Gut loading crickets

[Corpsman82]

Just got my new panther cham (3 months old) and had a question about gut loading i cant seem to find.

should i seperate the crictets that i plan on feeding him 24 houres before i give it to him to gut load?

or is it ok to just put my gutload mix in my main cricket container?

as far as gut loading goes this week i planned on putting 3 or 4 of the main things you guys have listed ( carrot shavings, bee pollen, orange peels and collard greens) then next week mixing it up with a different 3 or 4 things (am i wrong on this?)

oh and Phoenix Worms is it ok for me to feed him them as his main diet? (if so then how many per day?)

or should they only be offered as a treat?

or do a mix between the 2? (if so then what ratio? 6 crickets? 6 Phoenix Worms ?)

im feeding him 1/4 crickets

am i overthinking this?

Thanks for your time guys.

Jeremy

 

[SS4Luck]

i was abotu to come in and post the same question. I pick up my cham in a week or two and am starting to get the process going soon of setting up his cage and getting some crickets and loading them up. I also was going to ask about the worms and how much is ok to feed younging too.

can we get an experienced keeper in herre

 

[pssh]

Phoenix Worms are a great feeder and you can feed both crickets (if you want, he can probably eat half inch crickets, my two month old veiled is) and the worms. You should be feeding about 8 small crickets a day for a baby chameleon and anything that is equal to that amount of crickets (not in number but in mass) Rule of thumb, the food you offer your baby can be no wider than the space between his eyes, but it can be longer.

You can throw the gut load in the cricket bin or you can separate them 24 hours ahead of time. It doesn't particularly matter as long as they are being gutloaded. You can change the type of food you're gutloading every couple of days.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Congrats on the new chameleon

Yes, you should gutload MINIMALLY a day or two before feeding the crickets (and other insects) to the chameleon. But certainly its okay to feed the crickets a gutload quality food all the time. I do.

Your initial four gutload items are good choices, except I'd use the orange Fruit insides, not just the peel. Switching it up every week or two is a good idea. I do that too. More info on gutloading can be found here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition.html

I personally dont believe in having a staple feeder, and instead support the notion of a varied diet. Certainly phoenix worms (soldier fly maggots) can be offered as a good part of a varied diet for as long as the chameleon has interest in them (until the chameleon outgrows them, as they are very small). So I suggest mixing one day crickets, the next day pheonix, the next day something else. Or offer two types of insects on day one, two different types on day two, etc. You can read what I do with my chameleons (they are adults, but the idea is the same) in my blog.

 

[jojackson]

General concensus is by all means, mix it up, but avoid large amounts of protien.
Some will say 'sawdust', others commercial crap, some will insist on all kinds of bizzare ingredients, from fresh norweigian poppies to the powdered earwax of a tibetan yak ,harvested at full moon. Most stick to various leafy green veges and friuts and find it works well. Gutloading seems to be a controversial subject!
I dont seperate for gutloading anymore, too fiddly, I just powerfeed my insects a varying mix of fresh veg/fruit at all times.

Congrats on your new Lizard!

 

[SS4Luck]

I plan on bulk ordering crickets from a sponser or recommended supplier because i dont trust the pet stores around here with their crickets and leaving some cricket crack and some oranges because i have an orange tree in my backyard and can get them for free I figure that will be enough of a constant gutload and wont be too much work at all.

As a diet would 3 or 4 freefeeding crickets and 1 worm in a cup be ok if the little guy takes to eating that? I was figuring 1/4" crickets would be ok to start if i get a "larger" baby?

I dont mean to hijack the thread but i figure the OP is a beginner to so it keeps all the info in one thread instead of 2 or 3 that it could end up

 

[Lovereps]

some will insist on all kinds of bizzare ingredients, from fresh norweigian poppies to the powdered earwax of a tibetan yak ,harvested at full moon.

JoJackson, you gave me a really good laugh, but it certainly puts things in their proper perspective

 

[warpdrive]

nothing wrong with cricket crack and oranges, but you wana give more then just that once in a while.
green leafy veggies (kale, dandilion, even romain) all have calcium that is needed for your chams.
try strawberries and blueberries for anti oxidents and vitamins.
try sweet potato and carrot for minerals.

mix it up. even you can't live on hamberger alone.

Harry

 

[Quantum Mark]

I've found that seperating a day's worth of crickets out of their main home and putting them into the small plastic tub for gutloading doesnt work.

For some reason, they just dont touch the food. Maybe its cos they've got no hiding places in there?

Im devising a plan to seperate some out for gutloading to make sure that they eat it.

 

[Pumpkinface]

[\QUOTE]Some will say 'sawdust', others commercial crap, some will insist on all kinds of bizzare ingredients, from fresh norweigian poppies to the powdered earwax of a tibetan yak ,harvested at full moon[/QUOTE]
HA!!! that's awesome! i've seen some pretty crazy gutload recipes. one thing i read was telling you each day of the week to make a different cricket meal that takes like 20 minutes to prepare.

 

[Corpsman82]

As far as gut loading goes I've stuck with just throwing the gut load in the main cricket bin.

Ill be ordering some phonex worms here shortly to mix the diet up.

I got some bee pollen that was reccomended on several threads and from breeders and the crickets seem to love it. I keep oranges in the bin at all times for hydraton. And I've been grinding up the carrots. I was just putting slices of sweet potato in the bin but ill start grinding it up now.and I change up what veggies every week or every other week. As far as supplements goes. Here is my schedual.


Week 1 mon-fri calcium W/O d3, sat nothing, sun calcium W D3.


Week 2.mon-fri calcium W/O d3, sat nothing, sun herpivite


Week 3 mon-fri calcium W/O d3
Sat nothing, sun calcium W D3


Week 4 mon-fri calcium W/O d3, sat nothing, sun herpivite.


and I log everything he eats and what supplements I use on a calander spread sheet.


Anything I should improve upon? Or change?

Thanks once again guys with all the outstanding advice