Homemade mixes

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Moonlightdreams
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Moonlightdreams » Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:27 pm

wodesorel wrote:If you have bad reactions to mosquitos it's not a bad idea to stay away from bloodworms totally. Allergic reactions can cross react and cause both to get worse, and bloodworms are larvae closely related to mosquitos, not a worm of any sort. I started off slightly allergic to bloodworms the first time I used them (itchy palms) and within a few years it had ramped up to borderline anaphylaxis (closed airways and swelling lips). My mosquito allergy got worse at the same time, from just itching to getting grape sized welts! Hubby was also having itching and trouble breathing when around them. The hermits do love them and if you have no reaction they are awesome and nutritious, but if you have a history of allergies it is something to watch for, and if you have kids it's important to tell them what is and is not normal - I was 11 before I learned that bananas and melons and other fruit is not supposed to cause an itchy throat and tongue! Kids take what they experience for granted.

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I'm not too bad with mosquitos, but they do make me itch. I'll probably stay away from bloodworms, my mother has a history of allergies (dust, egg yolks, birds, etc) And I'd rather be safe. Right now, I'm only allergic to mangoes and possibly dust as well, but I'd like to avoid any other allergies if possible. I'll look into other forms of animal protein. :D I'm very familiar with allergies because of my mother. My dog is allergic to a form of the rabies vaccine and went into anaphylactic shock, and I almost gave the vet a heart attack by asking if he was going to give her a shot of epinephrine. All of this at the age of 4. :wink: (The dog in question is fine, by the way. 10 years old and eating everything in sight. :D )

Oh, yes. It took me a while to figure out having an itchy mouth and throat after eating a mango is definitely not normal. I still cave and sneak in a mango every once in a while. I just can't help it. So good. :P

Ooh, I'll look into those! I'm also looking for dried fruits/vegetables, so I may just pay the price for the Zilla Munchies.
Loving owner of two hermit crabs and two dogs! Call me Moon, Icy, Kermit, or anything you'd like! sheldon_and_peanut (hermit crabs) and sisterchins (dogs) on Instagram.

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LadyJinglyJones
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by LadyJinglyJones » Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:28 pm

GotButterflies wrote:Bloodworms are mosquito larvae.

Edit: There could be different types though...
This is why common names are terrible. :|
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wodesorel
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by wodesorel » Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:46 pm

LadyJinglyJones wrote:
GotButterflies wrote:Bloodworms are mosquito larvae.

Edit: There could be different types though...
This is why common names are terrible. :|
They are!!

@moonlightdreams , your story sounds familiar!! I've had severe oral allergy syndrome since I was a little kid but only learned of it when I was 18. Inherited from my dad, along with his fondness for natural sciences and animals. All fresh fruit and most veggies are off the table for me, it's been probably 20 years since I have had mango or banana and I miss them, but I don't miss the effects and the risks. It's what led me to close my hermit food store since even the dried stuff was causing severe breathing and swelling problems after a few years of exposure. (Like, should have gone to the ER wheezing for two weeks type trouble.) The hermits are wonderful, but in recent years it's been a challenge to feed them properly and stay comfortable. What's weird to me is that even the dried crustaceans set me off severely, including red shrimp and brine shrimp and plankton, and yet I have no reaction to eating shrimp or crab when it is fresh. A little worried it's a sign of a shellfish allergy to come.

Dry mixes tend to work the best as it is a one-time prep and then little exposure upon feeding. I have a 2 gallon bag mixed up in the freezer and my other half fills a smaller container as needed for me so all I have to do is pour it and run. I have a bunch of food that I grew and dried for them, freeze-dried proteins bought in bulk from online fish stores (a huge 2 quart container is only around $13 to $15), and what was left of The Addiction store that Iblabcrab graciously sent me a couple of years ago. As it runs low or I find good sales or harvest time comes round I add to it. Being dried and frozen it will keep indefinitely!

