gut loading crickets,is this ok ?

[Tandra Lee]

hi ,im just looking for some advice on gut loading my crix.any and all info is welcomed and muchly appreciated..I am feeding my crickets: Butternut squash,pieces of banana,orange slices(no peel)cucumber slices,red grapes(sliced in half) strawberries(sliced)and finally potatoe slices..they also recieve cricket quencher with calcium for water...is this sufficient as their only source of food? i also dust my crix every time i feed my chams with Zoo-med calcium powder(NO D3) i dust with calcium(WITH D3)2 times a mnth..my chams get alot of natural lighting and have new UVB/UVA bulbs and also their basking lamps..they have access to natural sunlight too..with plenty of shaded area to escape the heat..so will my cricket gut load be enough to keep my chams healthy or should i be adding more of something to gut load my crix?? thanks for your time on this matter..oh ya..is it possible to over feed crickets? how would one tell? and what is the penalty for over feeding them? P.S. my hubby says they are eating better than him lol

 

[carol5208]

I noticed that you live in Canada and you are saying they have access to alot of natural sunlight. Is this through a glass window I am assuming, as I know it is cold in Canada? If so, you are not realy providing any UVB exposure as UVB does not pass through glass sufficiently. Your gutload seems ok but I would add some fresh greens such as kale, mustard greens, or collard greens and maybe some carrots and apples are good also.

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

hi ,im just looking for some advice on gut loading my crix.any and all info is welcomed and muchly appreciated..I am feeding my crickets: Butternut squash,pieces of banana,orange slices(no peel)cucumber slices,red grapes(sliced in half) strawberries(sliced)and finally potatoe slices..they also recieve cricket quencher with calcium for water...is this sufficient as their only source of food? i also dust my crix every time i feed my chams with Zoo-med calcium powder(NO D3) i dust with calcium(WITH D3)2 times a mnth..my chams get alot of natural lighting and have new UVB/UVA bulbs and also their basking lamps..they have access to natural sunlight too..with plenty of shaded area to escape the heat..so will my cricket gut load be enough to keep my chams healthy or should i be adding more of something to gut load my crix?? thanks for your time on this matter..oh ya..is it possible to over feed crickets? how would one tell? and what is the penalty for over feeding them? P.S. my hubby says they are eating better than him lol

all those are good gutloading choices, excluding potato. i assume you are using just regular potatoes for cooking, correct and forgive me if i am wrong. but if using a potato, use sweet potato which are an excellent source of beta carotene. minimize banana as the potassium levels are high. do not be afraid to use the peels of fruits and veges, leave the peels on oranges next time i would also add high calcium leaves such as baby dandelion leaves which are better and lower in oxalic acids than older dandelion, red lettuce, kale and collards are good too but in moderations, like dandelion, contain oxalic acids which block calcium absorbtion. other veges to avoid are broccoli, spinach, tomatoes.

the cricket quencher is pointless to use but is not harmful or effective, if you are using a wet gut load which is your fruits and veggies. this should go along with a dry gutload. you can buy cricket crack which is a blended mix of awesome and natural ingredients that are full of nutrition. or you can make your own using such ingredients like bee pollen, alfalfa powder, kelp powder, brewers yeast, uncooked sunflower seeds, almonds and legumes, spirulina algae, etc. visit SandraChameleons gutloading blogs for more enhanced information.

as long as your suppliments contain no phosphorus you are golden. i use and trust Rep-Cal for all of my supplements and i my schedual is Plain Calcium every feeding (depending on species and diet), Calcium D3 is used 1-2 a month, and Herptivite is used 1-2 a month

cheers and hope this helps

 

[sandrachameleon]

I agree with dropping the potatoe and banana in favour of dandelion leaves. Other good additions would be seaweed or kelp (for iodine amongst other things) and occassionally some seeds or nuts or brewers yeast

 

[Tandra Lee]

gut load

thank you for your advice,im very appreciative..i am a little confused on one thing though and need some clarification please..do i need to supply a dry food to my crix in addition to all the things(fruits and veggies) i am feeding them now? i will drop the banana and the potatoe asap...and as for the sunshine they recieve..yes it is filtered through a glass window..they do have their bulbs for providing them with sufficient uvb. they just love to look out the window,lol..so please provide me with some clarification in regards to adding dry suppliment to crix food..i will be building an outdoor vivarium for my chams this summer and spending alot of time out doors with them,cant wait for summer!! thank you again for your help.

 

[Tandra Lee]

gut load

ps..i forgot to mention..i was using table potatoe but i will drop this as well in favor of sweet potatoes..thank you so much..i sure appreciate all the help i have recieved,this is an excellent forum/site..the best i have had the pleasure to join!

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

thank you for your advice,im very appreciative..i am a little confused on one thing though and need some clarification please..do i need to supply a dry food to my crix in addition to all the things(fruits and veggies) i am feeding them now? i will drop the banana and the potatoe asap...and as for the sunshine they recieve..yes it is filtered through a glass window..they do have their bulbs for providing them with sufficient uvb. they just love to look out the window,lol..so please provide me with some clarification in regards to adding dry suppliment to crix food..i will be building an outdoor vivarium for my chams this summer and spending alot of time out doors with them,cant wait for summer!! thank you again for your help.

to answer your questions the best imho, yes you do have to supply a dry food with wet food to your crickets, this allows your staple (larger variety of feeder) to give your chameleon the full advantage of fruits and veges you have to offer. you do not necessarily have to drop the banana, but the less you use is better. the sunshine through the glass is UVA rather UVB, the UVB cannot penetrate through the glass, but the sun light can, thus providing proper UVA.

IMHO, if you are going to be providing longer hours of natural sunlight consistently during the warmer months, than the supplementation of Calcium D3 can and should be minimized to once a month, or better yet none at all. Natural sunlight outside will produce the vitamin D3 in the chameleon naturally, thus eliminating the harmful risks of over supplementing. just provide caution when having your chameleons outside, be careful to monitor temps, it is best to have the cages on the east side of your property half under shade if possible to provide.

 

[Tandra Lee]

gut load

ok now im clear lol..thank you for your help and very wise info..im off to bed..long day..phew its finally over lol..thanks again and i will be hitting the local markests in the morning armed with a new shopping list for my crickets!! grocery shopping for crickets heehee..my friends will think im nuts! i dont care..i loooove my chams!

 

[carol5208]

ok now im clear lol..thank you for your help and very wise info..im off to bed..long day..phew its finally over lol..thanks again and i will be hitting the local markests in the morning armed with a new shopping list for my crickets!! grocery shopping for crickets heehee..my friends will think im nuts! i dont care..i loooove my chams!

lol! I know, our feeders eat better than we do! Ain't that the truth

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

if only gutload didnt taste like barf all blended together, i'd be eating better than my animals and the world's top athletes, it'd be shaweeet