food in there besides flies, of course.) Any tiny thing that reduces my energy costs is a big help, for example, sprinkling the Bug Burger dry instead of having to go downstairs to retrieve it. 

Just clarifying why I'm interested in skipping the step, although of course I'll make it at least once to compare, and there's lots of good ideas here, so thank you again!


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## Dragonairre (Jan 13, 2021)

I sprinkle my greens for my beardies and iguans with flavored dry repashy (meal replacement), so I don't know why you couldn't do the same with your feeders and BB.


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