Senegal Chameleons choose prey based on nutritional needs;

[findiviglio]

Senegal Chameleons choose prey based on nutritional needs; This study has important implications fpr all who keep lizards and other herps Senegal Chameleon Diet Study - Nutrition Influences Prey Choice | That Reptile Blog

[JeffreH]

What I find particularly interesting is the "boredom" and preference for the Long-Horned Grasshoper vs. the domestic house cricket and vice versa... two species of insect within the same order of Orthoptera and sharing cricket-like qualities (Katydids and those in this family are more closely related to crickets than grasshoppers, from my understanding).

From the order level, it seems that common feeder roaches vary insignificantly in overall nutritional compostion. Blattodea nutritional analysis between Blaptica dubia, Shelfordella (Blatta) lateralis, and Gromphadorhina portentosa all share very similar protein, fat, ash, and moisture compositions according to one source:
Feeder Insect Analysis

I've always found these crude nutritional analyses to be weak - I wish there was more biochemical information out there about many common feeders we use in the hobby and have debated pursuing this information personally. What are the actual calorie compositions? What other macro and micro nutrients are present? Aside from calcium: phosphorous ratios which are indeed important, much of this information is neglected in my eyes.

This is pretty fascinating information Frank, thank you for sharing. I'll look into the articles that you obtained this information from in more detail over the next couple of days when I have more time because this is awesome information.

I do have a few questions in mind that I'd like to pick your brain about Frank: do you think its possible that there may be some innate desire in these more generalist species to hunt varieties of food in order to gain as much nutrional variety as possible? Or do you believe they are truly driven by the needs of certain products (i.e. Vitamin D3) to pick and choose their meals?

I wish I had more time this evening to look further into this - look out for additional follow-up questions and possibly an ongoing thought question I've had about herp nutrion in general. = )

[findiviglio]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, our knowledge is rudimentary, as you mention. We know some of what works, re supplements and such, through trial and error, but we are largely guessing. We established a nutrition dept at the Bx Zoo, one of the few zoos to do so, but little effort went into herp studies, and the dept was eventually disbanded.

You raise a great point re generalist hunters, and I think it may overlap with some of what I've seen. I've noticed that a wide variety of reptiles and amphibs show very strong responses to novel prey items. In many cases, this applies even to foods that they cannot be familiar with, either by experience or in an evolutionary sense. It may just be, as you suggest, a way of ensuring a variety of nutrients. That being said, I'm sure that there also are specific preferences, with some basis in their needs, as well. But we are a long way from quantifying this. One study, on a related topic, did show that chameleons seem to have an amazing ability to monitor their D3 levels, and will adjust their basking behavior accordingly. Please see this article, and let me know what you think when you have a chance.

I look forward to hearing from you again..I get notices of comments posted here or on my blog, so whatever you prefer is fine.

Best, Frank

[Pluke]

Thanks for posting this, I used to have this blog in my favorites but I lost them all and didn't know the address.. bummed me out. Now I have it on my bookmarks bar again. This blog always has good reads when you're waking up and drinking some coffee.

[findiviglio]

Hi,

Thanks for the kind words about my blog, much appreciated! let me know if you have any specific interests, as the search engine is not all that accurate. Best, Frank Indiviglio

[FriedrichsFrogs]

huh, i thought mealworms had low protein and fat content. That website says otherwise

[JeffreH]

With respect to the other feeders, the fat content in mealworms is still a fairly high percentage (2-3x that of the others listed) and shows a relatively poor protein : fat composition compared to the others as well. They also have a poor calcium : phosphorus ratio not shown in the chart I linked too.

Don't want to get off topic from the original post, just wanted to clear that up = )


I'll try to look into that basking article later tomorrow Frank, it sounds like a great read and I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you for the response and insight to my last post as well, very much appreciated! Its a shame the nutrition department at the zoo was disbanded... I've always been pretty obscessed with nutrition and have found a general lack of knowledge about the specific dietary needs of each species as an individual. I guess the best we can do is provide as much variety as possible and ensure our insects are properly gutloaded and supplemented prior to feeding.