proper gutloading cricket food

[bonillaphotography]

Well, my first chameleon, a color morph panther chameleon, is going to arrive on Wednesday and I can become a chameleon mommy! Thanks to everyone for suggesting the Kammers as a place to buy my cham. I am just finishing getting everything squared away before his arrival, and I had one question that I can't find an answer to. Is there a good cricket food to gutload crickets before I feed them to my cham? I was looking in a Petco at all the foods they had, and the cricket foods were so varied I didn't know what was good. The Kammers suggest feeding orange slices for water, but don't have any suggestions on food other than a very extensive recipe on making your own. So any suggestions? Also, do people know of reputable places to buy your feeder insects? When I was in Petco I was shocked at the horrible condition the feeder insects were in that they were selling. I would like to be able to go to a store here in Orange County to just pick up 50-100 at a time (once a week), but I don't know if I can get good insects from local stores. Thanks for your help!

Rachel

 

[Heika]

Hi, congratulations!

Wild Eye Reptile makes a gutload that is very, very good. My roaches and crix both get it. In fact, I use it as the staple diet for my roaches. It is very affordable too. They make a worm bedding as well, but I haven't tried it yet. Here is the website: http://www.wildeyereptiles.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=24

I buy all my feeders off the internet, and have had good success with every single company that I have ordered from. I have had a couple problems with the post office leaving them in front of the garage in 10 degree weather (why, oh why would they do that to a box clearly marked "Live Crickets when we were home at the time?!?) but the companies themselves have been great. I was ordering a thousand at a time, and was able to use them within a month or a month and a half. (My sister has a bearded dragon, and she pilfers from my crix box too.) I kept them cool so the die off rate wasn't quite so high. My last order was 500, and actually hasn't come in yet. I ordered from Reptile Depot this time. This is actually the first time I have ordered crickets from them, but I was pleased with the butter worms and wax worms I got from them a couple weeks ago.

Heika

 

[Brad]

Hello bonillaphotography, welcome to the chameleon forums

feed sources:
My local petco is similar. I buy dog food there sometimes and lately the smell has been almost unbearable. I usually purchase crickets and other feeders at local pet stores. There are a few nearby that specialize in reptiles.

I do purchase some feeders online. I can recommend mulberryfarms.com for silkworms and hornworms. I hear coastalsilkworms.com is good too, but have not tried them yet.

gutload:
I have heard good things about the gutload offered by wild eye reptiles (wer gutload). I can personally recommend cricketfood.com as well.

 

[lele]

checkout adhcam.com for their dry and wet gutload recipes - cheap to make your own and you can make in any size batch. Also, beautiful dragons has a nutrional chart for what to feed beardies, but I use it as reference for gutload as well. I too, can say from experience that cricketfood.com's gutload is very good. Here are some links:

http://www.chameleonnews.com/gutload.html
http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/gutload.html
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[chameleon97]

do a search on cricket crack. SsimswisS (sorry if i spelled it wrong) makes it i believe

 

[sandrachameleon]

...Is there a good cricket food to gutload crickets before I feed them to my cham?

Congrats Rachel on getting your chameleon

It is very easy to Make you own cricket gut load. Doing so ensures you know just what your bugs, and hence your chameleon, is eating.

The dry portion of a gutload can include (blend with a coffee grinder or food processor): quality whole grain cereal (Im currently using Kashi); spirulina; bee pollen; dried alfalfa; organic raw sunflower seeds; dried seaweed/kelp/dulse; oats; unhulled sesame seeds, powered egg; ground almonds; ground brazil nuts; wheat germ; hemp seed; fig powder.

The wet gutload (switch it up with a different couple of items every other day or so) can frequently includes things like: dandelion leaves, squash, carrot, yam, orange, mustard greens, pomegranet, collard greens, kale, romaine, apple, peas, blueberries, raspberries, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower sprouts, ... (avoid broccoli and spinach).

more:
Bug nutrition http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=92
Gutloading http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=101
Gutloading http://www.screameleons.com/site/3602/default.aspx
Gutloading https://www.chameleonforums.com/gutloading-recipes-1803/

 

[ToniandGizmo]

do a search on cricket crack. SsimswisS (sorry if i spelled it wrong) makes it i believe

That is what I use and my crickets love it! Drop Ssimswiss (he's a forum member), a pm and he'll take care of you.

I got my boy from the Kammers as well.

 

[dragongoddess]

I'm also using Cricket Crack right now, my crickets wouldn't grow with the crap from PetSmart. I use carrots or sliced potatoes for water.

I get all my feeders online. I just bought 1000 crickets for $22 shipped and taxed here in California from LLLReptile. Ordered on a monday, they will get to my place no later than Wednesday. I get my silkworms and pheniox worms from Mullburry Farms.

 

[summoner12]

do a search on cricket crack. SsimswisS (sorry if i spelled it wrong) makes it i believe

Did ya notice how old this thread is?

 

[chameleon97]

Did ya notice how old this thread is?

LOL yeah i was trying to see who would notice first. SUMMONER12 WINS!!!