Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a bag of green lentils today and 15 grams of bee pollen. My first question is that they are green lentils, high in fiber. Are these ok to feed kong? and how many do i soak over night and feed him?
Now with the bee pollen, can someone gove me instructions on how to use it. how much do i sprinkle on her food and how often? thanks in advance for any input.

We've always just offered split green lentils as dry food along with all the other dried beans & peas. "How many?" Well, as many as he wants...
We've offered bee pollen as a "seed item" for years. A light sprinkling in the seed bowl a couple times a week.
D.

I agree, although you can reconstitute the lentils/split peas for about an hour in warm water, once I even mixed some calcium powder in the warm water before soaking lentils, they ate them just the same and I have to believe it added a little supplementation value. I've used bee pollen sparingly on greens, about a teaspoon or so, make sure to keep the pollen refergirated if you want it to last.
HH

I have a feeling the nutritive value works either way whether dry or hydrated. I also believe that during the Spring, soft foods ( leaves & flowers ) may be more appealing to them, whereas during Summer & Fall, seed items are more relished. That's what's most available in the wild during those times.
Right now, we offer LOTS of flowers along with their regular greens. I expect to see, by mid-summer, a real drop-off in their greed for flowers, based on past experience.
D.

Yea, i think i will let them soak all night and then feed them to her in the morning. Its weird though, i fed her rose pedals the past two days, in her salad and she didnt even touch them. it seems that the only thing he loves is lettuce. I am going to sprinkle bee pollen on her salad tomorow. Maybe she will love real food afterwards. Should i crush the bee pollen to make it into a dust or should i just give them to her the way they came.

I just use the pollen in little pellets like it comes, I strongly suggest removing the lettuce from being offered as a staple, especially if that's all it seems to like. The only time I would reccomend feeding baby lettuces is if you're trying to rehydrate your Uro.
HH

oo I have totally removed it from her diet, it just seems that kong doesnt enjoy her food anymore without it. I think that the pollen might help this problem. I can only hope but she is starting to eat better at least.

>>How many?" Well, as many as he wants...

I would NOT offer as many as he wants. They contain needed protein, but too much is bad. They also have an abysmal Ca ratio. Definitely offer them, but not in unlimited amounts. I sprinkle a few (dry) on top of the salad maybe a couple times a week. I also find they prefer the smaller red lentils over the green, but they'll eat green when the red are gone.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

I too usually always have lentils and split peas available, mainly for roughage if they need it; In over three years of having Uro's I've never observed them eating more than a few lentils and ignoring their greens.
HH