Connorology
Avid Member
Hi All,
I've been reading a lot of posts about the ingredients in a good dry gutload. Some of these recipes are so elaborate that they contain 20+ ingredients in order to ensure the prey items have had a chance to consume a feed that contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals a chameleon might need.
If I am being honest, gutloading is probably the one area of husbandry I have been slightly slacking in, so I am looking to improve. I have begun feeding more varied fruits/veggies to my superworms and dubias, but my dry gutload is just whatever junk they sell at the store, or oatmeal for the superworms. I know volumes have been written on the subject, but I have a couple of questions I have not seen asked and have not been able to find the answers to:
1) Is it necessary to feed an A+ grade dry gutload with all the works if I am dusting the feeders? Should I even be dusting the feeders if I am using a gutload that supposedly provides the insects with the necessary vitamins? I keep a Jackson's, which I have read are suseptible to overdosing on vitamins, so I am slightly concerned about overdoing it. Does anyone have thoughts/experience with this? Is this an either/or, or should I be doing both?
2) I primarily feed dubias and superworms, but fairly regularly feed hornworms, hornworm moths, black soldier fly larva, and waxworms. I'll feed mantises too when I can get my hands on them. I would imagine that different species of feeders naturally vary in the nutrients they supply the chameleon. Is the importance of gutloading lessened by offering several species of feeders? Some insects, including hornworms, silkworms, and stick bugs can only feed on one or two host plants, and they are considered good feeders without feeding on standard A+ dry gutload and several types of veggies. What are your thoughts?
Thanks for the input.
-RonG
I've been reading a lot of posts about the ingredients in a good dry gutload. Some of these recipes are so elaborate that they contain 20+ ingredients in order to ensure the prey items have had a chance to consume a feed that contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals a chameleon might need.
If I am being honest, gutloading is probably the one area of husbandry I have been slightly slacking in, so I am looking to improve. I have begun feeding more varied fruits/veggies to my superworms and dubias, but my dry gutload is just whatever junk they sell at the store, or oatmeal for the superworms. I know volumes have been written on the subject, but I have a couple of questions I have not seen asked and have not been able to find the answers to:
1) Is it necessary to feed an A+ grade dry gutload with all the works if I am dusting the feeders? Should I even be dusting the feeders if I am using a gutload that supposedly provides the insects with the necessary vitamins? I keep a Jackson's, which I have read are suseptible to overdosing on vitamins, so I am slightly concerned about overdoing it. Does anyone have thoughts/experience with this? Is this an either/or, or should I be doing both?
2) I primarily feed dubias and superworms, but fairly regularly feed hornworms, hornworm moths, black soldier fly larva, and waxworms. I'll feed mantises too when I can get my hands on them. I would imagine that different species of feeders naturally vary in the nutrients they supply the chameleon. Is the importance of gutloading lessened by offering several species of feeders? Some insects, including hornworms, silkworms, and stick bugs can only feed on one or two host plants, and they are considered good feeders without feeding on standard A+ dry gutload and several types of veggies. What are your thoughts?
Thanks for the input.
-RonG