Calcium Question

[JerCat]

I have been advised by a few people that I should be giving him plain calcium at every feeding and calcium with d3 twice a month and then a multivitamin twice a month. But I was wondering is why just the plain calcium? Everybody at the reptile stores says just the calcium with d3, but you guys here say differently. I just wanted to know what the importance was that way when I try to explain it to someone else I don't sound like a complete idiots saying "Thats what the people in my computer told me!" lol.

 

[camimom]

too much d3 can cause them to get sick.

the calcium is important for proper bone growth and health.

when chams live outside in the wild, they eat bugs and have direct access to sunshine, but when in captivity we monitor what they eat, and most chams dont get sunshine all the time. thus the use of UVB bulbs.

we have to provide artificial d3 for them, but because of this.. they can overdose if its used too much.

 

[JerCat]

Ok Thank you! I definately didn't know they could overdose on it! Thanks. And I will definately not be going back to any of the reptile stores for information on chams! Even though they aren't the big chains like petco and petsmart they apparently don't know much more than how to sell products!

 

[Elizadolots]

D3 supplements are a delicate balance. Too much can interfere with the absorption of Vitamin A which is necessary for eye health as well as other body functions. That's why the board recommends only a small amount of D3 supplement. However, the body can produce D3 when in natural sunlight and it's impossible to over dose on naturally produced D3, so if you can get your chameleon into the sun for a few hours every week that will help a great deal.