'Over-gutloading'?

[jamest0o0]

I've been wondering if I've been giving my feeders imbalanced gutload. I don't really measure stuff out, I just give them mostly greens and veggies that are low in sugar with some added bug buffet, arcadia insectfuel, nuts, seeds, bee pollen, etc. Could things like bee pollen create a problem with too many vitamins? Should I limit the amount I give some foods?

 

[Sloppysponge]

Been wondering this myself.

 

[nightanole]

Nope. For one, most feeders will not eat an item that they are already saturated with. So if you put out 10 different mixes for dubia, they will only eat the mixes they are deficient in.

Its almost impossible to over gut load using "food", now if their only choice is vitamin water or death, they will choose life.

If its a dry gut load, they will eat around the stuff they dont want.

If its a wet gut load, well how do you over gut load when its 95%+ water?

As i stated in the other thread, you cant make a feeder more or less nutritious. If the mix is wrong, you will just more or less feeders. The "thing" you are worrying about in this thread, is the 10-25% of bug weight that is in the gut, and odds are a lot of that is water weight.

 

[kinyonga]

You asked..."Could things like bee pollen create a problem with too many vitamins?"...it will partly depend on how much of the food is in the insect's gut when it's fed to the chameleon IMHO....but I don't know if insects can suffer from overdoses of nutrients or not and then pass it on to the chameleon.

 

[jamest0o0]

@nightanole I've known roaches to seek out certain nutrients, but didn't know if anything else did that. My concern is that though the insect needs a nutrient, the Cham may not necessarily. I read another thread warning of vitamin overload which can lead to toxicity. So my paranoia levels shot up hah, I'm not sure how common something like that is.

 

[jamest0o0]

I feel like bee pollen is the main thing I question here. Seems to be jammed with vitamins and I use it a lot. My gutload consists of a giant frozen cube blend 20+ ingredients, bug buffet, insect fuel, seeds/be pollen, and fresh veggies/fruit I have laying around.

 

[jannb]

I rotate and use different gutloads and not the same stuff all the time. I use a variety of different greens and veggies over the month. I also buy different dry gutloads and rotate those and only add bee pollen once every week or two.

 

[Andee]

Since I make my own gutload I have about 10 items that I use as a base because of what they offer on various macro and micro nutrients scale, but otherwise I have another 15-20 ingredients I often switch on and off at different times with other ingredients. So lets say I use the 10 base ingredients, and use 5 completely different ingredients from last time, but I add another 10 ingredients that I use similarly last time that aren't the base. I also have the rotating diet of greens/veggies/fruits I do all through out the year. They usually get at least two different wet items a night if not more, and often get 8 different things a week. And somethings they only get a certain time of the year

 

[Andee]

Generally my invertebrates are spoiled, and I love doing it

 

[jamest0o0]

Mine are fairly spoiled as well, though I'm sure you take it to another level! Hah I have a video of an orange head roach eating from my hand. Video of the month eh?

 

[Andee]

Totally <3 I would love to get a good vid of my dubia girls eating from my hands. They get skittish though once the camera comes on. My skink has gotten very handtame after clicker training him, it's been wonderful not having him run immediately once I get in the cage.

 

[jamest0o0]

What kind of skink do you have? I want croc skinks so bad lol

 

[Andee]

I have a bluey