If gutloading do I need to supplement?

[artemispeg]

So my new Jackson's is doing quite well. ZeeZee was apparently fed calcium dust with every feeding from his previous owners, which he survived. But I have heard this is not good, so I reduced it to about twice a week.
I am gutloading his crickets with kale and orange slices, which was not done by his previous owners. Is my regimen sounding ok, or do I need to increase the cricket dusting.
Also he will not eat mealworms, and the superworms are too big. They said he used to eat mealworms before but he seems uninterested now. Any thoughts?
Should I try to hand feed the mealworms to him? Is there another easily available foodsource anyone can recommend?

 

[camimom]

If you are just using kale and orange slices, then you need to read blogs from sandrachameleon about gutloading.

ALso, even if you are the worlds best gutloader, you still need to provide correct supplements to your chameleon.

mealies arent good bugs to feed, they are high in chitin, so they can cause impaction.

i prefer dubia roaches as my staple feeder. you could try those.

also, jacksons dont eat huge amounts of food.

 

[winterbones]

Stay away from mealworms and try going for nutritional feeders such as silkworms/butterworms/dubia roaches.

Silkwormstore.co.uk have some good nutritional values of different feeders on their website.

A general rule most people do is:

Phosphorus-free calcium with D3 once/twice a month
Phosphorus-free calcium without D3 every other feeding
Multivitamin once a month

And always gutload.

 

[camimom]

Stay away from mealworms and try going for nutritional feeders such as silkworms/butterworms/dubia roaches.

Silkwormstore.co.uk have some good nutritional values of different feeders on their website.

A general rule most people do is:

Phosphorus-free calcium with D3 once/twice a month
Phosphorus-free calcium without D3 every other feeding
Multivitamin once a month

And always gutload.

before posting a link for bugs, you should ensure the person is the same country.

Im fairly certain the OP cant get bugs from the UK, when he/she lives in Kentucky USA.

 

[leedragon]

So my new Jackson's is doing quite well. ZeeZee was apparently fed calcium dust with every feeding from his previous owners, which he survived. But I have heard this is not good, so I reduced it to about twice a week.
I am gutloading his crickets with kale and orange slices, which was not done by his previous owners. Is my regimen sounding ok, or do I need to increase the cricket dusting.
Also he will not eat mealworms, and the superworms are too big. They said he used to eat mealworms before but he seems uninterested now. Any thoughts?
Should I try to hand feed the mealworms to him? Is there another easily available foodsource anyone can recommend?

what I have understan is that with a good gutloading you need to suplement once a month with calcium with d3 and multivitamins
youngers need or will do find with supplementation more often.

calcium without d3 2 twice a month

 

[leedragon]

how old is him btw?

 

[artemispeg]

Thank you for all the responses. I will investigate other gutloading, including additional vitamins, etc.
ZeeZee is reportedly about 6 months old, has apparently grown fast, because he is about 7 inches long.
I just worry that feeding him only crickets would be unhealthy, but the diet seems to be limited in Kentucky this time of year!
If I can find additional regional insects I will, but the thought of handling roaches really really creeps me out. Any other insect but them!

 

[camimom]

Thank you for all the responses. I will investigate other gutloading, including additional vitamins, etc.
ZeeZee is reportedly about 6 months old, has apparently grown fast, because he is about 7 inches long.
I just worry that feeding him only crickets would be unhealthy, but the diet seems to be limited in Kentucky this time of year!
If I can find additional regional insects I will, but the thought of handling roaches really really creeps me out. Any other insect but them!

I felt the same way about roaches, but i couldnt get my crix to breed, and i have 6 cham mouths to feed.

and bulk bug orders gets costly.

BUt i dont touch my roaches, i pick up cardboard and shake them into the cups to dust and feed.

