gut loading clarification

bka

bka

New Member
We feed my baby veiled gut loaded crickets. But, actually I need a clarification on gut loading.
We have a cricket cage thing and I keep it stocked with cut veggies and cricket quencher (that yellow jelly stuff). Does that count as gut loading or do I have to make sure the crickets eat right before I feed her?

Also, I've been told different things - the vet told me to dust the crickets every day, but I heard elsewhere to do it every other day. What do you all recommend?
 
gutloading...

I use a commercial gutload (www.cricketfood.com) along with veggies and a water source. I also dust but not every feeding. The amount of dusting is determined by the age and sex of the chameleon and also the species. Females and juveniles need more than adult males. Especially gravid females. No one has a set schedule that they will give you because, and this is strictly my opinion, everyone has there own method that works for them, but may not work for someone else. They don't want to be responsible for causing an overdose or other issues with someone elses reptiles. Its a pretty touchy subject. You can overdose and you can also underdose so be careful. What I would suggest is to go to some of the forums and do research on what others are doing and combine the info and come up with your own method. One guidline to follow is that warm temp. species need more supplimentation than cooler montane species. Also if you allow them regular natural sunlight they will need different supplimentation then those kept indoors. Hope this helps and ther is a lot of great information out there.

Jerm
 
thanks guys.
it's complicated. She's a baby female so I guess she needs more. but I usually take her outside when it's sunny.
plus I give the crickets veggies, cricket food and quencher.

I really appreciate the feedback.
 
i just put fish flake food and cichlid granules and baby food and dandalion blossums in my cricket food dish all together they seem to gobble it up good:D
 
I am also using gutload from cricketfood. There are a few other quality commerical gutload products that you will not find at pet stores. One that comes to mind and I plan to try next is wer gutload.

For water I have used the gelatin quincher and also the water crystals. The gelatin seems to work ok for a water source, but as Jason said it is not really worth the cost. I like the water crystal pads (forget their commercial name), but my local stores do not carry them anymore for some reason.

I prefer to use fresh vegies, but I also prefer not to go to the grocery store more than once a week. When I run out, I use quality commercial gutload.

cam198: I would recommend against using fish/dog/cat/etc food for gutload. The crickets may be content, but they will not be offering your chameleon everything it needs. In fact, I think I recall reading about various medical problems in chameleons that were traced to high protein levels in dog/fish food.
 
I was trying to make my own gut loads and I finally made one that my crickets REALLY attack. It's oatmeal, water, grapes, fish flakes, that yellow jelly stuff, and bread crumbs. (Smells horrible by the way.) Is that okay to feed to them? I usually stick with oatmeal, fish flakes, a potato...that's about it. But they don't eat it as fast as they devoured this!!
 
gut loading

I gut load my crickets using a recipe made out of wheat bran powdered milk baby rice cereal coconut yeast and oatmeal. I also give them carrots and kale and potatoes. They love the gutload I make. They just gobble it up.
 
I beleive that dusting supplements with D3 is meant for chams that are kept mostly indoors and the ones that have no D3 is for ones that live outside. The d3 makes up for something that the sun gives off to your chams.But I'm not really sure what it is. Right now I dust more with just the plain calcium without D3 more often than the D3 formula because I've been taking my cham outside alot lately. I think I read in another post that someone's cham overdosed on D3 and died while bringing it outside. So you got to be careful and use your best judegement.
 
Time to search the forums for gutload threads. Believe me there are plenty (you found this one).
For what it's worth here is my method:
Cricket and Roach maintenance:
Feed bran cereal and or rolled oats (dry oatmeal) wet, wadded up paper towel (for moisture) and a couple apple, carrot or sweet potato slices.
zophoba worms:
two inches of high fiber breakfast cereal and apple slices.
Waxworms:
two inches of Honey Bunches Of Oats cereal and a few drops of honey.
The above is what they get all the time.
To "gut-load" crickets and roaches, a few are pulled the night before they are to be fed and put in a seperate container all night with the following:
collard greens, sweet potato or squash slices, cooked egg yolk, powdered milk, grated carrot and bee pollen.
Do not use:
dog food, cat food, fish food, spinich, brocolli or tomato. all potentially harmful to your chameleon.
Dusting for young chameleon:
Cal w/out phos. or D3 - 3 times a week
Cal w/out phos but with D3 - 1 to 2 times a week
Vitamin supplement once a week.
Dusting for 6 mos. and older:
cal w/out phos or D3 - 3 times a week
cal w/out phos but with D3 - once every 7 to 10 days
vitamin supplement once every two weeks.
pinhead size drop of vitamin A from gel cap once every two weeks (alternate with vit. supplement)
This is nothing more than my way of doing supplementation and gutloading. It is not intended as the "only way" or in any other way
absolute.

-Brad
 
Last edited:
I need to clarify something.
By "pinhead size drop" I really mean the smallest amount possible.
Here's what I do:
I pierce a gel cap with a sterilized sewing pin and smear whatever amount comes out on the pin down the back of a silkworm and feed.
I then take the gel cap and swallow it with a glass of water. (My sheds have gotten much easier since I started this)
:D

-Brad
 
I have, yes.
Recently Kitty (my veiled boy) would only eat silkworms so I would dust a
q-tip and run it down the silkworms back.
You don't need a lot of supplement on the days you do it . I've read some people's comments on here who are using a teaspoon at a time and really drowning the insects in dust.
Less is definetely more!

-Brad
 
Brad: I went to the link you supplied for the wer gutload and was surprised to read this:
Welcome to Wild Eye Reptiles




Attention: Effective 12/22/2006 we will no longer be distributing WER Gutload publicly.
This was no an easy decision for us to make. When we decided to sell our recipe to the general public we were very excited for the opportunity to offer what we felt to be a superior product to reptile keepers worldwide. Unfortunately time, cost of ingredients and the actions of a few individuals have brought us to this point. To those who have an existing credit or agreement with us you may still order the product via email, however all other sales will be refused.

For those who have supported us and our product over the years we would like to say thank you. You have been great and we really appreciate the support.

Are they bowing out of the production of this? What do you make of this statemant? Thanks.
 
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