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chameloman72
Guest
I would just like to get some of your opinions and facts(if there are any?) on gut loading crickets with the following foods: dry dog food, koi food, fish flake food. Any and all replys welcome. Thanks
lbesok
Avid Member
From what I understand the protein content of these items are very high, which can lead to gout, making these products less desirable to frequently use. They also contain preformed Vitamin A which is contraversial, and the excess of Vit. A has even more detrimental effects. Some artificial colors and perservatives are also present that can't be good for chameleon. I do occasionally utalize the fishflakes as a source of Vit. A to gutload with.... but only once a month if that.
Will Hayward
New Member
Fish food for fish
Dog food for dogs
Cat food for cats
Cricket gutload for... crickets.
Dog food for dogs
Cat food for cats
Cricket gutload for... crickets.
Ren
New Member
I concur...why make it more difficult than it has to be?
Chill
New Member
i use fish food flakes for gut loading but i use veggie falkes which i think may be lower in peotien than normal it also had some other fats and pigments and stuff that i think may help chams development. I dunno i havent run into any problems with it. No gout or any excess vitman issues i think. just saying, Hey is moisture a real big issue for crix? cuz that might be why mine are dying so often
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chameloman72
Guest
Thanks for all the replys.....I recently purchased a panther that has pretty severe gular edema and I am pretty sure these are the things that caused it as this is all the person uses as a gutload!!
ChameleonsTree
New Member
I use nature zone total bites...it acts as their water also since its like a gelatin.
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I've included Veggie Flakes Fish Food as a part of what I feed my roaches, kingworms, and sometimes even the cricket get a little. And occasionally my chameleons eat those same feeders the next day. I think in moderation, using fish flakes (even the regular type) or dog or cat food as part of your feeders food isnt going to be a major concern. Just dont over-do it. Variety (both as in what you feed your feeders, and in how many types of feeders you offer) and moderation are key.
Veggie Flakes ingredients (so you can compare to regular fish flake foods):
- spirulina
- fish meal
- wheat flour
- starch
- green pea powder
- carrot powder
- spinach powder
- fish oil
- romaine lettuce
- alfalfa powder
- zucchini powder
- yeast
- lecithin
- beet powder
- kale powder
- vitamins (c, a, bs d3)
- some
Amanda S
New Member
I use this gutload from adcham: http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/gutload.html
I use a little kitten food instead of monkey chow. The spirulina is the most expensive but I hear you can buy the capsules which are cheaper and just open them up. I also read that the pollen is great for crickets and in turn your chams (The Chameleon Handbook) and that's in there. I use that with fresh fruits/veggies/leafy greens
I use a little kitten food instead of monkey chow. The spirulina is the most expensive but I hear you can buy the capsules which are cheaper and just open them up. I also read that the pollen is great for crickets and in turn your chams (The Chameleon Handbook) and that's in there. I use that with fresh fruits/veggies/leafy greens
, potatoes, apple, carrots... Works just fine! And a little bit of calcium powder ontop, and the cricks goes crazy...
dodolah
Retired Moderator
Just wondering, how much fish flake is too much/ too little for your chameleon?
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Good question.
I suspect the answer would depend on how often fish flakes are included in your feeders diet, what else the feeders eat, what else your chams eat, etc.
At most, my chameleons would only be ingesting a feeder that recently ate fish flakes about once every two months.
I give my roaches fish flakes about once a month now. They used to get fish flakes (or cat or dog kibbles) twice a month, but reading the opinions of others on this site regarding chameleon gout made me decide to reduce the protein the roaches get. And since my chams dont eat roaches every day, its not very often that the chams eat a roach which recently ate the fish food.
My crickets and kingworms also do not get fish flakes frequently (my usual gut load for crickets usually resembles the one on adcham).
Be careful with things like kitten food and fish flakes....catfood has preformed vitamin A in it because cats can't convert beta carotene...and many of the fishfoods do to. You don't want to overdose them.
Dog and cat food also have vitamin D3 and phosphorous since they are meat products.
Just my opinion, but I feel that I have better control over the balance of D3, A, phosphorous and calcium when I use "natural" ingredients....like greens, veggies, etc.
Dog and cat food also have vitamin D3 and phosphorous since they are meat products.
Just my opinion, but I feel that I have better control over the balance of D3, A, phosphorous and calcium when I use "natural" ingredients....like greens, veggies, etc.
Cainschams
New Member
lbesok is right about high protien causing high levels of uric acid/ gout. This is why sports people like my boss has gout. All of the protien supps and such to bulk up. You can use potatoes and such everyonce in a while but I wouldnt use them as a regular gutload. Potatoes do maintain crix well but you want to gutload them with the good stuff a day or 2 before you feed them off. I use cricketfood.com gutload but they are out of business so i am going to try coastal silkworms cricket gutload when I run out. I also use fresh fruits and veggies too but I dont have to have my fridge full of them. Its definatly easier to use a GOOD commercial gutload not the fluckers that only has a few things in it. Just my 2 cents.
