moviemanmania
Avid Member
Anyone know where's a good place to buy liquid crystals for crickets?
Liquid Crystals
- Thread starter moviemanmania
- Start date
moviemanmania
Avid Member
dry water crystals, my mistake.
moviemanmania
Avid Member
Holy molly I've never heard of that happening. wow.
Syn
Avid Member
I haven't heard of anything like that.
I have however heard of an animal eating a DRY water crystal and it later expanding in the gut of the animal.
I have never heard that either...you should give them to crickets already hydrated (since that is the whole purpose) so there shouldn't be any risk of expanding. Also crickets cannot eat enough to expand enough to do any significant damage imo. They'd have to eat their whole body size in totally dry crystals and even then if your cham can eat the cricket seems like a soft hydrated crystal shouldn't be a problem.
Was it proven with necropsy or just assumed to be the cause? Not challenging you, just curious since I've never heard this.
reptoman
Avid Member
I remember a thread from 2009 where someone lost a cham and found an expanded water crystal during a necropsy. If you are careful about what you put in the feeder cups this should not happen. I use polymer crystals for my roaches and crickets and have never had this happen. I am very careful about what goes in the feeder cups and make sure I keep any paper towel rolls on the opposite side of the bin from the crystals so there is not much chance of picking up a dry crystal when getting feeders out of the bin. It is a real concern but the nastiness of a sponge or wet paper towel in a cricket bin is enough for me to use the water crystals anyway and just be careful about it. JMO
Huh, weird but good to know! So many things out to get these little guys...
reptoman
Avid Member
Here is the original post I was talking about ealier:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/warning-water-crystals-21442/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/warning-water-crystals-21442/
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bighutch917
New Member
I would stay faaaaaar away from water crystals. Unless they changed on a daily basis, the crystals can harber harmful bacteria that will be passed on to your animal. It has happened to me in the past. Also, the colored crystals will temporarily stain the oral cavity. I recommend that you stick with water, fruits and veggies.
Syn
Avid Member
A cricket could not hope to eat enough dry crystal to cause any damage to a larger reptile.
If it's the thread I'm thinking of, it ingested a dry crystal.
Don't use enough to need to change them on a daily basis, perhaps? Small amounts, not large. The bulk of the hydration should come from the vegetables anyways.
Who had told you the bacteria from the crickets went into your chameleon? Are you thinking parasites?
Most water crystals come clear unless you are buying the expensive flukers stuff. It's much cheaper to buy it dry from forum members or sponsors (Tiki Tiki)..
bighutch917
New Member
I apologize for the late response.
No, I am not talking about parasites. The bacteria causes a mucus type of saliva in the mouth of the chameleon, similar to that of a URI. I have discussed the matter with my vet and and a few of the top breeders in the industry and they all advised me to discontinue use of the water crystals. Since doing so, I have had no issues. I am speaking from personal experiences, not scientific research.
As the for staining of the oral cavity, I was using the yellow Fluckers brand.
I currently utilize carrots/apples but mostly oranges/tangerines to hydrate my feeders.
No, I am not talking about parasites. The bacteria causes a mucus type of saliva in the mouth of the chameleon, similar to that of a URI. I have discussed the matter with my vet and and a few of the top breeders in the industry and they all advised me to discontinue use of the water crystals. Since doing so, I have had no issues. I am speaking from personal experiences, not scientific research.
As the for staining of the oral cavity, I was using the yellow Fluckers brand.
I currently utilize carrots/apples but mostly oranges/tangerines to hydrate my feeders.
Syn
Avid Member
Wouldn't the risk of bacteria in carrots etc. be the same as in water crystals? Both are a moist environment, etc. etc.
A simple solution would be to not use more than the crickets will "drink" in a short amount of time and utilize carrots etc. as the bulk of the hydration... right?
A simple solution would be to not use more than the crickets will "drink" in a short amount of time and utilize carrots etc. as the bulk of the hydration... right?
