Dubia roaches gutloading and gout

There's an interesting discussion I read elsewhere that linked this article, which I find informative. Just thought to link it here and share.

http://www.store.repashy.com/can-feeder-insect-diets-contribute-to-gout-in-reptiles.html


To sum it up short, dubia roaches are great feeders for your leopard geckos. But when gutloading your roaches, you don't want to overload it with protein. Doing so you could be harming your geckos, as they could get gout as a result.

A lot of the people think more is better, more protein is better, bigger & fatter geckos are better, etc.. Unfortunately a lot of the times, you are making a mistake and cutting your gecko's lives short.

Eeek

I feed my roaches dog food... If that's not good for them, then what should they be eating?

I haven't experienced my roaches dying though. The whole time I've had them, I've only had 3 adults die (Probably of old age, cause they were huge.). Should I still be worried?

I don't know, it depends on the crude protein value of the cat/dog food you use. I know many recommend feeding whole grain cereals plus veggies & fruit to dubia roaches. It's really only an issue if you gutload your dubia roaches with high crude protein food.

I thought that high protein was good for them, so they've been getting Taste of the Wild dog food which has 32% protein. Should I switch them back to my dog's senior food? It has, like, 22% protein I think.

I give them oats, whole grain Cheerios, and whole grain bread too along with the occasional veggies.

I'd go with the lower crude protein value one yes. The one issue with the internet is how easily words spread. I know I've done it before, repeating what I read somewhere and said this is what it is or how it is. But unfortunately a lot of the information is wrong. I was surprised when I first read about what Allen Repashy wrote, and also the discussion elsewhere about how many people have had their geckos die due to gout & fatty liver disease.

So in this regard, I'd listen to someone like Allen Repashy who develops supplements for reptiles, over say a dubia roach care guide provided by dubia roach breeders. Because breeders always pump their stock with whatever can grow their stock faster, but they aren't always what's best for your geckos in the long run.

Excess protein, fat, calcium, and vitamins are bad for leopard geckos. More isn't better even if it's something good for them. They can only take in so much in their lil body. Aside from gout, too much protein can cause dehydration and protein pockets that you see in their armpits.

Hypervitaminosis is another issue where high dosages of vitamins can be fatal to your geckos. A lot of the geckos die due to this, but many owners don't know about it because not everybody perform a necropsy. And even if they do, many vets won't put things together to find out what caused the issues in the first place.