Effects of Over supplementation

[Pilotman800]

Very simple question here.

What are the effects of over supplementation? If you're supposed to use calcium pretty much every day, how do you over supplement? By dusting the crickets TOO much?

 

[Rycron]

I'm new to chameleons, but I know in other reptiles calcium usually isn't the issue when it comes to oversupplementation, but D3 and vitamin A can cause problems in large amounts. Too much vitamin A can cause skin problems (and more serious things) and too much D3 is bad for kidneys and calcifies things.

If you search hypervitaminosis in a scholarly database (or google scholar) you can find some pretty interesting research on the subject.

 

[ataraxia]

well said above

 

[Zen Reptiles]

One of the first signs is swelling around the neck.

I've talked with some people about supplemental D3 overdose and it seems that too much D3 causes some kind of problem with the hind legs losing control/mobility/strength of grip.

I was at a reptile convention earlier this year and they had terrible well water, really hard. All 15 of my young panther chams had some swelling in the neck after the 2 days was done lol. As soon as I got home the swelling was gone after a day or so of using reverse osmosis water.

Another surefire sign you've got too much supplements in the diet is salt crystals forming around the nostrils. They will excrete excess salts and minerals through the nostrils.

Other than that, the other signs are internal and would require a vet visit. This would include looking at the kidneys and bloodwork.

 

[kinyonga]

I would suggest reading each article I cited to get the whole picture.

Signs of Hypercalcemia- (high serum calcium)...
"Higher intake may lead to conditioned deficiencies of trace minerals combined with high- fat diet, formation of calcium soaps in the digestive tract".

Signs of Hyperphosphatemia- (high serum phosphorus)...
"calcification of the heart and kidney, bone resorption, and secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism".

Signs of Hypervitaminosis D- (high serum calcitriol)...
"soft tissue calcification, depression, anorexia, polyuria/polydypsia (excessive drinking / urination), and weight loss"....
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html

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Signs of too much prEformed viamin A...
"One of the many signs of this is HYPERcalcemia."
"The liver is swollen, edema develops, especially in the face/chin region. The kidneys are damaged or destroyed. The cham becomes anemic".
"vitamin A and vitamin D are antagonistic (incompletely)to each other. While both may be at toxic levels, the effects are not as evident due to their interaction"....
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
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"Too much Calcium causes muscles to become sluggish and weak. It has cardiac effects as well as causing obstipation and lack of appetite due to decreased contractility of the intestinal walls.".

"Excess calcium causes muscles to become sluggish and weak. It causes decreased appetite and causes obstipation (intractable constipation) due to decreased contractility of the intestinal walls. 2. Excess Vitamin D actually causes ABSORPTION of bone. It actually mimics hyperparathyroidism. 3. Vitamin D causes calcification of bone. Excess Vitamin D causes inappropriate mineralization of organs such as the kidney or soft tissue. Excess Vit D3 and Calcium has been implicated in mineralization of large blood vessels, causing cardiac disease. 4. If we fry the kidneys with excess Vitamin D we cannot get the active form, 1,25 Dihydroxycholecalciferol"....
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html

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"A number of species have nasal salt glands for excretion of sodium and chloride in response to an osmotic load. White crusty deposits may be seen around the nares of chameleons as well as green iguanas and other lizards and are normal findings. Certain species also secrete potassium as well as sodium, and chloride or bicarbonate. The system helps to conserve water while ridding the body of excess minerals."
http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2002/nov2002/nutrition/nutrition_n...
You may need to look at the WayBackMachine to access this one.
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I'm sure there is more that I've missed.

 

[KatiLemons]

Another surefire sign you've got too much supplements in the diet is salt crystals forming around the nostrils. They will excrete excess salts and minerals through the nostrils.

I thought that salt crytals excreted out of the nose was a sign of Respitory Infection? Is this a sign of both oversupplementation and RI's?

 

[sandrachameleon]

What are the effects of over supplementation? If you're supposed to use calcium pretty much every day, how do you over supplement? By dusting the crickets TOO much?

You've received some good answers, especially from Kinyonga.
But I wanted to say that you really do not necessarily have to or want to use calcium every day. Whether or not to dust with a supplement depends on the type of feeder, and to an extent also on what you've been gutloading that feeder with. For example, you would not calcium dust a butterworm or terrestrial isopod, as they are already higher in calcium than phosphrous (which is the main reason we dust feeders, to correct the opposite ratio).