Exo Terra Multivitamin

[pepezkakap]

Hello!

I have bought 3 supplements.
1. Exo Terra Calcium
2. Exo Terra Calcium + D3
3. Exo Terra Multivitamin

I believe in my country this is the expensive and famous product so I went with them.
I have been getting MIXED information regarding supplementation. I REALLY need valied experiences and thought on few concerns.

1. Is ET Multivit any good product? In term of composition and daily usage
2. Does Multivitamin contribute to increasing appetite and also improve coloration? I have been told Multivitamin help brings out the best in their coloration.
3. Most members suggest Calcium for every feeding, D3 and Multi twice a week. But, I have been told as well that I can mix all three and use them daily since my panther is only 5 mo old and still need a lot of supplementation for his development. Is this correct?
4. Another supporting refference will be the instruction from ET itself that says: "Exo Terra Multi Vitamin Powder Supplement is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of reptiles and amphibians in conjunction with their daily diet." Forgive my English but does it tell you to dust it daily to the feeders?
5. Lastly will be another instruction from ET: "Thoroughly mix a 1:1 ratio of Exo Terra Multi Vitamin Powder Supplement and Exo Terra Calcium + D3 Powder Supplement or Exo Terra Calcium Powder Supplement in a container and add live insects." If my interpretation on no 4 is correct then I may use Multivit with either D3 or Calcium, DAILY, as well. Is that correct?
6. Another argument from a chameleon keeper, which was a beginner as well, said he doesn't give any calcium or other supplementation as they cause the color of his panther to be faded. The whole supplementation is driving me nuts.

I am really confuse about the whole supplementation thing. I really need to know if Multivit really does promote appetite and affect the coloration of panther! I can't seem to find any research or article to find the correlation.

FYI, I keep my panther outdoor. Direct access to morning sunlight for 1-2 hour. Then kept under the roof outdoor most of the time. Get another direct sunlight around 3-5 pm for an hour for the best UVB intake (so I have been told). Mist 4-5x daily.

Any sourceful thoughts and experience is highly appreciated.

 

[sulley]

ive used the exo terra calcium.seems good enough to me.ive not used any of the other items you have suggested tho.
the multivitamins i use is nutrabol.

 

[pepezkakap]

ive used the exo terra calcium.seems good enough to me.ive not used any of the other items you have suggested tho.
the multivitamins i use is nutrabol.

Thanks. Have you noticed increasing appetite after using ET Calcium?

 

[Lovereps]

Hello!

I have bought 3 supplements.
1. Exo Terra Calcium
2. Exo Terra Calcium + D3
3. Exo Terra Multivitamin

I believe in my country this is the expensive and famous product so I went with them.
I have been getting MIXED information regarding supplementation. I REALLY need valied experiences and thought on few concerns.

It was not many years ago that chameleons would die within months when kept in captivity.
The cause was improper nutrition and too little UVB.
Now we know more about what chameleons need and the guidelines that are given of plain calcium daily, plus 2x a month multivitamin and 2x a month D3 for indoor chams have worked for many peoples' chams.
Montane chameleon species like Jackson's only need 1/2 this amount of supplements and will develop health troubles if given more.
Chams now live longer because of better nutrition and their UVB needs being met.
There is still more to be learned about chams' needs and there are no scientific studies being done to "fine tune" supplement schedules--as far as I know.
Here are more details about cham nutrition:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/

This is a good caresheet about Panther chams:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/

1. Is ET Multivit any good product? In term of composition and daily usage

Some reptiles can be supplemented frequently with multivitamins---chameleons cannot.
They will develop kidney and/or liver disorders that can't be cured.

The very best nutrition for your chameleon is this:
Feed a wide variety of insects that are fed a healthy diet (called gutloading.)
Most insects that are available for sale have the wrong amount of calcium and phosphorus--so a calcium dusting corrects that.
If the insects were not calcium dusted, MBD would develop.
This is a very painful and sometimes fatal problem caused by the body not having enough calcium to use for building bones and making the muscles move.
It can also cause chams to become sick with infections more easily.
Multivitamins should be an insurance against any vitamin deficiencies developing.
A variety of feeders is necessary because different feeders contain different amounts of vitamins, minerals, fats, protein, etc. and if these feeders are fed healthy food, they will provide more nutrients for your cham.

2. Does Multivitamin contribute to increasing appetite and also improve coloration? I have been told Multivitamin help brings out the best in their coloration.

It is likely that multivitamins increase appetite and improve coloration in animals that are suffering from a deficiency that gets corrected by that multivitamin.

3. Most members suggest Calcium for every feeding, D3 and Multi twice a week. But, I have been told as well that I can mix all three and use them daily since my panther is only 5 mo old and still need a lot of supplementation for his development. Is this correct?

I would not supplement more than is recommended.
Sometimes people think that their chameleon is not being harmed by daily use of supplements other than calcium without D3. They do not realize that the damage being done is happening slowly. It can take months before any noticable symptoms occur.

4. Another supporting refference will be the instruction from ET itself that says: "Exo Terra Multi Vitamin Powder Supplement is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of reptiles and amphibians in conjunction with their daily diet." Forgive my English but does it tell you to dust it daily to the feeders?

It is a general recommendation--not one specifically designed for chameleons.

5. Lastly will be another instruction from ET: "Thoroughly mix a 1:1 ratio of Exo Terra Multi Vitamin Powder Supplement and Exo Terra Calcium + D3 Powder Supplement or Exo Terra Calcium Powder Supplement in a container and add live insects." If my interpretation on no 4 is correct then I may use Multivit with either D3 or Calcium, DAILY, as well. Is that correct?

No. It is a general recommendation--not one specifically designed for chameleons.
You can probably dust Bearded Dragons' food this way but I would not do it for a chameleon.

6. Another argument from a chameleon keeper, which was a beginner as well, said he doesn't give any calcium or other supplementation as they cause the color of his panther to be faded. The whole supplementation is driving me nuts.

I have never heard any experienced keeper say that.
Maybe the new chameleon keeper noticed that his chameleon had faded colors and so he stopped the supplements. Soon, the chameleon shed and had nice colors again. It would be a wrong conclusion to reach--but I could see that someone without experience might think that.

I am really confuse about the whole supplementation thing. I really need to know if Multivit really does promote appetite and affect the coloration of panther! I can't seem to find any research or article to find the correlation.

Hopefully, after reading this, you are no longer confused.

FYI, I keep my panther outdoor. Direct access to morning sunlight for 1-2 hour. Then kept under the roof outdoor most of the time. Get another direct sunlight around 3-5 pm for an hour for the best UVB intake (so I have been told). Mist 4-5x daily.

Any sourceful thoughts and experience is highly appreciated.

If your chameleon has unfiltered outdoor sunlight every day, then he does not need any D3 supplement at all.
Chameleons actually make their own D3 when exposed to natural sunlight.
It must be sunlight that is not filtered through glass or plastic.
There may be other benefits of outdoor time that are not known or proven yet.
I think it helps chameleons mentally to not always be in a boring indoor environment--but this is just my opinion.


You can compare the nutrients in different supplements here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/174-whats-supplements-brand.html

If you feed a good variety of insects that are gutloaded, as mentioned earlier, then it should not be extremely important which brand of supplement is being used.

 

[sulley]

no i would say he ate just as normal.