Supplemtation Schedule

Hi Everyone,

I have been researching and preparing for a couple months now to have everything set-up properly in advance of purchasing a panther chameleon. We will be receiving a 5 month old male Ambilobe.

As far as supplementation goes the norm seems to be:
daily dusting with calcium - no D3
bi weekly dusting calcium with D3
bi weekly dusting multi-vitamin.

Since multi-vitamins are available with and without D3 I am not certain which is recommended, as I haven't yet found the specific answer in forum posts. Obviously it makes a difference as it could double the recommended level of D3 or provide insufficient D3 depending on the the prescence/absence of D3 in the multi-vitamin.

As far as D3 production as a result of absorbtion of UVB rays, I will have a 36" T5HO dual hood with Arcadia 6% and 6500K linear tubes.

Thank you in advance for your guidance and recommendations.

It's really nice to see you here researching before you buy a chameleon. Kudos to you! This is from my blog on how I recommend supplementing.
The feeders have to be "lightly" dusted with 2 kinds of supplements. When your chameleon is young you will use plain calcium (no d3) at just about every feeding...... if you skip one or two days a month that's ok. You will also need Reptivite with d3 twice a month. You can see pictures and buy these supplements here: http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...-and-vitamins/

This is my blog for new keepers. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

Its not very often at all I see a newbie with the right supplements or schedule. I usually here d3 every day, reptivite every three feedings and thats it. You hit the nail on the head.

reptileguy112 said:

Its not very often at all I see a newbie with the right supplements or schedule. I usually here d3 every day, reptivite every three feedings and thats it. You hit the nail on the head.

Click to expand...

Hi Reptileguy and Jannb,

Thanks for responding with your thoughts. Unfortunately, this is where a new/future owner such as myself gets confused since both recommended supplemental protocols are dramatically different from each other.

As I have no personal experience here, I would be concerned that Jannb's protocol may leave a D3 deficiency, while I would be concerned that reptileguys protocol could lead to excess vitamin consumption and D3 toxicity.

I hope others can post in on their protocols and experiences as well.

You will get some differing opinions because it makes a difference how much natural sunlight your chameleon is getting. It also makes a difference what type of chameleon you have. I live in Florida so My guy (Panther) gets a few hours of outdoor time pretty much everyday so I don't use any d3.
The most common supplement schedule for a panther is

Calcium with no d3 daily
Calcium with d3 2x per month
Multivitamin 2x per month

Don't mix these. When you give your multivitamin no calcium that day
If you have a multivitamin with d3 then you can skip the calcium with d3.
The main point is d3 2x per month.

You really can't go wrong getting advice from jannb

What are peoples feelings on Rapshy calcium plus ? A supplement that is used everyday instead of a 3 different types.

The calcium plus from Repashy is what I was going to ask about! It seems so much easier but I wanted to get advice from others first!