Supplementing easier?

[HollySaurusRex]

Hello,


So i was wondering if there is an easier way to supplement? i hate the switching between vitamin and calcium stuff, it gets confusing if i forget to mark it on my calendar right, and i was wondering if there is maybe a supplement that has ALL the vitamins and calicium a chameleon will need that i can dust just 1 time a day or something? Please help if you can thank you!




Holly

 

[camimom]

yES.

Its called repashy all in one calcium plus.

you use it daily.

 

[sandrachameleon]

yES. Its called repashy all in one calcium plus.
you use it daily.

There are several "all in one" type products available. NONE of which should be used daily, IMHO.

Instead you need to be thinking about what exactly you are trying to achieve. Supplementing should be supplementary to a good diet, to round out nutrients not being provided by the gutloaded prey. So for example if you are offering a high calcium prey, you really dont need to add a calcium supplement.

 

[HollySaurusRex]

so what should you do if you dont think that the crickets are all around gutloaded in one area extra than the others? should i just do the dusting like twice a week? every other day?

 

[Olimpia]

It's a best judgement thing.

Like, I know that crickets (despite being gutloaded) are still very low in calcium with respects to phosphorous, so I will dust those with the Repashy all-in-one OR plain calcium most of the time. But days where they get hornworms, silkworms, moths, etc. I will not dust at all. Superworms maybe, usually not. And roaches sometimes, depending on how well they were gutloaded the previous couple days. I may also use a non-mineral supplement like Dinofuel or Superpig and dust some crickets/roaches instead. Females will get more days of plain calcium dusting than the boys.

The more you understand about what the minerals and vitamins do, the easier it is to do your own thing. Here is a blog I have about what the different supplements do: http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/2012/03/chameleon-physiology-supplements.html And any one of Sandrachameleon's nutritional blogs is full of useful information. It sounds complicated but it's way easier to do your own schedule once you learn about and understand vitamins and minerals.

 

[Psychobunny]

so what should you do if you dont think that the crickets are all around gutloaded in one area extra than the others? should i just do the dusting like twice a week? every other day?

Thats one reason its a good idea to give them a veriety of feeders.
Would you want to eat cricks every day?

But really, I only dust cricks and dubia roaches. With silkies and other larvae (worms) I dont bother.
Just make sure your cricks and roaches are well fed.
You cant really gutload a silkie!!

So, I only give them dusted food a few times a week.

Again, it depends. My veiled eats veggies and fruit. So I know to cut back
and do not need to suppliment on certain things like calcium, vic. A, etc.

Being able to feed them veggies has a good advantage and helps make it easier to provide them with good diet

 

[Carlton]

Hello,


So i was wondering if there is an easier way to supplement? i hate the switching between vitamin and calcium stuff, it gets confusing if i forget to mark it on my calendar right, and i was wondering if there is maybe a supplement that has ALL the vitamins and calicium a chameleon will need that i can dust just 1 time a day or something? Please help if you can thank you!




Holly

It will seem easier if you understand the nutritional needfor all the supplements, what they accomplish, and what will happen if it is not done correctly. I'm sorry, but it is just reality. Also, think about supplementation as something to be maintained over time, not trying to include everything every day. The longer you do it and the more research into the options you do, the easier it will seem.

And (please don't be insulted...that's not my intent at all), if you find the supplementation thing just too much to handle, maybe this is a sign that keeping chams or other diurnal herps is not your forte. It should be a pleasure and satisfying, not a chore.

 

[HollySaurusRex]

No i dont feel insulted at all thank you for all of the comments. What do you think is the best gutload for crickets? and i can only ever find wax worms, super worms and meal worms? where would you find the others?

 

[pssh]

There are several "all in one" type products available. NONE of which should be used daily, IMHO.

Instead you need to be thinking about what exactly you are trying to achieve. Supplementing should be supplementary to a good diet, to round out nutrients not being provided by the gutloaded prey. So for example if you are offering a high calcium prey, you really dont need to add a calcium supplement.

I completely agree with this. If it is the D3 you are concerned about, I really like minerall indoor calcium because it contains a very low dose of vit D3 so that you can use it rather regularly.

Gutloading: Gutload with veggies and fruits like mustard greens, kale, endive, dandelion greens, collard greens, escarole, sweet peppers, squash, yams, sweet potatoes, berries, papaya, oranges, apples, carrots, etc. Use a quality dry gutload as well.

Sandra also has some incredibly informative blogs with info about gutloading.

 

[sandrachameleon]

... and i can only ever find wax worms, super worms and meal worms? where would you find the others?

Try the site sponsors, and check out this list:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/171-where-buy-feeders-online.html

 

[Moosma]

"Again, it depends. My veiled eats veggies and fruit. So I know to cut back and do not need to suppliment on certain things like calcium, vic. A, etc.
Being able to feed them veggies has a good advantage and helps make it easier to provide them with good diet"
How do you get them to eat fruits & veggies?