Fruit/veg food smells

[chriwf]

Okay, after coming here and answering a few questions... I figured I'd ask one.

I've done only minor experimenting with food smells. I don't think it's so much the smell of the food, as it is the smell it creates in the frass.

I own dubias, if I stick to oranges/grapefruit, the musk that comes out of the bin when I open it or if the humidifier is on - won't be bad at all. I won't pick up an orangy or citris smell. But,it smells different than other things like --

When I bought my 2nd batch of dubias from someone in Cali I think. He shipped them in boxes, with carrots inside. It smelled heinous (more like hanus). I thought hmm.. Maybe his place just smells weird. I put my own carrots in there, sure enough, they created a weird funky smell like theirs.

Over the span of several months to a year, I'm learning that apples smell too. And the longer period of time I ONLY use apples, the more the musk smells when I open the bin.

Right now there's an orange in there. I had to take a break from feeding them my apple cores. I turned my humidifier on, opened the bin a while later, and the smell that came out didn't make me wanna gag.

Anyone know of specific foods that I can alternate between that and oranges (for pricing), that do not really have a odor?

PS. yes my bin has a giant ventilation system (circle cut out in top with metal screen, 2" larger in radius than the ceramic heat lamp)

[Keith]

Bananas, romaine lettuce, white bread, iguana fruit pellets ( they smell like candy!), papaya.

[chriwf]

Bananas, romaine lettuce, white bread, iguana fruit pellets ( they smell like candy!), papaya.

I think I've only tried bananas once or twice, they loved them... But bananas are hard to store so I'm not constantly hitting up the grocery store buying bug food

I didn't know white bread... Hmm... Okay

[ZOO CENTRE]

Try mango- it will be battle:)

[jebbewocky]

Banana. If they go brown--put 'em in the freezer to make muffins!

I like buying bananas, because I don't like fresh ones all that much, so it's one of those few foods where the roaches get first crack at it, and then I eat it if it goes kinda bad.

[pierre72]

As I've mentioned on many pages already, it is much easier to give them Tropical Fish Flakes and Fluker's Cricket vitamin supplement powder. Not sure if they contain ALL the nutrition that ALL species need, but my German and Blabberous Discoidous have done well with it. Unlike fresh food, it won't go bad and be wasted and won't attract invaders like fruit flies and ants.

[pierre72]

That's why I don't give my German fresh food. Though they may like it better than fish flakes, dog food and other processed stufff and it may be healthier, fresh food gets bad and spoils too easy. Especially banana which will get all nasty in like less than two days. Plus when I did give them fresh fruit it would attract ants and fruit flies. At that point I decided not worth it. So I stick to the fish flakes and vitamin supplement powder as mentioned. Once in a while I'll throw in a slice of whole grain bread. I'm sure that's better for them than white.