Having followed some of the recent threads, I'm worried that my 3 month old brevs have been getting too much Vitamin D3. I have repcal with D3 (no phosphorus), and I've been dusting the crickets most of the feedings. About once a week i also dust with Herptivite. Do I need to back off....are they old enough to not need as much calcium? What are the odds they already have too much Vitamin D stored? Haven't noticed any wierd swellings or other gout-like symptoms....
D3 in babies?
- Thread starter jleahl
- Start date
Heika
New Member
For my little guys, I dust daily with a calcium supplement and weekly with a vitamin supplement. For the adults, I dust calcium every other feeding and vitamin once every two weeks. I figure that a lot of it rubs off on the leaves, etc. in the terrariums, and I have seen no ill effects.
Heika
Heika
Rep-cal sells a pure calcium product without D3. I use it at most feedings and only use the one with the D3 (dusting lightly) twice a month and only because my chameleons get no direct sunlight. I dust twice a month with herptivite too.
You asked..."are they old enough to not need as much calcium"...when they are full grown, the demands for calcium should be less (gravid females, excepted). I feed the adults less frequently (2 or 3 times a week), but still dust with calcium at most feedings...so because there are less feedings, the amount of calcium is cut down. IMHO you are dusting too frequently with the D3...assuming that you have a UVB light on your brevs cage.
You asked..."are they old enough to not need as much calcium"...when they are full grown, the demands for calcium should be less (gravid females, excepted). I feed the adults less frequently (2 or 3 times a week), but still dust with calcium at most feedings...so because there are less feedings, the amount of calcium is cut down. IMHO you are dusting too frequently with the D3...assuming that you have a UVB light on your brevs cage.
I don't actually have a UVB light on my tank. I have a daylight compact flourescent, mostly for the plants. I'm not sure of the value of UV light on the brevs, since they're undergrowth kind of guys; but I still think the Vit D3 could be too much, even without UVB. Am I right? I'll have to look for the D3-less repcal at my local pet stores...I don't remember seeing it.
Here is a site with phos. free rep-cal calcium....
http://www.sugar-gliders.com/rep-cal-calcium.htm
As for UVB and D3 for brevs...its still up in the air as to whether they need UVB or not. If they don't, then I wonder if they wouldn't have to have another way of making or getting D3 in the wild because there is nobody out there dusting their insects with it.
This article talks about the use of D3...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/brevcare.html
http://www.sugar-gliders.com/rep-cal-calcium.htm
As for UVB and D3 for brevs...its still up in the air as to whether they need UVB or not. If they don't, then I wonder if they wouldn't have to have another way of making or getting D3 in the wild because there is nobody out there dusting their insects with it.
This article talks about the use of D3...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/brevcare.html
