Turtle food for feeders?

[Chair76]

I was wonder since crickets and dubia need lots of protein i was wondering is it ok to feed them turtle food? I say this because turtle food has a high amount of protein in most turtle foods. If any would like to tell me what they feed their feeders that would help too.

 

[SpazticMagic]

It's my understanding that so long as you don't overdo the protein levels for dubias over a string of consecutive generations they are fine (this is why many people are pulling back from cat food and switching instead to puppy food). But if you have leftover turtle food or tropical fish food (which i do) then there should be no problem--they'll eat it. They are scavengers and opportunists so it's fairly easy to find something they'll eat. It won't hurt your dragon either, at least not in my experience. If you look at the ingredients in most of the foods on the market they are all about the same, though the concentrations may be different.

 

[Chair76]

well the turtle food im looking at has about 60% crude protein.And i research it compared with dog food and found that dog food only contains about 25% crude protein, and the dog food i used and alot of ppl use is "Iams". Heres a link too it so you can check it out turtle food-->http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752594 and dog food--> http://www.iams.com/dog-food/Iams-ProActive-Health-Adult-Chunks?pid=1 both look for the guaranteed analysis.

 

[SpazticMagic]

I see no reason you couldn't feed it off to the roaches until you run out. I do much the same with all sorts of leftovers from various situations. I've never had a problem and it helps buffer the cost of feeding the colony. The only time high protein becomes a problem is when it's across numerous consecutive generations, we're talking years. Realize that colonies like the ones we generally keep for feeders are very inbred and so any sort of deformation or genetic issue that may pop up will likely simply recirculate. We have created a closed system, genetically. High protein levels in their food across years are being shown to affect overall productivity of the colony and the sizes of the roaches themselves. But if it's just a jar or two then there's no harm in it.

 

[Chair76]

its more than a jar. So i have to find them a food source that isnt high in protein? is their a limit? i feed them and the crickets this all the time buts its only been close to a year. What should i change to then?

 

[SpazticMagic]

I wouldn't stress for the crickets at all. Go ahead and feed them all you want of that stuff. The roaches, just try to incorporate it into their mix in small amounts--meaning in their mix it may only be about five to ten percent of the mixture. This means it'll last a long time too. I would suggest sticking to dog or puppy food as a staple dry feed though. But always sterilize it first in the microwave for grain mites (seriously, it's better to prevent these things than deal with them).

 

[Chair76]

yeah i know i heard about ppl getting those stupied grain mites but i havent gotten any yet. do you mean i have to sterilize the dog food too?

 

[SpazticMagic]

Yah, it's simple. A minute or so in the microwave should be fine to sterilize it. Just pop it into a microwave safe dish (i use glass mixing bowls) and put it on high for like a minute. That kills the adults, nymphs, and eggs that may be in the food. It's an endemic problem with any grain product really.