Calcium carbonate, the root cause of edema?

[Mike Fisher]

From several sources including one medical journal:

"One of the most frequently reported side effects of calcium carbonate is swelling of different parts of the body. The face, tongue and throat are commonly affected."

For those who don't know this, calcium carbonate is the usual source of calcium used in reptile supplementation due to its low cost.

 

[reptoman]

It might be more specifically, over dusting with calcium carbonate. I have female panthers and female montanes (johnstonii) that are sensitive to over supplementation presenting with gular edema. I do not see the same issues in males of any of the species we keep. I usually dust less frequently for the ones that have shown to have an acute sensitivity. and when I do dust it is barely visible on the feeders. Hydration and cutting back the supplements seem to take care of the issue short term. I believe most issues come from over doing the dusting.

 

[Mike Fisher]

"Supplements" is such a broad term. I'm just referring to pure calcium carbonate with nothing added to it.

Whenever we as keepers have edema issues, we are told to "cut back on the supplements" with the main item getting the blame as D3. Since D3 is always cut with calcium carbonate, what if it has not been the D3 all along, but instead the calcium?

I'm working through edema in my colony which coincided with using tap water. I suspected fluoride so switched to distilled water. Problem solved right?

All was going better until I used a light dusting of pure calcium carbonate on feeders yesterday, and all the affected animals in the first round swelled up again. Males and females, but only one species in my collection.

The specific symptoms listed above sure coincide with what I'm seeing.