Calcium and Vitamin D on Crickets

[Camilo]

Hey everyone ... So i was told (at the pet store) that my veiled 4 month old chameleon should be fed crickets daily but that i should only put the calcium and vitamin d on the crickets twice a week... Is this true ?? Because ive read on different threads that they feed their chameleons calcium everyday ..HELP Please

 

[zsazsa85]

Every feeder has to be dusted every day with calcium WITHOUT D3. D3 and multivitamin once every two weeks. Good thing you asked here on the forum 'cause appearently at many store peop,e don't really know anything...

 

[Camilo]

Every feeder has to be dusted every day with calcium WITHOUT D3. D3 and multivitamin once every two weeks. Good thing you asked here on the forum 'cause appearently at many store peop,e don't really know anything...

Wow i had no idea about this.. Yea they didn't tell me that when I bought him.. What multivitamin am i supposed to be giving my cham ??

 

[symphonica]

I do Calcium (with no D3) daily.
Multi-vites twice a week.
D3 twice a month.
Too much D3 can cause more harm than good

 

[zsazsa85]

I think multi should be given two times a month too.
What most people do is they dust the crickets every time with calcium no D3. Then two times a month they give calcium with D3+ multi with D3.
Somebody gave me a good advice: have a cham diary! I have that too so I can follow supplementation and everything.

 

[symphonica]

Here's what one of the 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.

 

[Camilo]

Here's what one of the 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.

Hey thank you so much this has been so helpful to me im sorry if im asking so many questions its just that ive never owned a cham. When i bought him they gabe me 2 different bottles. One that is the calcium w D3 and another one that says reptile vitamins without D3 called reptivite. What is that one for ??

 

[szpond]

Hi, I've only read through this thread quickly.

I know that calcium (unspecified type) fed twice a week is the care standard for chameleons (in general) for PETSMART, not sure about PetCo. NOTE: this is NOT correct care. Most of their recommended care is not correct.

If you've purchased from either of these stores, or any corporate pet store, I urge you to check out the forum's care guide for veileds and compare it to what you have been told.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

I find that usually what they say costs more money to you and harms your chameleon. So check out that link, and ask any questions you may have!

 

[symphonica]

Hey thank you so much this has been so helpful to me im sorry if im asking so many questions its just that ive never owned a cham. When i bought him they gabe me 2 different bottles. One that is the calcium w D3 and another one that says reptile vitamins without D3 called reptivite. What is that one for ??

We'd much rather you ask questions and give your cham the best care possible.

They sort of gave it to you backwards. You want the calcium to have no D3. If you feed your calcium with D3 everyday, you will end up overdosing him on D3, which will cause symptoms similar to metabolic bone disease (MBD). It'd be better to give your cham absolutely no calcium than to give it calcium with D3 every day. You can use your calcium with D3 twice a month. In my last post, the Herpivite is the same thing as your Reptivite (except Reptivite contains Vit A). I'd highly recommend purchasing products from a reptile store rather than like PetsMart, as they don't offer as much of a variety, nor do they always carry quality items.

 

[ataraxia]

Hi, the reptivite you have is a good choice but it is a multivitamin with preformed vitamins. That particular supplement can be used a couple times a month. The repcal calcium with D3 should also be used 1-2 times a month. I would recommend you picking up a plain phosphorus free calcium to dust at every feeding.

At this point in age there bodies are growing fast and utilizing nutrients much faster then when they become an adult. Where over supplementation of preformed vitamins will cause issues.

 

[symphonica]

A lot of info, but basically with your guy, given his age:

Approx 8-12 crickets daily, 6 days a week (one day of no food to give their digestive system a rest and a chance to catch up).

All crickets dusted with:
Plain Calcium (with No D3) daily (6 days a week)
Reptivite twice a month
D3 twice a month