Supplementation

[zsazsa85]

Can anybody tell that Zoo Med Repti Calcium no D3 and Reptivite with D3 are good? I read that the Reptivite is not so "strong",so can be used once in a week instead once every two weeks. Is that true?
I use these but my cham has tongue issue for a while and I'm not sure I use good quality supplements...
It might be a stupid question, but how much multi and calcium do you guys use for dusting? I thought it doesn't matter it is a teaspoon or tablespoon of vitamins and/or calcium in the jug (where I'm dusting) because there is only a certain amount of supplement that will stick to the feeders, right?
I'm so trying to figure what am I doing wrong...
Please respond!
Thank you!

 

[zsazsa85]

I'm writing hoping somebody answers.
Which supplements are the best? If I use let's say Zoo med calcium, can I use different brand of multivit.?

 

[symphonica]

I'm not sure if the efficiency and quality amongst the different brands has really been compared. And yes, you can use different brands.

Recommended:
Calcium with no D3 every day
Multi-vitamins twice a week
D3 twice a month
Too much D3 can cause more harm than good.

 

[zsazsa85]

Thank you! I know that, I was more curious about I'm using a good brand?! And I heard that Zoo Med Reptivite can be used once a week!?
And which are good brands? Or Zoo Med is good?

 

[symphonica]

Here's what one of the very reputable breeders recommends:




Babies/Juveniles: We feed our baby/juvenile Panthers 6 days a week (excluding Sundays).

Babies: Young ones grow very rapidly and will often eat 8-12 crickets a day (quantities vary depending on individual appetites). For little ones up to 6 weeks old, we recommend crickets that are about 7 days old ( 1/8 " size). In addition to crickets, flightless fruit flies are another excellent food source.
Supplements: I do not supplement at this age.

Juveniles: From 2 - 12 months of age, your chameleon will obviously graduate to larger crickets with the key being the width of the cricket no larger than the space between your chameleons eyes. During these critical months of development, they will continue to consume an average of 8 -12 crickets, often slowing down their intake once they are over a year old. We don’t use crickets larger than 3/4” (even with our adults) because by then, the cricket’s stomach size is fully matured and holds the same amount of food that the adult cricket does. Remember that its not the cricket itself that is providing the valuable nutrition required for optimum health, but what’s inside the cricket. A properly stuffed cricket with healthy food is called “Gut Loading” That’s why a good cricket gutload is SO important! Cricket food used by cricket breeders isn’t adequate. We highly recommend Repashy’s “Bug Burger” as an excellent cricket diet along with dark greens such as mustard or turnip greens. You can also find various gut load products/recipes on the internet.
Supplements: I use Sticky Tongue’s Miner-Al indoor formula 4x/week and Reptical Calcium with NO D3 2x/week. 2x/month in place of the Miner-Al I use Reptical Herptivite. Use Miner-Al outdoor formula when your chameleons are outdoors.

Adult Males: From 13 months on, we feed our adult males on an "every other day" basis. They generally consume 12-15 per feeding. At this stage of life, they are no longer experiencing rapid growth and don't require food on a daily basis. It isn’t unusual for an adult male to go off food for a week or more.
Supplements: Miner-Al 1x/week, calcium with NO D3 all other feedings. Use Herpivite in place of calcium with no D3 2x/month. Use Miner-Al outdoor formula or calcium with NO D3 when your chameleons are outdoors.

Adult Females: For mature and actively breeding females, we maintain a 6 day feeding schedule due to the high demands associated with egg production. For non-breeding females, we feed on an every other day basis just as we do with the males.
Supplements: Miner-Al 2x/week, calcium with NO D3 all other feeding. Use Herpivite in place of calcium with no D3 2x/month. Use Miner-Al outdoor formula or calcium with NO D3 when your chameleons are outdoors.


Supplements:
A good vitamin/mineral and calcium supplement is needed to ensure the health of your chameleon. Unfortunately, the dietary needs of chameleons is not well known and as a result, if you were to ask 10 different chameleon owners how they supplement their chameleon’s diets you’d probably end up with 10 different answers. Realize that too much supplementing can build up in their bodies and cause serious problems so over supplementing can be dangerous. Therefore, use only a small amount at each feeding. More importantly, make sure your food items are properly gut-loaded but DO NOT RELY ON YOUR GUT LOAD to provide the calcium needed for optimum health. You must use a calcium supplement.

 

[zsazsa85]

Thank you symphonica!