Flax Seeds

[BigTex]

Flax seeds are full of nutrients so what i did was sprout some seeds and then grind they up and fed them to my crickets to see what would happen. it seems like the crickets really like the flax seeds they have been going crazy for them. just thought i would share in case anyone is interested in adding this nutrient to their gut load

 

[lele]

you went one extra step - and probably a good one. I grind the seeds up - which is NOT easy as they need to be soaked due to their hard seed coat - and add to dry gutload. I probably should just have kept them soaked, damp -and voila! sprout! lol! How long did they take to sprout?

 

[BigTex]

i wish i could tell you, my brother likes to eat the seed and he is kind of a health freak so he was the one that sprouted them. i just asked if i could have some to grind and give to my crickets. im going to start sprouting them myself and i should have a better answer for you soon

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Pre-ground flax seed is available at some supermarkets. Here we can get it at Fred Meyer or Safeway. It's tricky to find. SOmetimes it's with the flour, sometimes with bulk foods, sometimes it's in the special diet or the organic foods sections. I tried grinding my own with a mortar and pestle, and then a coffee grinder. But I didn't know about soaking the seeds first. No wonder my grinding attempts were such failures!

 

[BigTex]

ya really think the fact that the seeds sprouted helped the grinding process. its been about a week now and the ground flax that i still have has retained some moisture, get them to sprout and i think you will be on your way

 

[Sara270]

I use Bob's RedMill whole ground flaxseed meal. I think I got it at Trader Joes or Wholefood.

 

[cowchick]

Cofee grinder is what I used to use for my horse!

 

[BigTex]

how much did that flax meal cost if you dont mind me asking sara?

 

[Sara270]

About $2.00 for 16oz/1 lb. I found this website with it: http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=175

 

[BigTex]

o ok thank you very much

 

[Catfur]

I use a blender to grind flaxseed (I use it in my Fruit Fly cultures). I find that it grinds easily when completely dry, forming a dense, but dry crumble.

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

question do you think that they (the crickets) are going after the sprouted seed
because of the moisture or the nutrition?

either way it seems like a nice little thing to add to the chow mix
thanks*

 

[AsiaKauffman]

Been researching flaxseed oil for reptiles on the internet and haven't found much information.It's mainly been used for cats/dogs and horses. Flaxseed is in several manufactured reptile foods.

Does anyone know....(gut loading with flaxseed is ok), can you give Flaxseed oil straight to a chameleon with osteoarthritis, so it could help more? Small doses.

I have researched that too much can cause diarrhea. Any personal experiences or info on the web would help!