flaminglazer72
Member
So I dust his crickets with calcium 4 times a week and two with none and once is his vitamin. However the food we feed the crickets has calcium in it. Too much?
Too much calcium?
- Thread starter flaminglazer72
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Bush baby
Avid Member
Contrary to popular belief, It is extremely hard for a cham to overdose on calcium. Calcium is water soluble, so if there is an excess, your chameleons body will simply excrete what it doesn't need, which is why it is important to keep them hydrated. So in short, yes you should still dust AND gutload with high calcium foods.
Don't think of it as supplementing with calcium when you dust with calcium, think of it as correcting the calcium: phosphorus ratio imbalance that feeders like crickets have. Most feeders have a large amount of phosphorus in their body's, and low levels of calcium, so we dust with calcium to balance out the ratio. High phosphorus levels in the blood over time, lead to health issues.
Can't quite make out what you're trying to saying with the ''with none and once is his vitamin'' part of your post but you should be dusting with PLAIN calcium at every feeding, and dusting with calcium WITH D3 once a month, and dust with vitamins ONCE-TWICE a month also..depending on the specie.
Don't think of it as supplementing with calcium when you dust with calcium, think of it as correcting the calcium: phosphorus ratio imbalance that feeders like crickets have. Most feeders have a large amount of phosphorus in their body's, and low levels of calcium, so we dust with calcium to balance out the ratio. High phosphorus levels in the blood over time, lead to health issues.
Can't quite make out what you're trying to saying with the ''with none and once is his vitamin'' part of your post but you should be dusting with PLAIN calcium at every feeding, and dusting with calcium WITH D3 once a month, and dust with vitamins ONCE-TWICE a month also..depending on the specie.
flaminglazer72
Member
its a reptile multi vitamin dust. I'll post pictures when I can
flaminglazer72
Member
this is what I feed/dust with. What do I need to change?
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ChamDE86
Avid Member
Your Fluker's Calcium with D3 and Reptivite Vitamin should only be used twice a month. You will need a Phosphorus-free calcium WITHOUT D3 to dust at every feeding. I would also recommend ditching the cricket quencher since they are basically trash and there are better alternatives in the market. Check out the Chameleon Food section on this forum. Nick Barta sells gut loads such as Bug Buffet, Cricket Crack, and others. A 1 lb bag will last you several months, just sprinkle it on a fresh piece of vegetable. Repashy also sells good gutload such as Bug Burger.
brownie64
Avid Member
Your cricket quencher is fine for hydrating your crickets, but you need to gut load them as well using turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, bee pollen, and various fruits. And like ChamDE86 said a good dry mix as well. To answer your main question though you aren't using too much calcium just not the right type in the right sequence.
