Mercury

[blackbetty]

OKay so we were at the Frag swap in Mboro and headed to Nashville to Aquatic critter. While in there, I started looking at supplements. I got confused so I asked the guy behind the counter what I should use.. So I got a lot of this with that or this in part with that with that and some of this and this is better than that and blahblahblah.. never really got a here,t his much this time a week.. So then he told me d3 is POISON...and went on to say that tube lights are terrible and create sick chameleons and I need to invest in a Mercury Vapor during winter and only sunlight in the spring and summer (outside if possible).. I thought I saw on some thread someone saying Mercury was bad.. and Im STILL confused on what I should be dusting and how often. can someone clear up if a Mercury bulb is good/bad? He said d3 is to make up for not using mercury, using tube, and lacking sunlight but that supplementing with d3 is basically killing my chameleon? So Im ALL kinds of confused. I have herptivite and reptivite WITH d3. He recommended Chameleon Dust, cal stron (i think?) and reptivite without d3 but then did the mix this with that and this is best without this..and by time he was done, I was beyond confused and wondering if what I have currently is even what I need.. and he said mercury vapors run about $75 for the bulb and fixture...Oh yea and he said crickets suck and I should only feed supers and dubias.

 

[ciafardo 4]

This guy hasn't a clue to what he is talking about ! If you tell me where i can find him i will smack him in the mouth for giving you this info ! a reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 with cal dusted six days a week without d3 and twice maybe three times a month with cal d3 is fine

 

[ciafardo 4]

OH and crickets dusted with cal that have been gutloaded are a fine staple and so are supers and dubias. You have encountered a knowitall who knows nothing listen to these forum members these guys know thier sh@t . People like Chris Anderson,Brad Ramsey,Dave weldon just to name a few of this forums heavy weights . I will put these guys knowledge of chameleons up to this idiots anyday!

 

[blackbetty]

Im also saddened. We went to Emerald Bay and they have an eggbound Chameleon. It was disheartening to see here there, all lumpy with her head bobbing..No laying bin and on display/sale for 124.99. The lady just sai d"yea, she aint doing so good..." Yet nothing was done about it..

 

[rcmike]

Do you know who you talked to at Aquatic Critter? Most of the guys are pretty good but I haven't been very much lately. I actually bought one of my veileds at Aquatic Critter and one at Emerald Bay and both have been healthy. What kind of cham was at EB that was eggbound?

BTW, I missed you at the swap. I am sure I saw you but didn't know who you were.

 

[BocaJan]

How sad. This is absolutely a good place for information from people that have been raising chams for years and have made the mistakes people write about and have corrected. Habitats are very important along with food and light and temps. The big 4

 

[blackbetty]

Do you know who you talked to at Aquatic Critter? Most of the guys are pretty good but I haven't been very much lately. I actually bought one of my veileds at Aquatic Critter and one at Emerald Bay and both have been healthy. What kind of cham was at EB that was eggbound?

BTW, I missed you at the swap. I am sure I saw you but didn't know who you were.

Yea, I was wondering if you were there. We got there around 1230 and left at 2. I was a short red head with a green jacket and pink shirt named Amanda. It was swamped in some places.

I dont know who it was. Some guy with aponytail..says he has tons of reptiles at home..kept looking off but said so many different things in the same sentence, I didnt know what was going on. There werent any chameleons there today.

At Ebay, it was a veiled. Very pale, very lumpy. Her head was shaking and her eyes were closed (this was at 330 today)

 

[rcmike]

Was he a kinda rough looking guy at Aquatic Critter? I think I may know who you are talking about. I have never talked to him but have seen him the last couple of times I have been there.

I hate to hear that about the cham at EBay. I may go tomorrow and see what's up. I know Sean knows quite a bit about chams. He even used to breed them.

I had on a gray shirt with a blue jacket and was carrying a cooler. Of course that narrows it down a lot.

 

[blackbetty]

I only noticed one personw ith a cooler and it was a female and it was a walmart syrofoam one. Im very short so I dont tend to notice faces or really pay attention.. We were over at the Aquatic critter mainly buying clown fish and along that back wall. Got some good deals.

The guy was..spacey.. Li8ke I dont know how to describe it. He couldnt stick to one though.. Just had light brown hair with a ponytail at the base of his neck..
Yea, we really like ebay and talk to the big bald guy in there..in fact he asked if we went to the swap..but the girl working was cleaning out cages..and I was just sad to see the cham in that condition..

