Freeze dried food

[theo_mack]

Hi everyone,

I would like to start by saying hello! I am new to the forum but I have been using it for years to gather information, I just never had the need to create an account and comment and ask questions I guess. I do have a question, however. I really hate dealing with crickets, roaches, wax worms, etc. due to them being noisy, smelly, and always dying. I feel like I almost invest as much time and effort into the stupid insects as I do my chameleon (okay... maybe not quite that much, but still...). They continue to be a nuisance, and I was just reading and learning about freeze dried insects. Flukers, exo terra, and especially zoo-med offer free dried and canned crickets, worms, grass hoppers, and a few more insects. I though this would be a great way to solve my problem until I read that although some reptiles, such as bearded dragons, will eat the pre-killed insects, some animals, such as chameleons need to eat the live food due to the stimulation. I did a little bit more research and found that it somewhat varied between chameleons. If my chameleon will eat from my hand, whats the difference between alive and dead? And, would having something, like the exoterra vibrating feeder, create the illusion that the insects are alive and create that "needed" stimulation? Thanks!

 

[Andee]

Freeze dried is bad for many reasons, they literally have no gut content, if you open up a freeze dried insect (I use them as a protein/fat content for my hamster food) they are pretty much just shell. Left over dried meat inside. But the internal organs are descimated

 

[theo_mack]

Freeze dried is bad for many reasons, they literally have no gut content, if you open up a freeze dried insect (I use them as a protein/fat content for my hamster food) they are pretty much just shell. Left over dried meat inside. But the internal organs are descimated

Is the gut content different from the nutritional value? When I did some research, I found that the nutritional value is the exact same, but like you said, they are much drier. But, does that really matter, or is it the nutritional value that matters?

 

[Andee]

Gut content is huge, nutritional value for insects is poor in general, it's what they eat and live off of that gives insectivores all the vitamins and minerals they actually need. Dusting/supplementation honestly doesn't even do close to all what insectivores need, and it is 100% meant to only fill in the gaps left behind by a good gutload.

 

[theo_mack]

Gut content is huge, nutritional value for insects is poor in general, it's what they eat and live off of that gives insectivores all the vitamins and minerals they actually need. Dusting/supplementation honestly doesn't even do close to all what insectivores need, and it is 100% meant to only fill in the gaps left behind by a good gutload.

Okay, so I'll take that as a recommendation against freeze dried? lol. Do you have any ideas that would possibly help with being able to not keep crickets and other insects in my house? Is there any company that you can order insects that are already gut loaded?

 

[Andee]

no I cannot think of a way to not keep insects in your house. Honestly it's a necessity with insectivores. Whether you raise them or just buy in bulk. I would never reccomend against giving natural food items for any animal. Sorry don't know what to say >.<

 

[Nursemaia]

If you can't deal with having live insects in your house, a cham is not the right animal for you, There's no way around live bugs. Trying to make a cham eat dead bugs is akin to making a cat go vegan.

 

[theo_mack]

Okay thats what I thought. I can deal with it, its just annoying to deal with the little critters some times.

 

[Andee]

It's funny because I love the hell out of my insects, I have species that aren't even feeders.

 

[jamest0o0]

Not trying to be hard on you, but these are animals that should have 6+ feeders at least rotated through. That is, if you'd like your animal to thrive. Trust me I wasn't that into bugs when I got my Chams, but over time I have learned to appreciate them and they've become part of the whole experience. I love it all, dont focus on just the cham, but everything surrounding him/her(fully planted enclosure, tons of feeders, nutrient rich gutloads, etc). Putting it altogether is like a work of art and so much more rewarding when treated in that manner. So anyway, If you're getting into Chams, you gotta get into bugs. Pretty much all there is to it. Goodluck

 

[theo_mack]

Not trying to be hard on you, but these are animals that should have 6+ feeders at least rotated through. That is, if you'd like your animal to thrive. Trust me I wasn't that into bugs when I got my Chams, but over time I have learned to appreciate them and they've become part of the whole experience. I love it all, dont focus on just the cham, but everything surrounding him/her(fully planted enclosure, tons of feeders, nutrient rich gutloads, etc). Putting it altogether is like a work of art and so much more rewarding when treated in that manner. So anyway, If you're getting into Chams, you gotta get into bugs. Pretty much all there is to it. Goodluck

I know, and I do. I have just become tired of them and they are smelly and noisy. On top of that, it is difficult to take care of hundreds of insects with only one chameleon to feed, but I have a love for him.

 

[jamest0o0]

Use banded crickets man, they don't smell at all... and my roaches, even orangeheads don't smell.

 

[Andee]

In my opinion if your insects smell it means you are doing something wrong.

 

[Katacara]

If your crickets are smelly try adjusting your cricket bin. I had the same problems when I first started, then I discovered the wonders of 1) ventilation 2) size and 3) roaches. So I will start with #1 ventilation: when I get crickets I buy in bulk, 1,000 at a time and by cutting 3 large holes and covering them with screening I experience no smell, and I would notice because I keep them with my critters in my room. I can post pictures of my keeper and how I made it if you want. That brings me to #2 size: if the chirping annoys you like it annoyed me the trick is buying smaller crickets and just feeding a few extra that way they have longer to grow and to be fed off before they start chirping. #3 roaches: can be fed as a staple in the place of crickets, and they are so much easier! No smell, no chirping, and no jumping!!!! I have had roaches for about a month now and have not had even 1 escape! I can't even count how many crickets I have around my house because they jump everywhere to escape! They are also easer to breed yourself than crickets, so a bit of upfront cost to start a colony might save you a bunch in the long run, especially if you have more than 1 hungry mouth to feed!