Cornmeal

Ramrod

Chameleon Enthusiast
Would cornmeal be of any value to add as an ingredient in a dry mix used to feed roach colonies?
 
I’m thinking that cornmeal is not very high in nutritional value, especially if you can use the gut space for some great micronutrients like in sweet potatoes or kale. But if you are feeding your bugs the “good stuff” for at least the 48 hrs before feeding your chameleon I don’t think there would be a problem with that.☺️
 

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I think cornmeal is mainly used for palatability. I think companies use it as a cheap filler too lol.

Something to think about with keeping insects healthy all the time rather than only gutloading(which I agree with and do myself alongside a little gutloading)... what's a healthy complete diet for one insect may not be the same for another, even among roach species. As for excess micronutrients that the insect doesn't use, my guess is they are just passed. I doubt they are absorbed and held onto in their bodies unless they have some sort of use for it. I would think that they make what they need through their natural diet, like it seems most roaches can do a hell of a lot with very little. So if we're trying to pass on the nutrients in something we're feeding, gutloading may be more effective in that aspect han longterm healthy feeding. Otherwise you're just feeding the bug fancy ingredients for them to get pooped out. I also think gutloading could go too far and maybe be more harmful than beneficial. A complicated balance and probably no use freaking out too much over since none of us know enough about it and probably won't for a very long time.
 
I think cornmeal is mainly used for palatability. I think companies use it as a cheap filler too lol.

Something to think about with keeping insects healthy all the time rather than only gutloading(which I agree with and do myself alongside a little gutloading)... what's a healthy complete diet for one insect may not be the same for another, even among roach species. As for excess micronutrients that the insect doesn't use, my guess is they are just passed. I doubt they are absorbed and held onto in their bodies unless they have some sort of use for it. I would think that they make what they need through their natural diet, like it seems most roaches can do a hell of a lot with very little. So if we're trying to pass on the nutrients in something we're feeding, gutloading may be more effective in that aspect han longterm healthy feeding. Otherwise you're just feeding the bug fancy ingredients for them to get pooped out. I also think gutloading could go too far and maybe be more harmful than beneficial. A complicated balance and probably no use freaking out too much over since none of us know enough about it and probably won't for a very long time.

I agree 👍 although I do not feed my chameleon roaches (no access to farm raised in Hawaii 😞) I feed crickets and I’ve read that the high calcium diet does make them constipated. So there may be some nutrients in our gutload that are good for our chameleons but not so good for the bugs.
 
I think cornmeal is mainly used for palatability. I think companies use it as a cheap filler too lol.

Something to think about with keeping insects healthy all the time rather than only gutloading(which I agree with and do myself alongside a little gutloading)... what's a healthy complete diet for one insect may not be the same for another, even among roach species. As for excess micronutrients that the insect doesn't use, my guess is they are just passed. I doubt they are absorbed and held onto in their bodies unless they have some sort of use for it. I would think that they make what they need through their natural diet, like it seems most roaches can do a hell of a lot with very little. So if we're trying to pass on the nutrients in something we're feeding, gutloading may be more effective in that aspect han longterm healthy feeding. Otherwise you're just feeding the bug fancy ingredients for them to get pooped out. I also think gutloading could go too far and maybe be more harmful than beneficial. A complicated balance and probably no use freaking out too much over since none of us know enough about it and probably won't for a very long time.
Agree, I keep all my feeders healthy and don't really gut load anything special as they would be recieving the same thing they eat on a daily basis. Just that cornmeal crossed my mind for some reason and I don't know why because I don't even use a dry mix.😲
 
If we transfer the thought that a variety of food is good for our chameleons then it’s possible that a variety of food for a roach might apply as well.☺️
 
If the insects aren't going to be fed all along with the nutrients that they need to have healthy strong nutritious bodies, then what we feed the insects just a few hours before the insects are fed to the chameleon better be full of every nutrient the chameleon will need or the chameleon's health will suffer....and what is fed to the insects for that last meal better be in a form that the chameleon can use. Hope you get what I mean.
 
If the insects aren't going to be fed all along with the nutrients that they need to have healthy strong nutritious bodies, then what we feed the insects just a few hours before the insects are fed to the chameleon better be full of every nutrient the chameleon will need or the chameleon's health will suffer....and what is fed to the insects for that last meal better be in a form that the chameleon can use. Hope you get what I mean.

Thats right! I’d even go as far as saying at least 24 hours before they’re fed off. Since we cannot replicate exactly the variety and nutrition the chameleons get in the wild it’s important for us to make sure the feeders we give are packed full of goodness 😋
 
But IMHO the feeders should be as healthy as they can be too...not just almost empty shells...so they should always be well fed.
I was being a little sarcastic in my previous post. :(
 
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