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You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Cricket Gut-Load ???

Thread starter Thread starter jsikes88
Start date Start date May 11, 2012

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jsikes88

New Member

I am currently breeding crickets using oranges, apples and lettuce, Should I add other things to the load out or just let them do thier thing??

reptilover

New Member

jsikes88 said: I am currently breeding crickets using oranges, apples and lettuce, Should I add other things to the load out or just let them do thier thing?? Click to expand...

Contact sandrachameleon she's the resident gutload queen. What kind of lettuce are u using? Use some carrots as well. That's kinda the basic. Sandra will blow ur mind

lisagr07

Avid Member

Mine get apples, oranges, turnip greens, carrots, strawberries and cricket crack! Yummy!!!!

Oh yeah, what reptilover said! Sandra is all over it!!!!! S

Sabayon

New Member

You'll definitely want to use a dry gutload as well. I made one based on sandra's blog and it gets devoured by the crickets. For a wet gutload I use orange, apple, dandelion greens, spinach, arugula, mango, kiwi, papaya, among other fruits and veggies. I use a different wet gutload every week. Sometimes I use a medley of all the things i listed that I have in my freezer.

RealIzeRecognIze

New Member

My crickets seem to like dinofuel raptor edition as far as dry gutload. Supposed to help the colors pop more in your cham. Mines still a baby so I couldn't confirm this but she's bright bright green

reptilover

New Member

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/394-dry-gutload-recipe-january-2010.html Give that a read. That's 2010. It's been updated Im just not finding It this second! Good start though! Also SABAYON has got a pretty dang good wet list there for ya

BocaJan

New Member

Sabayon said: You'll definitely want to use a dry gutload as well. I made one based on sandra's blog and it gets devoured by the crickets. For a wet gutload I use orange, apple, dandelion greens, spinach, arugula, mango, kiwi, papaya, among other fruits and veggies. I use a different wet gutload every week. Sometimes I use a medley of all the things i listed that I have in my freezer. Click to expand...

No spinach. It is not recommended.

ferretinmyshoes

Veterinarian

Staff member

Gutloading is the process of working through the food chain to feed the prey animals the nutrition that your insectivore pet needs to replicate what they would eat in nature. Crickets are basically just water and chitin (not very nutritious or digestible) and the pet stores only feed them cardboard, or potato at most, so feeding crickets directly after you get them from the pet store or vendor is not providing much in the way of nutrition to your pet. Supplementing with a calcium and/or multivitamin powder is important, but not sufficient alone for proper nutrition in any species. Gut loading can't be done in all feeders but is very easy in crickets and super worms - two common feeder bugs. How do you chose what to use? Gutloading ingredients should be chosen that are higher in calcium than phosphorus. High phosphorus levels in the food impedes calcium absorption. Inadequate dietary calcium leads to metabolic bone disease. Commercially available gutloads (such as Fluker Farms Cricket Food) are not balanced or sufficient for good nutrition in any species. Ideally there should be a wet and dry component to your gut load: Good Wet Gutloading Ingredients: dandelion leaves, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole lettuce, butternut squash, carrots, mango, alfalfa sprouts, oranges, blueberries, raspberries, sweet potato, strawberries, hibiscus leaves and flowers, papaya Good Dry Gutload Ingredients: bee pollen, alfalfa powder, kelp powder, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, raw uncooked sunflower seeds, raw uncooked pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, small amounts of whole grain cereals, spirulina algae, tortoise pellets Foods to AVOID: Broccoli, spinach, beets, and parsley, have large amounts of oxalic acids which bind calcium absorption. Lettuces and cabbage do not have any significant nutritional value. Also, avoid things like dog food, cat food, and fish flakes which are high in animal proteins which can cause kidney damage. Feeding such things like pinky-mice, fuzzies, and feeder anoles that are extremely high in fat and protein content is harmful to your chameleon's health, bones and organs that can lead to serious illnesses like gout, edema, organ failure and fatality.  This site has nutritional info on many commonly available fruits and veggies to help guide you in choosing good gut loading ingredients: http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm Sandrachameleon has many more blog entries on gut loading and nutrition. S

Sabayon

New Member

Eh I get all my info from Sandra so credit goes to her for sure lol. One thing I've noticed, I dont know if its different with other people but ... Crickets LOVE greens. They eat the other stuff yes, but when I put greens in there, they are gone. Completely. The first time I did this I actually asked my gf if she cleaned out the bug bin. She didnt. So the second time, I watched, and it was like watching a fast forward clip of Silks eating mulberry. I'm not 100% sure the value of feeding lettuce though. I've heard people say don't use iceberg (head lettuce). I'm not sure if its because it has no nutritional value, just water. Or if it has something harmful in it. I use spring mix (I don't use the purple leaves though) and the crix murder it.

