Keith Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Anyone who raises snails know they must eat cuttlebone to maintain a healthy,strong shell. Do roaches need to eat cuttlebone to maintain a strong exoskeleton? Just wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepsis Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 No idea, for sure, but I remember reading that calcium was not something that insects require, and if they get too much of it, it could be bad... Please if you know something different, correct me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Some university was doing a study on gut loading and overfed crickets a calcium that turned their gut content into a solid lime block and now the rumor is that calcium is harmful to all inverts. There are a lot of urban legends out there... The roach exoskeleton is chitin which doesn't contain much calcium but if you dust the food with a calcium/vitamin blend for insectivores and keep them in good conditions 1/3-1/2 will grow measurably larger than a control group. Only overcrowded, hungry animals would be likely to nibble on cuttlebone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 The roach exoskeleton is chitin which doesn't contain much calcium but if you dust the food with a calcium/vitamin blend for insectivores and keep them in good conditions 1/3-1/2 will grow measurably larger than a control group. Well yes I meant to say dusting the food not a solid cuttlebone. Thats amazing that some would grow larger! I may try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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