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Moonlightdreams
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Moonlightdreams » Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:10 pm

wodesorel wrote:
LadyJinglyJones wrote:
GotButterflies wrote:Bloodworms are mosquito larvae.

Edit: There could be different types though...
This is why common names are terrible. :|
They are!!

@moonlightdreams , your story sounds familiar!! I've had severe oral allergy syndrome since I was a little kid but only learned of it when I was 18. Inherited from my dad, along with his fondness for natural sciences and animals. All fresh fruit and most veggies are off the table for me, it's been probably 20 years since I have had mango or banana and I miss them, but I don't miss the effects and the risks. It's what led me to close my hermit food store since even the dried stuff was causing severe breathing and swelling problems after a few years of exposure. (Like, should have gone to the ER wheezing for two weeks type trouble.) The hermits are wonderful, but in recent years it's been a challenge to feed them properly and stay comfortable. What's weird to me is that even the dried crustaceans set me off severely, including red shrimp and brine shrimp and plankton, and yet I have no reaction to eating shrimp or crab when it is fresh. A little worried it's a sign of a shellfish allergy to come.

Dry mixes tend to work the best as it is a one-time prep and then little exposure upon feeding. I have a 2 gallon bag mixed up in the freezer and my other half fills a smaller container as needed for me so all I have to do is pour it and run. I have a bunch of food that I grew and dried for them, freeze-dried proteins bought in bulk from online fish stores (a huge 2 quart container is only around $13 to $15), and what was left of The Addiction store that Iblabcrab graciously sent me a couple of years ago. As it runs low or I find good sales or harvest time comes round I add to it. Being dried and frozen it will keep indefinitely!

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Oh, yikes! My mother figured out she was allergic to egg yolks 20some years ago, after owning birds. She was allergic to the dander, which led to her egg allergy. Who knew? Now her allergy is expanding to chicken, and possibly even turkey. I happen to remember the exact words she spoke to me when we got Sheldon. "If he makes me allergic to shellfish, he's out of here."

Lucky for Sheldon, she's still doing good with the shellfish. :lol:

I was hoping to find jars of dried vegetables/fruit as well as protein, but I haven't found any yet. I would dry fruit/vegetables in the oven, but my mother thinks I'm crazy. :P We've had a pretty bad mold problem, but dry is doing fine so far. I took out the baby food I put down for them this morning and it was more mold than food. Mold creeps me out as well as worms. Oh, and frogs. I'm strange. :D
Loving owner of two hermit crabs and two dogs! Call me Moon, Icy, Kermit, or anything you'd like! sheldon_and_peanut (hermit crabs) and sisterchins (dogs) on Instagram.

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wodesorel
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by wodesorel » Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:28 pm

Zoomed makes a dried fruit mix but I cannot remember what all is in it, it is just freeze-dried fruit. Zilla Munchies also has an all fruit mix and another that is mixed with I think veggies, and that too is straight food no additives.

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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Moonlightdreams » Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:49 pm

wodesorel wrote:Zoomed makes a dried fruit mix but I cannot remember what all is in it, it is just freeze-dried fruit. Zilla Munchies also has an all fruit mix and another that is mixed with I think veggies, and that too is straight food no additives.

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Yep, I've been looking at those. The Zilla bags are a big small, but I think they would last a long time. I'm looking into the omnivore mix. :D
Loving owner of two hermit crabs and two dogs! Call me Moon, Icy, Kermit, or anything you'd like! sheldon_and_peanut (hermit crabs) and sisterchins (dogs) on Instagram.

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wodesorel
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by wodesorel » Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:53 pm

There is a lot of food in those bags, since it's freeze dried and super light and cut into tiny pieces. Enough to last a pair of crabs well over a year, easy!

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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Moonlightdreams » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:05 pm

wodesorel wrote:There is a lot of food in those bags, since it's freeze dried and super light and cut into tiny pieces. Enough to last a pair of crabs well over a year, easy!