jsikes88

New Member

Good knowledge, glad there are very knowledgable people on this forum. I do have diced carrots in the cage also, but it appears that a trip to the local food store. Over the last month of owning my two veiled chams I have decided to get several more. I understand these guys are not exactly in expensive to buy and then properly take care of, that is why Im hitting this forum hard for knowledge. Next week I should have a shipment of 3 Nosy Folys from Texas Ranger come in and the week after that 2 Nosy Be. So right now I have to get these crickets going before D-Day (delivery) Does anyone recomend a web site that sells properly gut-loaded crickets that wont kill the colony?

ferretinmyshoes

Veterinarian

Staff member

Wow! You're diving off the high board head first with that many chams coming in at once! No vendor gutloads crickets since it costs more and the effects of gutloading only last a day or so before they just poop all the good stuff out. So just order bulk crickets and gutload them at least several hours before feeding them to your chams. The site sponsors are all good for crickets. S

Sabayon

New Member

BocaJan said: No spinach. It is not recommended. Click to expand...

Thank you

sandrachameleon

Chameleon Enthusiast

jsikes88 said: I am currently breeding crickets using oranges, apples and lettuce, Should I add other things to the load out or just let them do thier thing?? Click to expand...

Here're some links that you may find useful: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/nutritional-information/ https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/215-oxalic-acid-content-vegetables.html https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html

jsikes88

New Member

ferretinmyshoes said: Wow! You're diving off the high board head first with that many chams coming in at once! No vendor gutloads crickets since it costs more and the effects of gutloading only last a day or so before they just poop all the good stuff out. So just order bulk crickets and gutload them at least several hours before feeding them to your chams. The site sponsors are all good for crickets. Click to expand...

Yes, very true... I just need to make sure there is water in the pool! I have always been a fan of chameleons but have always owned other reptiles such as snakes, turtles, water dragons and iguanas. But unlike the other species of reptiles chameleons seem to have higher inteligence and most of all individual personalities. I think from what I learned and the prices of crickets that its going to be cheaper and easier just buying 1,000 crickets at a time and having seperate containers for gut-loading the crickets. On a different note, I dust my crickets every other day... One of the books that I bought says only once a week but didnt specify age, since they are still going thru thier main growth stage should it around 3 times a week or less?

jsikes88

New Member

sandrachameleon said: Here're some links that you may find useful: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/nutritional-information/ https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/215-oxalic-acid-content-vegetables.html https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html Click to expand...

Everyone told me to get a hold of you for info, thanks for posting these links

sandrachameleon

Chameleon Enthusiast

jsikes88 said: On a different note, I dust my crickets every other day... One of the books that I bought says only once a week but didnt specify age, since they are still going thru thier main growth stage should it around 3 times a week or less? Click to expand...

Here are a couple links that will help you determine a good supplement routine for your particular situation: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/174-whats-supplements-brand.html Not all prey types need to be supplement dusted, and the better you gutload a wide variety of prey feeder types, the less reliant on supplements you will be. Factors to consider are:

What brand of supplements are you using?
How often is your chameleon outside, having access to natural sunlight?
What types of insects/feeders do you use?
What do you gutload with?
What type of UVB lighting do you use?
What temperature range does the chameleon have access to?
What is the Age, Gendre and type (species) of chameleon ?

tkilgour

Member

jsikes88 said: I have always been a fan of chameleons but have always owned other reptiles such as snakes, turtles, water dragons and iguanas. But unlike the other species of reptiles chameleons seem to have higher inteligence and most of all individual personalities. Click to expand...

There are many studies out they say monitor lizards are actually the smartest reptiles. Some can even count. A new program on NOVA called the Lizard King was recently on that showed the monitor that can count. However, I still like chameleons better. Back to your topic, buy crickets from Ghann's cricket farm or from a chameleon forum sponsor and gutload them properly and you will do fine.

sandrachameleon

Chameleon Enthusiast

jsikes88 said: Everyone told me to get a hold of you for info, thanks for posting these links Click to expand...

You're very welcome - I hope you find them useful BocaJan

BocaJan

New Member

jsikes88 said: I am currently breeding crickets using oranges, apples and lettuce, Should I add other things to the load out or just let them do thier thing?? Click to expand...

Lettuce has no nutrition. You should switch to kale, dandeline greens or collards.

jsikes88

New Member

tkilgour said: There are many studies out they say monitor lizards are actually the smartest reptiles. Some can even count. A new program on NOVA called the Lizard King was recently on that showed the monitor that can count. However, I still like chameleons better. Back to your topic, buy crickets from Ghann's cricket farm or from a chameleon forum sponsor and gutload them properly and you will do fine. Click to expand...

Varanid lizards are very intelligent, and some species can even count.[8] Careful studies feeding V. albigularis at the San Diego Zoo varying numbers of snails showed that they can distinguish numbers up to six.[8][9] V. niloticus lizards have been observed to cooperate when foraging.[8] One varanid lures the female crocodile away from her nest, while the other opens the nest to feed on the eggs.[8] The decoy then returns to also feed on the eggs.[8][9] Komodo dragons, V. komodoensis, at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., recognize their keepers and seem to have distinct personalities.[9] They say you learn something new everyday lol

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