I mention Repashy Gel Formulas quite a bit in The Bearded Dragon Cookbook. It’s not because I have a stake in the company, but because the powder formula is ultra-useful when you’re trying to get creative with bearded dragon food prep.
When I’m cooking human food, there are all sorts of ingredients I can turn to for changing the consistency of the dish — everything from thickening a sauce with a roux to changing the texture of ground meats using eggs. Beardie food prep is less forgiving. I can’t use breadcrumbs in a bug loaf, and I can’t make cricket gravy with flour.
What I can do is use Repashy powder as a thickening agent, as well as a seasoning. (If you’ve heard false rumors about the dangers of giving your lizard dry Repashy powder, read on.)
Of course, this stuff — whether you’re using the classic Veggie Burger or the current standard Beardie Buffet — is also useful as intended. Mixing it up into a gelatinous cube or preparing beardie-friendly “gummy worms” is sure to please your dragon while providing excellent nutrition.
That said, let’s dive into this ingredient.
How to Make Repashy Gel Formula
First, I want to cover the basic use of Repashy Gel Formula. It seems like a lot of folks have a hard time preparing the Jello-like form of the product (at least based on some of the reviews).
I can assure you, it’s really easy. The trick — if you can call following the directions a “trick” — is to use boiling water. No, you can’t use warm water. And you can’t use “pretty hot” water. You need to boil it, just the same as if you were making deviled eggs or pasta. Don’t try cutting corners on the heat, and you’ll be fine.
Personally, I use an electric kettle for this. I can boil a small amount of water in about a minute, and the kettle keeps it hot while I prepare my mixture. All I do is put a few spoonfuls of the powder into whatever storage tub I plan on keeping the finished product in. Then I add a small amount of steaming water straight from the kettle.
At this point, I keep adding water and powder until I get the mixture to fill as much of the container as I’m looking for. At the same time, I’m trying to get a consistency like ketchup. Not thick, but not watery.
Once it looks like you just squeezed really gross ketchup out of a bottle, you’re done. Set it aside to cool or put it in the fridge.
Can I Give Beardies Dry Repashy Formula?
While researching the book, I found a short forum thread where keepers were discussing this. The final verdict was that “Repashy has gelatin in it, which could lead to impaction.” This was said with great authority, so the conversation ended there — but the statement is wrong.
If you actually read the label, there is no gelatin in Repashy Gel Formula. None at all. Repashy actually uses plant-based lecithins to take on its ooey-gooey final form, and these are perfectly fine to ingest dry.
Allen Repashy confirmed this for me directly, and even said that the dry form of the plant-based ingredients would likely help digestion, not hinder it.
So, I’ve been giving my dragons the powder form as a topping for ages now. I have never once experienced any impaction problems in my lizards.
Usage Tips
- My lizards like when I use the dry powder as a dusting or coating for other foods (don’t use it to replace normal calcium dusting).
- If you’re trying to get a picky eater to try Repashy, give him some of his favorite food dusted in the dry powder. I’ve found the smell association goes a long way toward getting them to recognize the product as food.
- You can use silicone molds to make “gummy worms” and other treats with Repashy, simply by pouring the finished mixture into them before letting it set.
- You should refrigerate prepared Repashy to keep it safe, but warm it up before feeding to increase the chance your lizard will eat it. (I’ve even slapped strips of the stuff against the side of a heat lamp shield like a little Tandoori oven.)
- Use it to thicken recipes as shown in the book. I don’t think I could make Homemade Cricket Jam without it!
