I was told by a large scale commercial bug breeder that the gut load is so nutrient rich it can actually be harmful to the bugs, so people end up buying 2 doz for every 1 doz they get to feed. the gut load is made for very short term use, 24 hours max. someone else recommended researching waht each animals needs and putting it in the cricket food, which is good way to go, but time consuming. the easiest thing i've found is to crush rat pellets in a blender I got at a yard sale for $2. also, dog or cat food is good too. i just add in whatever extras I want to - like repti cal and reptivite, etc, in very small amounts. then just gut load the day you feed.
brimstone