 

[Lathis]

So my new Jackson's is doing quite well. ZeeZee was apparently fed calcium dust with every feeding from his previous owners, which he survived. But I have heard this is not good, so I reduced it to about twice a week.
I am gutloading his crickets with kale and orange slices, which was not done by his previous owners. Is my regimen sounding ok, or do I need to increase the cricket dusting.
Also he will not eat mealworms, and the superworms are too big. They said he used to eat mealworms before but he seems uninterested now. Any thoughts?
Should I try to hand feed the mealworms to him? Is there another easily available foodsource anyone can recommend?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

If you haven't yet, definitely read through the caresheet above. It should answer all the basics, and we can help you with the specifics. I have a Jacksons's, too. Love the horns!

For gutloading, kale and orange slices won't be enough. You can make gut loading as complicated as you want, but it can be simple, too. I strongly recommend adding a gutloading product to what you feed the bugs like Bug Burger; it's very easy - cook it in the microwave and make a gel. Cut the gel into cubes to give to the crickets every day or so. The gel keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks. There are other good products out there, too - Bug Burger is not the only one. Avoid the orange cubes from the pet store.

For insect variety, you should be able to get superworms of different sizes from any big pet store. Look for the packages that say 75 or 100 worms on them. They will be small. You should feed the superworms the same food as the crickets.

You should try some silkworms and hornworms, too. Silkworks and Hornworms (http://www.coastalsilkworms.com/) or (http://www.greatlakeshornworm.com/). Blue Bottle Flies are also a lot of fun for Jax. Get the pupae - they last about 3 weeks in the fridge (http://www.mantidpets.com/shop/artic...&aid=50&)

 

[winterbones]

before posting a link for bugs, you should ensure the person is the same country.

Im fairly certain the OP cant get bugs from the UK, when he/she lives in Kentucky USA.

If you read it fully I posted the link not for the person to order bugs from, but to access very helpful and clear nutritional values regarding different feeders

 

[melble68]

I grew up in IL, lived in Chicago, and now in FL for 20 years. German cockroaches are the most disgusting bug that I've ever had to deal w/, and here in FL we have what are referred to as palmetto bugs. Palmetto bugs are huge freagin roaches that fly. They're also totally nasty, but feeder roaches do nothing to me. I actually find discoids, which I only have access to here in FL legally, to be less gnarly and easier to deal w/ the crickets. Ding darn crickets get me in trouble. They jump and get out, they stink eventually, and discoids just kind of run around. No jumping and no stink. I don't touch my crickets, but I have no problem grabbing a discoid by hand. Roaches by protein content also smoke crickets. They're, as I believe to know, twice the % of crickets. Breeding crickets sounds like a stinky nightmare. Roaches, which you will never hear me say out loud in my house though, seem to be less trouble to bread. I call them beetles. My family is very "novice" when it comes to reptiles, and especially the feeder creepy crawly things we know as feeders.

 

[sandrachameleon]

So my new Jackson's is doing quite well. ZeeZee was apparently fed calcium dust with every feeding from his previous owners, which he survived. But I have heard this is not good, so I reduced it to about twice a week.
I am gutloading his crickets with kale and orange slices, which was not done by his previous owners. Is my regimen sounding ok, or do I need to increase the cricket dusting.

Jacks may not need as much supplement as panthers or veiled, but No matter how well you gutload, you are unlikely to provide sufficient dietary calcium - depending on the type of prey you are offering.

If your ZeeZee is eating mostly mealworms and crickets you definitely need to provide the calcium on a regular basis. very Lightly dust at least half of all crickets and mealworms offered each day with vitamin free calcium.

Good gutloading can reduce the need for vitamin supplements, but you'll need to expand your gutloading options beyond kale and oranges. also too much kale is not a good thing. too many mealworms is also not a good thing.

consider offering silkworms, butterworms, cockroaches, snails, terrestrial isopods, blue bottle flies, etc.

But once you are providing a good range of gutloads and a better variety of prey, you shouldn't have to use a vitamin supplement more than once or twice a month.

 

[MSAquatics]

I buy three or four heads of different greens, usually turnip greens, mustard greens, and collard greens, and cut them into fine ribbons and mix them all up. I place the mixture in one gallon ziplock bags, and keep them refrigerated. I can just grab what I need then, and it usually lasts a couple weeks. I also provide a fruit, and a vegetable with them, as well as a dry gutload.

Leland