dusting vs. gut loading (crickets)

[gusthebus]

Hi I am new to the world of chameleons as pets. i am considering getting a baby veiled cham (male) and was wondering which is more suitable for growth dusting or gut loading or if there is no difference. please help. also where is the best place to get supplies for a chameleon. lllreptiles? reptmart? flchams? please help.

 

[gusthebus]

meal worms vs. crickets

also which are better meal worms or crickets or a mix of both?

 

[kinyonga]

I gutload and supplement.

 

[gusthebus]

both?

so both gut load and dust? or gut load supplement (what is that)

 

[Kate]

Hi. Gut loading can be wet and dry. I hear people using brands such as dinofuil or cricket crack. I make my own using ideas on Sandrachameleons blogs on here. You also need to add fresh fruit or veg also on Sandra's blogs. Dusting is necessary to give your Cham calcium. It is recommended on here you dust feeders daily with plain phosphorous free calcium. You will also need to dust twice a month with calcium with d3 and a multivit twice a month. Once you do more research you can change this about to suit your situation. Variety of feeders are good. You can use silkworms, roaches. Crickets. Butterworms. Mealworms tend to be hard to digest.

 

[gusthebus]

thanks i guess i'll do both

 

[Kate]

thanks i guess i'll do both

I would strongly suggest that you read up on both. You will find all that you need to know on Sandra's blogs. She has a wealth of information and has done lots of research.

 

[gusthebus]

sandra's blog?

where is said blog that is run by sandra?

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO doing both is best since generally you only have to worry about overdoing the fat soluble vitamins...so if you feed/gutload the insects with a natural diet and keep your D3 supplements and any prEformed vitamin A under control and don't dust the insects so they look like ghosts any nutrients in the gutload and supplements should be fine.

 

[Kate]

where is said blog that is run by sandra?

Ok at the top of this page you will find on the blue stripe "blogs" click on best blogs, best entries and you will find lots of info. Sorry cant post link as me and technology don't work well together.LOL

 

[gusthebus]

vitamin d

if my chameleon gets a lot of natural sunlight will he need vitamin d supplement? because i plan to have his cage close to a window.

 

[kychemnerd]

Ok at the top of this page you will find on the blue stripe "blogs" click on best blogs, best entries and you will find lots of info. Sorry cant post link as me and technology don't work well together.LOL

Thank you for this. Sandra's blog is simply amazing. I was thinking about putting something like this together, but she already did it for me, and much more thoroughly!

 

[Kate]

if my chameleon gets a lot of natural sunlight will he need vitamin d supplement? because i plan to have his cage close to a window.

As I understand it uv does not penetrate glass. It is a different story if out in direct sunlight.

 

[AngieL]

Hi! You should gutload and dust! Mealworms are for a treat and if you feed too many yu may find that your cham won't eat anything else!

Here's alink to gutloading and food info https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/

And heres a lnk to supplement info https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html

Both are awesome blogs by a very knowledgable member!

It is important that you research EVERYTHING before you purchase your little buddy. You will find a lot of great info here

 

[mcbdz]

Hello and welcome to the boards. You'll find this is a great place to find out everything to help you keep your chameleon healthy and happy. There is a lot to learn but, you'll always have this place to refer to. Another thing about this forum is when you get your chameleon we like lots of pics.

 

[Olimpia]

They way you think of the two is a bit like this:

Gutloading: Insects like crickets have a really horrible ratio of nutrients, so when you give them a well rounded diet of fresh veggies/fruit and commercial gutloads like Cricket Crack, Superload, Dinofuel, etc., you round out and enhance the nutritional value of the insects.

Supplements: Since these consist of minerals like calcium, supplementing your insects with calcium is like drinking that glass of milk after a healthy meal, you round out the good vitamins with good minerals. Crickets for example have a ratio of calcium to phosphorous of about 1:3, where as it needs to be in an almost 1:1 ratio in the body for bones to absorb calcium properly. So by dusting crickets with calcium, you raise up the level of calcium to phosphorous and you make it more appropriate.

So definitely learn about both and apply both techniques to your husbandry. They are both very important in trying to create the most well-rounded diet for your chameleon.

 

[Mmcbain1]

I wish they had a chameleon course in school I would have studied for that

 

[sandrachameleon]

I wish they had a chameleon course in school I would have studied for that

this ^ will probably be my favourite post of the entire day!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Hi I am new to the world of chameleons as pets. i am considering getting a baby veiled cham (male) and was wondering which is more suitable for growth dusting or gut loading or if there is no difference.

Gutloading is very important for all feeder prey. And for most feeder prey types (like crickets and mealworms), calcium dusting is also very important, but some types of prey need no dusting at all. Offering a wide variety of prey is also, IMHO, a good idea

Here are some links to information that should be really useful for new owners, and will help with your gutloading and supplement dusting questions.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/407-gutloading-isnt-just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ryan-jarosek/119-new-arrival-bringing-home.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/syn/226-frequently-asked-questions.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/frequently-asked-questions-71620/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.chameleonsonline.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/olimpia/522-average-cost-owning-chameleon.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/olimpia/573-chameleon-physiology-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/662-temperature.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/659-green-leafy-goodness-gutloading.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[alaskachick]

Gutloading is very important for all feeder prey. And for most feeder prey types (like crickets and mealworms), calcium dusting is also very important, but some types of prey need no dusting at all. Offering a wide variety of prey is also, IMHO, a good idea

Here are some links to information that should be really useful for new owners, and will help with your gutloading and supplement dusting questions.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/407-gutloading-isnt-just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ryan-jarosek/119-new-arrival-bringing-home.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/syn/226-frequently-asked-questions.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/frequently-asked-questions-71620/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.chameleonsonline.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/olimpia/522-average-cost-owning-chameleon.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/olimpia/573-chameleon-physiology-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/662-temperature.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/659-green-leafy-goodness-gutloading.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Just to clarify... Someone said "dust crickets twice a day". Don't they mean "twice a day, dust the crickets that u r about to feed the Cham". You don't dust your whole cricket supply if they aren't about to be ingested by the Cham. True?

I'm a new owner and glad to see u r doing the research BEFORE u buy! I was misinformed about gut loading and dusting and my baby got MBD. I now use fresh produce in my cricket cage and dust prior to feeding. She's recovering!