What I have gutloaded with this week

[sandrachameleon]

Hi
I've been noting what I used as gutload this week.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/862-todays-gutload.html

Im curious, what have you been offering?

 

[pigglett79]

This week given to roaches, superworms, crickets, meal worms, isopods:

dry gutload made of:
shredded dried coconut, dried mango, dried pineapple, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried basil, dried alfalfa, rice bran, millet, sesame seeds, spirulina, calcium powder.

Fruits and veggies (usually 4-5 items per day from below): alternating greens (turnip greens, romaine lettuce, kale), carrots, alternating (yellow squash, zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash), alternating (celery, cucumber), alternating (apple, orange), mango, red and orange bell pepper.

Snails fed: all above fruits and veggies except orange.

stick insects fed: ivy, lettuce from the garden

silk worms fed: mulberry chow, some carrot

hornworms fed: commercial chow, greens, carrot, red bell pepper

 

[sandrachameleon]

What an excellent range of gutloads!

curious - any concerns/troubles with using Ivy? I was warned against it.
Also why no orange for the snails? I don't know for sure if I've ever given my citrus, but I think I have

which greens do you find your hornworms like? I've heard hit and miss stories that don't necessarily match my own experiences. But as I don't use a lot of hornworms, I'm very interested in what others have experienced.

 

[DirtyDubbz]

These are great examples of perfect gutloads thanks again for knowledge

 

[Saldarya]

Funny you should ask....I had one of those moments on Saturday when I was preparing the 'wet' gutload when I realized they ate better than I do. SO, I took a pic.

This weeks gutload is

Dandelion Greens, Endive, Arugula, zucchini and Papaya.

 

[pigglett79]

What an excellent range of gutloads!

curious - any concerns/troubles with using Ivy? I was warned against it.
Also why no orange for the snails? I don't know for sure if I've ever given my citrus, but I think I have

which greens do you find your hornworms like? I've heard hit and miss stories that don't necessarily match my own experiences. But as I don't use a lot of hornworms, I'm very interested in what others have experienced.

I have only been using the Ivy recently to grow small sticks, the ones that are large enough to feed are eating lettuce and oak. I have a hard time finding items they will eat. I dont think I thought about the Ivy being bad, just saw it on the list of items they would eat.

I just haven't given snails orange, I wasn't sure if they would like it so I just never tried.

I have had hornworms eat pretty much all greens except collards. I haven't had good luck with collard greens on most of my bugs. The favorites seem to be dandelion and turnip. They have also eaten a few types of squash without issue.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Funny you should ask....I had one of those moments on Saturday when I was preparing the 'wet' gutload when I realized they ate better than I do. SO, I took a pic.

This weeks gutload is

Dandelion Greens, Endive, Arugula, zucchini and Papaya.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Rud...D6-1915-000004A432750290_zpsad4ac458.jpg.html

It is funny that many of us can put so much more thought into what our bugs and chameleons eat, compared to what we eat ourselves!

 

[sandrachameleon]

I have had hornworms eat pretty much all greens except collards. I haven't had good luck with collard greens on most of my bugs. The favorites seem to be dandelion and turnip. They have also eaten a few types of squash without issue.

thanks! I appreciate the info

 

[Chameleon Brothers]

thanks

Thanks I appreciate the info as well. Any best ways to get any of this produce? Obviously the cheaper and non-toxic the better.

 

[broderp]

Funny you should ask....I had one of those moments on Saturday when I was preparing the 'wet' gutload when I realized they ate better than I do. SO, I took a pic.

This weeks gutload is

Dandelion Greens, Endive, Arugula, zucchini and Papaya.

Wow, you must have serveral chams or a few that eat like piggies! I see that picture and I can see 95% of it being thrown out because it would never get eaten by my cham's crickets.


Good info in this thread though!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks I appreciate the info as well. Any best ways to get any of this produce? Obviously the cheaper and non-toxic the better.

Dandelion grows like a weed / is a weed. If you have a pot on a balcony (or a full garden) its super easy to grow and its nutritious

 

[pigglett79]

Thanks I appreciate the info as well. Any best ways to get any of this produce? Obviously the cheaper and non-toxic the better.

I usually buy at sprouts or whole foods. Last time I purchased the dry ingredients Sprouts was having a sale on the bulk items so I stocked up and store the items in my freezer. Between sprouts and whole foods you can find the raw dry ingredients in the bulk bins.

The produce I purchase at those stores or my local grocery store. But I'm sticking with organics and washing thoroughly before use.

For the dry items, i put them in a food processor or blender and make a powder, then put it in a huge zip lock freezer bag and store in the freezer.

one note: I do sometimes also blend the wet ingredients and put in to tiny ice cube trays and freeze them. Then I can put a cube in each of the feeder bins that only contain small amounts of feeders. I have the huge colonies, but then pull out smaller amounts and store in critter keepers for easier access when feeding my animals. For example: I have my huge roach colony, but then have a critter keeper with the size roaches my frogs eat and another critter keep with the size roaches the chameleons eat, so I have 3 containers of roaches. The two smaller containers might get cubes of frozen wet food while the huge bin gets piles of fresh produce.

But I do get tired of the cubes and just put small amounts of the produce in the small bins too. It just depends.

When weather permits I grow my own greens.

 

[ir0k]

how important is it to feed a dry gutload. I only use mustard greens, turnip greens and carrot for my crickets. I hope im not missing anything by not adding anything as far as dry gutload. I heard about people giving oatmeal flakes.... but if I need to use any dry gutload i'd for sure use what you guys are using.

Thanks for any advice