Newbie with gutload questions

[cmoore]

Hi there!

Yesterday we purchased our first BD. I think he is about 8 weeks old based on size. (6" nose to tail) We got him at Petco so they didn't have a hatch date. He just came into the store yesterday, and we got him straight out of the box. My question is.... I am breeding dubia roaches for our veilded chameleon. I feed them mostly fresh greens and fruit and some bug burger. I have been feeding them tangerine slices( (cuties), and I see that citus is not something a bearded is supposed to have. I'd like to keep all the roaches in one container and not have to segregate them based on what I'm feeding them. Do you think it will harmful to our new little BD - his/her not sure yet name is Nacho. to be eating the tiny dubia's that have possibly been feeding on the tangerine? oh and apples for that matter... He's not eating much right now, so I gave him some squash baby food. I have also been giving him small crickets, which he has eaten about 10 since yesterday afternoon.

 

[unkempt1]

There will be some people that say feeding roaches and crickets that are gut-loaded with oranges is ok, but I'm a purist and disagree. The whole mentality behind gut-loading is that a portion of the fruit and veggie matter you feed them is still in their guts, and thus passed on to your dragon.

The best thing to do is feed your feeders things that you would feed your dragon, i.e. veggies and very rarely fruits. I gut-load my feeders with mustard and collard greens, and very rarely a piece of apple, carrot, or mango. I myself keep a separate feeder bin so as not to disturb my breeder bin too much. I've found they don't freak out as much.

At the end of the day, who knows? There's not a lot of data to support either argument, I just go with my gut *crickets chirping* (pathetic pun intended).

 

[cmoore]

Thanks for your input. You know, I agree with that. I've separated all the baby dubia's into their own keeper. The tiny crickets are in their own keeper as well and they have a new diet of collard greens, dandelion leaves and escarole and some bug burger at the moment. No fruit. I was told as long as I feed the feeders these high calcium greens, then do not dust the feeders as to not get too much calcium. But every other week do the cal w/d3 and alternate with the vitamins. Does this sound about right? Our new little one seems to be settling in just fine.

 

[XiDiS]

What ive seen some people do is they will use oranges in there breeding bin for dubias, since you dont wanna disturb the colony every day most people will seperate out small roaches into a 'feeder' bin. Gut loading them in there just before they are eaten. That way you can use oranges in the larger bin and dont really have to worry about it. This is just info i have gotten from a few other people that breed HUGE amounts of roaches. I havent started my colony yet.

 

[CGuzmanReptiles]

People use oranges in their breeders bin because thats like Viagra for them roaches (no joke :lol: ).
Just like XiDiS said, if you separate your feeder nymph to a 'feeder' container just gut load them with what greens/veggies you would give to your dragon.

 

[unkempt1]

Thanks for your input. You know, I agree with that. I've separated all the baby dubia's into their own keeper. The tiny crickets are in their own keeper as well and they have a new diet of collard greens, dandelion leaves and escarole and some bug burger at the moment. No fruit. I was told as long as I feed the feeders these high calcium greens, then do not dust the feeders as to not get too much calcium. But every other week do the cal w/d3 and alternate with the vitamins. Does this sound about right? Our new little one seems to be settling in just fine.

That's news to me. What high calcium greens do you feed the roaches? I'd still recommend dusting them normally, based on what care sheets say for your dragon (based on his age).

 

[cmoore]

I'm using the nutrient food chart that I found on this forum, and using the greens that are in green. I just bought the setup for our little guy off of Craigs list. The gal I bought it from is studying to be a vet and works nights at an emergency vet clinic which includes herp vets. Her advise came from a vet at that clinic. She used the analogy of "you wouldn't give you child advil without knowing the right dose. When you dust the feeders, you have no idea what the dose is that they are getting and if you are gut loading your feeders with high calcium food, and feeding your dragon the higher calcium greens as well, then you don't need to dust". And that too much calcium is just as harmful and not enough. I dust the feeders I give to our chameleon as he really does not eat any greens per say. I don't dust the crickets I give our crested gecko as he gets everything he needs in his powdered crested gecko diet. I only want to do what is the very best for all my guys, and I look to these forums for information and go with majority rules, and/or what the vets on here say..... I appreciate all your inputs!!! :book:

 

[CGuzmanReptiles]

I'm using the nutrient food chart that I found on this forum, and using the greens that are in green. I just bought the setup for our little guy off of Craigs list. The gal I bought it from is studying to be a vet and works nights at an emergency vet clinic which includes herp vets. Her advise came from a vet at that clinic. She used the analogy of "you wouldn't give you child advil without knowing the right dose. When you dust the feeders, you have no idea what the dose is that they are getting and if you are gut loading your feeders with high calcium food, and feeding your dragon the higher calcium greens as well, then you don't need to dust". And that too much calcium is just as harmful and not enough. I dust the feeders I give to our chameleon as he really does not eat any greens per say. I don't dust the crickets I give our crested gecko as he gets everything he needs in his powdered crested gecko diet. I only want to do what is the very best for all my guys, and I look to these forums for information and go with majority rules, and/or what the vets on here say..... I appreciate all your inputs!!! :book:

The thing with this is that in the wild, dragons get their calcium supplements from uv the sun provides them. Since this is not the case we need to supplement them dusting their feeders and giving high calcium food combined with the uvb light to simulate the amount of uv the sun used to give them.

Ofcourse you are not going to turn your feeders into snowballs by dusting them with calcium; thats why its recommended to lightly dust your feeders before feeding them.

 

[beardieparents7780]

I guy load my crickets with bak choy,dandelion greens and a little carrot. I always buy organic veggies for them. I only eat organic veggies as well. There's a huge difference in quality.
For example here's some non organic dandelion greens

Now here's some quality organic ones

I look at it what's best for me is best for my beardies!

 

[beardieparents7780]

Sorry I don't guy load my crickets I meant gut load lol