So IS mercury vapor BAD or just not necessary. He said people only supplement with d3 because they are not giving their cham the proper needs through lighting and i Quote when I said I use these vitamins/supplements and a 5.0 linear that "thats so 20 years ago"..

 

[rcmike]

I bet I know exactly who you are then. I remember seeing you looking at the clownfish and talking to Matt. I was right beside you while you were talking to him once and he went to get a guy a blenny and you two left and then I bought 3 cardinal fish from him. It was more of a lunchbox sized cooler, not a big one.

I mostly go to the fish side when I go the the Critter so I don't know the reptile guys much. I usually get my crickets at Ebay since they are much closer to me. The guys I used to deal at the Critter with when I kept chams before were Sean, that now has EBay, and Chris, who works in the fish side now. I know the bald guy you are talking about at EBay too. I can't remember his name but he is fun to talk to.

On the Mercury lamp from what I understand they aren't good but I'm no expert on lighting so I'd wait till someone else responds. Even if the flourescent bulbs are the old way they work and that is what counts. D3 is needed but can be poisonous in too high of dosages but that is usually from oversupplimenting, not lighting.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Mecury vapour lamps are not bad, but they run hot and they can bust easily. Stick with your Reptisun tube lights.

 

[blackbetty]

RCmike: Yea, that was us. Me and my husband.. We got us a $10 clownfish and then went and saw them for 19.99 at the Critter! LOL! Yea the bald guy is cool. gave us a great deal on Black friday on some products and a chiller and live rock.

Okay, so is there a thread telling the proper dosage? This guy was saying he put all these minerals/supplements together in a big bowl and just mixed them.. How much do you use? Just enough to cover them? What brands are best? I have herptivite and then reptivite WITH d3. He was showing me chameleon dust, something that is supposed to enhance colors..I dont know..big containers of things..cal strom I think? Too many confusing products!!

 

[Julirs]

From another thread...
This needs to be a sticky thread... For an 8 month old Panther or Veiled, I would use the Repcal with NO D3 6 times weekly, the Repcal with D3 2 times monthly (say the 1st and 15th of the month) and the Herptivite once monthly (say like the 20th). Of course these are adjusted to the individual animals.
Do not mix supplements, do not overdose on D3, AND NO SHAKE AND BAKE, just a light dusting.

I would ask Chris what his schedule was on the guy you just got.

 

[lampshade]

Mercury good? D3 Poison? Tubelights will kill? You should totally listen to this guy. But do the exact opposite of what he says. He's 180 degrees correct (in the other direction).

 

[Grizz]

i use merc vapour,(mega-ray). but i dont recommend for beginers, i have many reptiles and dont like having 7 different strip lights. one merc vapour can reach them all. if you only have one reptile it is to much UVB, you will have to position it more than 15" above enclosure. this cuts off a lot of space, you can put a 18" strip right on top. also if you dont have exposure to direct sunlight, D3 is totaly nessesary.

 

[blackbetty]

Yea Chris wrote me about it the day before Leo arrived but I accidentally deleted it and have yet to hear bakc from him when I requested the dusting schedule again. Ill just use what you said Julirs. Thanks. And Yea, we figured the guy was trying ot push product as he said the bulb and fixture are 75 and then wanted us to buy like 25 in dusting supplies. Leo looks healthy for his 1.5 years under a linear so Im not worried. Thanks, I just wanted to clear it up and make sure I was being hte best chamom I could be.

 

[blackbetty]

From another thread...
This needs to be a sticky thread... For an 8 month old Panther or Veiled, I would use the Repcal with NO D3 6 times weekly, the Repcal with D3 2 times monthly (say the 1st and 15th of the month) and the Herptivite once monthly (say like the 20th). Of course these are adjusted to the individual animals.
Do not mix supplements, do not overdose on D3, AND NO SHAKE AND BAKE, just a light dusting.

I would ask Chris what his schedule was on the guy you just got.

What does NO SHAKE AND BAKE mean? The directions say to place insects in a bag with some dusts and shake it up.. COuld this be whats killing my crickets? Im not like headbanging with them.. How else should it be done?

 

[Julirs]

That is probably what is killing your crickets-I use a large plastic cup, add a pinch of supplement, place the crickets you are going to feed in and lightly swirl the cup.

 

[Grizz]

it just means light dusting, you dont want to make them look like powder sugar donuts.

 

[blackbetty]

Oh.. Well Ive been doing as Julirs says this last week as I do it for my superworms. Do you dust when you get them and then gutload for 24 hours and feed, or do you gutload then dust right before feeding the cham? Or does it even matter? Just wanna do all I can right.