Dusting a cricket feed

Picasso123

New Member
Circkets:
I currently using carrots and he's (Panther cham) been with me since Thursday. Today I'm gonna pick up an couple apples for them. This should give them enough water intake?

Panther:

Should I dust the crickets every other day awith this herpavite and once a week with calcium +d3?
 
If you are getting crickets (in balk) its best to offer them a high calcium cricket diet (ie. Fluker's Cricket diet or Cricket Crack). For water Carrots, potatoes, and water crystals work good.

Supplementation depends on the age of your chameleon smaller ones need more than adults. I do calcium everyday, D3 2 or 3 times a month, vitamins 2 to 3 times a month till the Chameleon gets near adult size. Then pull back to every other feeding for calcium,and D3 and vitamins once a month.
 
I use Nature Zone Total Bites as a water source for my crickets and supers. Not only do they get their moisture, but some nutrients as well. I feel its a good supplement to your gutload and kills 2 birds with one stone.
 
I used orange slices and they loved them!! That was back in the day when my cham would eat crickets! Also use some good greens for gutload such as kale, mustard greens, collards greens etc. The herptivite which is the multivitamin should only be used a couple of times a month. Get a regular calcium without d3 and used that to dust your feeders at every feeding. The calcium with d3 you can use a couple times a month or so.
 
Welcome to the world of chameleons!

Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. Temperatures needed can vary with the species and age. For hatchling panthers I keep the temperature in the warmest area in the low 80's. For older panthers I keep it in the mid to high 80's for the most part.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
 
cuttle fish

I live in Spain and have been told that to get a piece of cuttle fish and grate it to use as an alternative to calcium dust. Has anyone any ideas on this please.
 
If you mean cuttle bone that is used for birds it should be fine. From what I've read its calcium carbonate.

I think eggshells (that come off of eggs that have been cooked to make sure that the salmonella is killed) should also be fine if crushed with a mortar and pestle.

What species of chameleon do you have??
 
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