Gutloading

[adrouin]

What gut loaders do you use for your different feeders? For crickets I use fluckers dry with calcium added and then I add calcium to the water I use to hydrate my water crystals. I don't know if it adds a substantial amount of calcium. A little is better than none, no? I have such a hard time getting my guy to eat anything dusted, no matter how lightly.

 

[jamjam]

all those cubes and commercial stuff is garnage. you should take a look at sandrachameleon and her blogs on this forum. she is the master of gut loading. you are better off gutloading with fruit and veggies at home. you should also offer a dry gut load. things i have used

wet: apples, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoe, mango, kale, dandelion, swiss chard, romaine, blue berries, strawberries, okra etc

dry: lately been using a mix off raw sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, millet seeds, dried papaya, dried coconut, spirulina, bee pollen, flax seed, almonds. etc

 

[jamjam]

the only decent commercial gutload is stuff like cricket crack, bug burger, dyno fuel to list some

 

[Carmine1]

Thanks for asking this question. I've heard so many different things on this. Our vet doesn't recommend the gutloading formulas sold at stores. He recommends feeding the crickets vegetables. We do kale, turnip greens, dandelion leaves and some fruits, so far.

Before I took him to the vet, I did have a gutloader from the store I there that the crickets were all over.

 

[xephyr17]

I use everything in my fridge that is fresh and could be grown in a garden

 

[Lazy Boy]

Dry I use Bug Buffet for crickets, roaches and supers.
Wet I use , oranges, apples, peaches, squash, kale, mustard greens and many more. They always have access to the dry and water crystals then wet gut load I change every 1-2 days. Bug buffet is sold by a member here and is a great product.

 

[chameleonlover101]

What I use is carrots and lettuce but also use bug burger very helpful!

 

[jannb]

You should use a quality dry gut load such as Cricket Crack along with a variety of greens, fresh fruits and veggies.

 

[sandrachameleon]

What gut loaders do you use for your different feeders? For crickets I use fluckers dry with calcium added and then I add calcium to the water I use to hydrate my water crystals. I don't know if it adds a substantial amount of calcium. A little is better than none, no? I have such a hard time getting my guy to eat anything dusted, no matter how lightly.

The fluckers product is not very good, IMO

Here are some links to gutloading info you should find useful:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/659-green-leafy-goodness-gutloading.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html

http://www.chameleonnews.com/05JunDescamps.html & http://www.chameleonnews.com/02SepDonoghue.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/847-commercial-gutloads.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/697-dry-gutload-mix-august-2012.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/823-august-2013-dry-gutload-mix.html

 

[adrouin]

Thank you so much for the links! They were all extremely helpful now of I get a roach colony will they eat fruit peels?

 

[junglefries]

I am surprised your chams won't eat dusted feeders. Every one I have ever had will tackle anything white, being dusted or silkworm. This is even after ignoring the same food item. Fickle. For gutloading, the more you vary, the better. I am finding the feeders really LOVE radichio and romaine. I try and find the organic spring mix combo. It has : kale, radichio and romaine. Can't keep enough of it. Mix it with a little bug burger, throw in some grinded up bran flakes and alfafa. (Thank you Sandra, I have been paying attention this semester in class. She threatened to flunk me last year. Woman doesn't play! )

 

[adrouin]

I have actually watched him walk up to crickets in his cage and look them over. If they have dust he can see he will walk away and not touch the cricket unless I refuse to give him new good for the day. If the cricket he walks up to doesn't have dust he lets it walk away until he can "shoot" his tongue out any eat them. I am thinking he was raised on a staple of roaches over at the chameleon company and prefers those.

 

[junglefries]

The only ones of mine that will ever touch a roach have to be hatchlings, even then most minor of success. If they aren't started on them here, then I have never had any success with them. Now, selling the roaches I breed for crix, great success!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thank you so much for the links! They were all extremely helpful now of I get a roach colony will they eat fruit peels?

youre welcome

yes they will eat most peel, although typically peels are not recommended. some are high in oxalic acid, many are likely to have pesticide residue, some have limited nutritional value.