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Good to know! :D My two are very light eaters. And then sometimes they sleep in the food bowl and force the other one to eat sand. :wink: Before Sheldon went down, he tried to eat an entire piece of hazelnut that I hadn't quite chopped small enough. He finally threw it back down and started in on the pinecone. :lol:
Loving owner of two hermit crabs and two dogs! Call me Moon, Icy, Kermit, or anything you'd like! sheldon_and_peanut (hermit crabs) and sisterchins (dogs) on Instagram.

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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by PinchersAndShells » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:17 pm

I ordered the Zilla Munchies vegetable mix last week, I’m trying to stick to dried foods due to previous gnat infestations. I would definitely recommend the brand, when I put it in the ‘tat one of my purple pinchers went straight to destroying the food bowl. I’ve also found a few other veggie mixes meant for reptiles, I can share but I have no input on the quality. :)


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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Moonlightdreams » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:25 pm

PinchersAndShells wrote:I ordered the Zilla Munchies vegetable mix last week, I’m trying to stick to dried foods due to previous gnat infestations. I would definitely recommend the brand, when I put it in the ‘tat one of my purple pinchers went straight to destroying the food bowl. I’ve also found a few other veggie mixes meant for reptiles, I can share but I have no input on the quality. :)


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Very nice! I'm holding out for some Petco gift cards for my birthday so I can spoil the crabbies. . . . wait. My birthday and the crabs get spoiled? That doesn't sound ri- yeah, never mind. Sounds about right. :lol: I had a terrible gnat infestation after offering some banana - ick! They're gone now, though.

Since both of mine are molting, I'm not too worried with getting their food perfect right this minute. But hopefully by the time they come up, I'll have lots of goodies for them. :wink:
Loving owner of two hermit crabs and two dogs! Call me Moon, Icy, Kermit, or anything you'd like! sheldon_and_peanut (hermit crabs) and sisterchins (dogs) on Instagram.

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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by PinchersAndShells » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:27 pm

Moonlightdreams wrote: Very nice! I'm holding out for some Petco gift cards for my birthday so I can spoil the crabbies. . . . wait. My birthday and the crabs get spoiled? That doesn't sound ri- yeah, never mind. Sounds about right. :lol: I had a terrible gnat infestation after offering some banana - ick! They're gone now, though.

Since both of mine are molting, I'm not too worried with getting their food perfect right this minute. But hopefully by the time they come up, I'll have lots of goodies for them. :wink:
I feel you on that one! My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her I wanted gift cards for crab food. She replied with an “...anything else?” :lol:


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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by wodesorel » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:43 pm

Hubby asked if I wanted roses for tomorrow, I got cholla and some good sphagnum moss instead.

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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Hermiesguardian » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:55 pm

wodesorel wrote:Hubby asked if I wanted roses for tomorrow, I got cholla and some good sphagnum moss instead. Image

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:hlol:
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Re: Homemade mixes

Post by Hermiesguardian » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:40 am

PinchersAndShells wrote:
Moonlightdreams wrote: Very nice! I'm holding out for some Petco gift cards for my birthday so I can spoil the crabbies. . . . wait. My birthday and the crabs get spoiled? That doesn't sound ri- yeah, never mind. Sounds about right. :lol: I had a terrible gnat infestation after offering some banana - ick! They're gone now, though.

Since both of mine are molting, I'm not too worried with getting their food perfect right this minute. But hopefully by the time they come up, I'll have lots of goodies for them. :wink:
I feel you on that one! My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her I wanted gift cards for crab food. She replied with an “...anything else?” :lol:


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raising son's dog, Dante. Husky/hound.
Raising daughter's hermit crabs, Shelder, Paras and Derek. Added 2 more of my own (of course) Pete and Stryper. Former mommy to 2 guinea pigs and beloved cat, Nissi

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