Supplement Question

[Kilowog]

The Rep-Cal phosphate free Calcium powder without D3 says that it is for reptiles raised under natural sunlight conditions. Most people on this forum say that they use this most of the time and with D3 twice a month and the multivitamin powder twice a month. I am using a Reptisun 5.0 and a 60 watt bulb in a indoors enclosure. Should I be using the phosphate free calcium powder without D3 because by the chameleon being indoors it is not in natural sunlight conditions. Should I change the supplements I use or is it alright. I have just had Muldoon for a week.

 

[kinyonga]

Whether the chameleon is raised outside in direct sunlight or under a UVB bulb it needs calcium since the feeder insects we use have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus. It might make a difference if the chameleon was only eating wild insects...but its hard to know since we don't know what insects it would eat in the wild in its own natural habitat generally.

 

[carol5208]

To answer your question: Just keep supplementing the way you are. You live in FLa like me so get your chamelon out as much as possible in the sunshine!

 

[Echoezra]

I see where it's confusing you. The bottle says that because if you did have them in real sunlight they'd get their D3 from the sun. So they don't need it supplemented. They need calcium either way to balance with the phosphorous in the bugs. We use the reptisun bulbs to give the chameleon access to D3 in the absence of real sunlight. So that's where indoor chameleons wil get most of their D3 from. If you have the correct, properly functioning bulb, and if they can regulate their own exposure, they shouldn't get too much D3 from the bulbs, but can get too much from supplementation. So we usually use the calcium without D most ofthe time, but give just a small amount of with D3 as a just in case, to make sure theyre getting some, in case the bulb isnt perfect or whatever. But dont overdo it, because they do have the bulbs for that purpose.
If they get too much it throws other levels off balance, so it's better for them to get most of it from the sun or lights. If you live in Florida, of course real sun as often as possible would be the best thing for them.
So so far you're doing things right. But that is the why behind it.
The manufacturer offers the With D3 formula which I'm assuming would need
to be used regularly say if you Didn't have UVB lights, or maybe for other species like desert lizards maybe that need a whole bunch of sun?
Also, some of the other brands have different levels of D3, like Minerall has a much lower dosage so could be used more frequently than the repcal for example. So different people's schedules may not be the same, but the basic "mostly calcium, little bit of D, little bit of vitamins" is the normal rule, adjusted as necessary per brand & chameleon species.

 

[Kilowog]

Thank you, glad I'm doing it right.