Gut Loading to Support Shedding

[Maria Morgs]

First time poster here!
I was wondering what I could gut load my insects with to support shedding!

Meet Sully (inspired by Monsters Inc!)

Sully is a 7 month old Panther Chameleon with the best temperament - but when it is time to shed he is pretty cranky for 2 weeks (BEFORE the shedding starts).
When he sheds - it is a healthy shed that takes about 2-3 days to be completely done! I am not worried about supplements or husbandry.

I use Arcadia Supplements and was reading about the Shed Support.
It seems like it is really just a Vitamin B combination.
Instead of purchasing the shed support - I wanted to know what I could gut load with to give Sully the best vitamins possible to help with his upcoming shed!

My question: what are good gut loading foods for my crickets and/or dubias to support shedding??
Looking for safe fruits and veggies with lots of Vitamin B!

I always gut load with healthy greens, apples, bee pollen, carrots (other things too like sweet potatoes, but those are usually the staples)

I appreciate any guidance!!

 

[Gryllidae Per Kcal]

I’m supplementing my feeder insects’ dry food with B12 based off this but idk about fresh produce.
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._as_food_for_reptiles_A_mathematical_approach

 

[Beman]

 

[Maria Morgs]

Thanks for the information everyone! I'm going to see how much Vitamin B is naturally in some of the approved foods on the lists and see if I come up with something

 

[GrayMadder]

Let us know how it turns out for Sully! Sully is such a handsome boy btw!

 

[nightanole]

If you can hit them up 2-3 days before the "poof" you can powder 1 feeder with a crushed up vit b complex meant for a human. That is all those "shed aids" are from reptile suppliers.

 

[Maria Morgs]

Let us know how it turns out for Sully! Sully is such a handsome boy btw!

Thank you!! First time cham owner and loving every second

 

[Maria Morgs]

If you can hit them up 2-3 days before the "poof" you can powder 1 feeder with a crushed up vit b complex meant for a human. That is all those "shed aids" are from reptile suppliers.

I have come across this suggestion a few times. Is it actually safe??

 

[Beman]

If your husbandry is on point then he should not have any issues shedding.

 

[nightanole]

I have come across this suggestion a few times. Is it actually safe??

Yup, Its 100% water soluble. You can take a 10,000% dose, just like the humans. Poop might be a bit more yellow lol.

But its a supplement. Most only do it if they are problem shedders, a stuck shed, or its a recent rescue etc. Like all supplements, you should not rely on it long term. But if its winter and your choice is vit b or risk a URI by running a massive amount of humidifiers...

 

[Maria Morgs]

If your husbandry is on point then he should not have any issues shedding.

Thanks. I don't have issues during the shed. He's just uncomfortable and "cranky" for 2 weeks leading up to it.
It's like clock-work, you can tell without looking at the calendar to know how long it was since the last shed.
I'm not worried about the husbandry and when he actually "explodes" it only takes 2-3 days on its own.

 

[Maria Morgs]

Yup, Its 100% water soluble. You can take a 10,000% dose, just like the humans. Poop might be a bit more yellow lol.

But its a supplement. Most only do it if they are problem shedders, a stuck shed, or its a recent rescue etc. Like all supplements, you should not rely on it long term. But if its winter and your choice is vit b or risk a URI by running a massive amount of humidifiers...

Got it! Yeah, I was hoping to find more natural ways to add some extra Vitamin B leading up to the shed -- that's why I was wondering if anyone had any gut load foods they recommended. I do run a humidifier that goes off for 5 minutes every hour. I have an all screen cage right now and live in cold wintered New Jersey. I'm upgrading to the dragon strand hybrid cage soon, but until then I feel like I need the humidifier to keep up humidity. I do have part of the cage wrapped with a clear shower curtain. 80 degree basking spot and around 70% humidity. Do you think keeping the humidifier running every hour is bad?

 

[Beman]

Thanks. I don't have issues during the shed. He's just uncomfortable and "cranky" for 2 weeks leading up to it.
It's like clock-work, you can tell without looking at the calendar to know how long it was since the last shed.
I'm not worried about the husbandry and when he actually "explodes" it only takes 2-3 days on its own.

Yes, this is very normal pre shed behavior along with reduced appetite and lack of appetite while shedding.

 

[nightanole]

Got it! Yeah, I was hoping to find more natural ways to add some extra Vitamin B leading up to the shed -- that's why I was wondering if anyone had any gut load foods they recommended. I do run a humidifier that goes off for 5 minutes every hour. I have an all screen cage right now and live in cold wintered New Jersey. I'm upgrading to the dragon strand hybrid cage soon, but until then I feel like I need the humidifier to keep up humidity. I do have part of the cage wrapped with a clear shower curtain. 80 degree basking spot and around 70% humidity. Do you think keeping the humidifier running every hour is bad?

Shower curtain is good.

Im in Ohio. If i run the humidifier enough that i hit 60%+ in the entire bedroom, my crew will start getting URI after several weeks. It seems the entire place will get coated in a kind of protein scum that smells like cheese.

Running it a little at a time is fine, but also you need to keep it clean so you dont get pink algea/bacteria in it.

 

[Beman]

Got it! Yeah, I was hoping to find more natural ways to add some extra Vitamin B leading up to the shed -- that's why I was wondering if anyone had any gut load foods they recommended. I do run a humidifier that goes off for 5 minutes every hour. I have an all screen cage right now and live in cold wintered New Jersey. I'm upgrading to the dragon strand hybrid cage soon, but until then I feel like I need the humidifier to keep up humidity. I do have part of the cage wrapped with a clear shower curtain. 80 degree basking spot and around 70% humidity. Do you think keeping the humidifier running every hour is bad?

You do not want to run the humidifier at all during the day when lights are on. This can lead to them developing an RI. You want to run it at night when temps drop below 68 in the cage. 70% daytime humidity is too high for a Panther.. Your wanting 50-60% max daytime.

With your hybrid enclosure it will hold your temps and humidity levels. But it will also pull the air from the ambient room for air flow.

 

[Maria Morgs]

You do not want to run the humidifier at all during the day when lights are on. This can lead to them developing an RI. You want to run it at night when temps drop below 68 in the cage. 70% daytime humidity is too high for a Panther.. Your wanting 50-60% max daytime.

With your hybrid enclosure it will hold your temps and humidity levels. But it will also pull the air from the ambient room for air flow.

50-60% is the daily average - but with the humidifier running for 5 minutes every hour. There are some spikes to 70% - I will try keeping it closer to 50%. It's hard for me to achieve right now without the humidifier.

 

[Beman]

50-60% is the daily average - but with the humidifier running for 5 minutes every hour. There are some spikes to 70% - I will try keeping it closer to 50%. It's hard for me to achieve right now without the humidifier.

You really do not run a humidifier into a cage at all during the day... If your getting a low humidity level you can run one in the room so it ups the ambient humidity without directly adding a ton of moisture to a cage.
This will give you a lot more info on the natural hydration method. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-environment/

 

[Maria Morgs]

You really do not run a humidifier into a cage at all during the day... If your getting a low humidity level you can run one in the room so it ups the ambient humidity without directly adding a ton of moisture to a cage.
This will give you a lot more info on the natural hydration method. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-environment/

Thank you!! I am going to check it out