Chameleon Feeder Gut Load

[JGuinan007]

I was looking over the Care sheets today and one thing that always pops out is the list of best foods to gut load with which are (mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercrest, alfalfa, sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy, green beans, bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed and organic non-salted almonds) then I looked at the ingredients for the gut loads I buy and use and less than half the ingredients were used or the same. Why is that? If you are gut loading feeders for a Chameleon don't you want all these items in there? Does anyone know of a gut load that has all these ingredients in it?

 

[BabyChamCham]

You don't necessarily have to do all of them you can just pick one and stick to that. You can also just buy cricket good too.

 

[JGuinan007]

I know I use bug chow and cricket crack but wanted to know if anyone on here makes a gut load using these ingredients specifically for Chameleon feeders bugs. I just think it would be better for Our Chameleons if one included them all and I'd buy that one instead.

 

[Chamifornia]

Usually it's recommended to switch off every week or two with a few different ones. I have gone the route lately to mix a bunch and freeze which is just easier for me right now.

 

[JGuinan007]

Well i'm looking at from the point of just buying it with everything in there not making it.

 

[JGuinan007]

I don't have a dryer or grinder that can grid to a powder like other dry gut loads.

 

[JGuinan007]

I feed my chameleon mostly with dubia, and Super worms (also Horn and silk but they don't get a gut load) along with their crack and chow I throw in different fruits and veggies mostly things to keep them hydrated and the dubia have a wet sea sponge also to to keep them with water. I also use crickets for feeders but thats really only 25 every other month I don't like to keep them around. I don't really care too much about keeping the feeders around just want them to have good stuff in their bellies for my chameleon.

 

[Chamifornia]

Not sure you will find a dry gutload with everything in there. Thats where getting coffee grinder or even blender will work to make your own if you are so set in having it all. A lot of the ingredients you listed are for a wet gutload so you could just buy them chop them up and freeze what you won't use. Buy the dry ingredients you feel you need and blend it or get a coffee grinder and you are set. Or just use cricket crack or bug buffet. As far as I know there is no other dry gutload you can buy better than those

 

[Andee]

You really shouldn't be using a sponge with the dubias. Unless you are cleaning it every other day or every day. They collect a lot of bacteria. Any of the greens however need to be fed fresh or frozen. The drying of most of the greens will cause most of the nutrients to leave them.

 

[nick barta]

If you look at the ingredients on Cricket Crack and Bug Buffet, they have more than your list, minus the wet ingredients. You can see both ingredient lists on my ad in the CF classifieds, under "Chameleon Food" my ad is "Gut Loads and Feeder Supplies."

Cricket gut loads from Ghann's etc are not even close in quality and variety of ingredients.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[JGuinan007]

You really shouldn't be using a sponge with the dubias. Unless you are cleaning it every other day or every day. They collect a lot of bacteria. Any of the greens however need to be fed fresh or frozen. The drying of most of the greens will cause most of the nutrients to leave them.

I use a natural sea sponge in their cage which does not grow bacteria nearly as fast as a cheap cleaning sponges and I clean it pretty much every other day when I pick out fresh feeders.
Which ingredients can't be dried to work other gut loads have some of the ingredients dried and ground into theirs?

 

[JGuinan007]

If you look at the ingredients on Cricket Crack and Bug Buffet, they have more than your list, minus the wet ingredients. You can see both ingredient lists on my ad in the CF classifieds, under "Chameleon Food" my ad is "Gut Loads and Feeder Supplies."

Cricket gut loads from Ghann's etc are not even close in quality and variety of ingredients.

CHEERS!

Nick

Hello Nick
I spoke to you awhile ago about this and buy my crack from you but this is the best chameleon gut load out there it does not have all the same ingredients and has some that aren't really needed. It is still the best gut load on the market for chameleon needs but I want more Like a specially formulated dry gut load specifically made for gut loading feeders for chameleons with all the good stuff to have a happy healthy Chameleon. I'd pay double what I pay for crack and chow to get it.

 

[Andee]

The dandelion greens, the mustard, the escarole etc.,.. drying these out makes them lose a lot of nutrients. Like it does with any veggie you 'cook'. Most of the gut loads that are made ARE specially formulated to make chameleons healthy and happy.

 

[JGuinan007]

If I were to make my own gut load what would I need to dry the ingredients out and grind them to a fine power?

 

[Andee]

I use a really good blender for mine, and then sift out the larger chunks of alfalfa. I then combine the important stuff, such as the spirulina and seeds and nuts,... anything but the alfalfa after I've sifted the alfalfa. Otherwise the larger chunks of alfalfa which don't get powdered down don't get eaten by the roaches/other insects. It takes a while to sift it but it's worth it. My food is also for sale, it's entire ingredient list is in the Classifieds section. If you are planning to make your own food, I can coach you through it. At least why I put certain one's of my foods in.

 

[Davecameos]

I personally think it is much better doing it ourselves.
I make my own wet gut load in batches that I freeze in ice cube trays.
Then I do my own dry mix too. I change it every couple of weeks. I do not grind all the ingredients. Just some. For instance I use whole calendula petals or nettle leaves but then I grind flax seeds to make it easier.