pre-dusting crix?

[ChamOh]

Anyone ever pre-dust some crickets?

I will be out of town for 5 days and am having someone watch over my chameleon. I'm not sure they will be too good with the whole dusting regimen (and dusting the correct amount). Would it be possible to pre-dust the required crickets for the five days? Obviously they molt, so some of them will lose their dusting...

idk, does anyone think this may work?

 

[draetish]

It won't work, crickets clean themselves. Have that person dust only 2 feeders and give the rest undusted. That way they won't over dust.

 

[yoza717]

If you are dusting with just calcium, you can try gut loading and using calcium fortified water cubes for a few day. As long as you don't use the calcium as gut load for a long time, it will not kill the crickets. Too much calcium makes the crickets exoskeleton too hard and the crickets die.

 

[ChamOh]

If you are dusting with just calcium, you can try gut loading and using calcium fortified water cubes for a few day. As long as you don't use the calcium as gut load for a long time, it will not kill the crickets. Too much calcium makes the crickets exoskeleton too hard and the crickets die.

hhmm.. I make my own water crystals..so dissolve some reptical in water and use that to make a batch of crystals?

Of course the calcium:water ratio would be a big guess...

 

[ChamOh]

or just buy the flukers calcium cricket gel stuff i guess..

Anyone know if this stuff would be a good enough substitute for dusting for a growing cham for 5 days?

 

[xanthoman]

to dust, or not to dust?

imho if you are going to have some non cham person watch your chams, i wouldnt even bother them with the whole dusting routine. no cham is going to get mbd or anything else (that isnt already brewing) just because it missed 5 days of dusting. personally, i only dust 4 days a week so that they never get more than 2 days dusting in a row, and i usually skip a week about every other month. the health of your chams isnt as dependent on what you do over the course of the next few days, as it is dependent on your husbandry over the next few years. generally speaking, i think most keepers(especially new keepers) overdust anyway. the health clinics are often crowded with chams that display symptoms of over supplementation, but it seems rare that the info given/symptoms point to under supplementation. jmo

 

[bridgofaith]

imho if you are going to have some non cham person watch your chams, i wouldnt even bother them with the whole dusting routine. no cham is going to get mbd or anything else (that isnt already brewing) just because it missed 5 days of dusting. personally, i only dust 4 days a week so that they never get more than 2 days dusting in a row, and i usually skip a week about every other month. the health of your chams isnt as dependent on what you do over the course of the next few days, as it is dependent on your husbandry over the next few years. jmo

I agree. Missing a few days, 5 in your case, in a healthy animal is not going to cause any harm. Good gutloading is the key. Just continue your routine when you return, everything should be just fine.

 

[ChamOh]

okay cool--Even for a 4/5 month old cham this should be fine?

 

[bridgofaith]

Yes, be sure to leave plenty of good veggies (carrots,turnips,apples,kale,ect..) for your crickets or for your friend to feed your crickets, and then pick up your regular routine when you return.

 

[ChamOh]

Good advice. Thanks!

 

[Carlton]

Agree. Dusting is a nutritional gap filler, not a sole source of nutrients. Gutloading is more important. 5 days won't mean much of anything.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Anyone ever pre-dust some crickets?

The dust wont stay on that long. Instead, perhaps the friend could give your chameleons feeders that dont need dusting the way crickets do, such as butterworms or silkworms. Unless the chameleon is young, a few undusted crickets (especially if properly gutloaded) wont hurt it. Indeed it can go without much food at all for 5 days, if needs be, so long as it has water.

 

[Yessabub]

hhmm.. I make my own water crystals..so dissolve some reptical in water and use that to make a batch of crystals?

Of course the calcium:water ratio would be a big guess...

How do you make water crystals?