Gutloading with dark blue potatoes/vegetables.

VivaNFLD

New member
Recently I have been supplementing with Repashy SuperPig, I think it is a great product and reccomend people to try it with their animals. The SP covers the red,yellows,oranges but I'm interested in adding green/blue/purple pigment in my animals.

I live in Newfoundland, being an Island in the North Atlantic we aren't really known for growing much in the way of exotic fruit/vegetables. We do however grow some great root vegetables here and for some reason "blue" varieties seem to do well and are pretty easy to find.

Newfoundland blue potatoes are one of these local favourites (they make great chips!), and I recently have been gutloading my feeders with them, along with blue carrots. I am just wondering if this can transfer into my animals. I'm not sure if we have any biochemists around but whatever. It's a long shot but an interesting idea (to me anyway!).

Any insight would be great, cheers n thanks!
 
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Aimless

Super Moderator
that's a good question. I suppose from a biochemist's standpoint that first it depends on whether your gecko absorbs the pigment, and whether it's broken down, and then whether it translates into actual coloration? I wonder if I gecko could take broken down metabolites and use them to build their own pigments more efficiently?

when I have time (if no one answers this sooner) I'll dig around some literature and see if I can find anything definitive.

I suppose if you gutload purple potatoes, if the gecko then eats the crickets and you notice a purple tint to the poop, maybe it would be a sign that the pigments aren't absorbed but just excreted?

awesome question.
 

VivaNFLD

New member
Thanks a bunch for the reply!

I will do some research as well and maybe we can figure this out a little.

The search for purple poop is on!

Cheers!
 

VivaNFLD

New member
We also grow really high quality low bush blueberries here, they are known to be sweeter than their mainland counterparts from lower temperatures during their blooms which make the berry produce more sugar. Anyhow, they are like blue dye so maybe they would be a decent thing to add along with the potatoes and blue carrots. Even if they don't transfer the pigment they are rich in antioxidants. I would guess antioxidants would be as beneficial for insects/geckos as they would for us?
 

Aimless

Super Moderator
of course, I would think so. you might also consider beets, although they're more red than blue? I've given beet tops and pieces of beet to my feeder roaches. they like them.
 

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
I eat a lot of purple potatoes...
I haven't turned purple yet.
So, I somehow doubt that it would work with herps.
On the other hand, purple fruits and veggies are known for being great antioxidants, so they may have some nutritional benefits for your geckos.
 

Aimless

Super Moderator
with birds nutrition can have a significant impact on coloration, but I think it's about the right vitamins so the bird can make pigment, not actual ingestion of pigments.
 

VivaNFLD

New member
Yea, I've been reading a fair bit on it. I can't find any information relating directly to herps but it appears that the anthocyanin CAN have an impact on some animals colouration.

On my own little experiment, it seems as though the crickets and mealworms feeding on my blue tubers are becoming darker than the ones without the blue potatoes in my "control" tubs. This could very likely be due to the fact they have their guys full of dark purple potato and it is visible through their exoskeletons, either way it's very interesting.

On te other hand, the hornworms appear to be getting lighter. I have read that tobacco worms have an enzyme that inhibits anthocyanin, so maybe that is the reason. I have a local friend who is working on a PhD in Entomology and I have emailed her to see what or of she can help me out. If she can I will post it here.

Cheers B'ys and thanks for your interest!
 
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