D3 Questions

[Veild Cham Owner]

So lately i have been seeing posts about too much D3 and not enough D3 and i'm gonna be honest i'm not really sure what it is and if it's harmful or not. My calcium says it has D3 in it. I dust his crickets 4 times a week with this calcium, is that bad?

 

[Virgil1972]

That is probably to much D3. D3 is a vitamin( but might me a mineral not sure). It is what makes your cham be able to process and use calcium, but to much of it is toxic. If your calcium has D3 you should only use it twice a month. Use calcium without D3 everyday.

 

[kinyonga]

(vitamin) D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. D3 produced from exposure to UVB won't likely build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to. That's why we don't give much of it from supplements....giving it just a couple of times a month leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of it from its exposure to the UVB light.

 

[Veild Cham Owner]

(vitamin) D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. D3 produced from exposure to UVB won't likely build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to. That's why we don't give much of it from supplements....giving it just a couple of times a month leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of it from its exposure to the UVB light.

so should i stop using the calcium that has the D3 in it? All of calcium at my local pet store has D3 in it

 

[gotwqqd]

For what it's worth
My veiled breeder dusts her food with calcium+d3 w/vits every meal

 

[Virgil1972]

For what it's worth
My veiled breeder dusts her food with calcium+d3 w/vits every meal

Who is your breeder?

 

[ispeedonthe405]

All of calcium at my local pet store has D3 in it

Sadly that doesn't surprise me at all. It's wrong, but it's common in pet stores. This is especially true in the big chains, where such decisions are made by accountants and not animal experts. For example, my local PetSmart uses Fluker's w/ a mega-dose of D3 as a daily duster. It's a recipe for organ failure, which I suspect is why their veiled chameleons often die before they are sold. Yet the orders came down from corporate HQ, so that's what they use.

My veiled breeder dusts her food with calcium+d3 w/vits every meal

Let's hope it's a low-ish dose, then. Something like Repashy Calcium Plus is fine as a daily.

 

[kinyonga]

It's recommended that you dust at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder to make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A . PrOformed sources of vitamin A cannot build up in the system and lead to overdoses like prEformed sources can and will leave it up to you to decide whether the chameleon needs prEformed vitamin A or not.

 

[JoeVet]

Vitamin D3 is a vitamin that is usually produced by sun (UVB) hitting the skin. Sun can also deactivate vitamin D3 so too much doesn't build up. The ideal circumstance is giving your animal 30-60 minutes (guestimate) a day of unfiltered sunlight. Since most chameleons spend their days indoors D3 must be added to their diet. Vitamin D allows the animals to absorb calcium and phosphorus. Since most insects are calcium poor and phosphorus rich, additional calcium needs to be added so the diet is 2:1 calciumhosphorus. So two things need to happen in an indoor animal. He needs additional vitamin D and/or a good source of UVB and his diet needs to be increased in calcium to provide the proper calciumhosphorus ratio. Veileds and panthers can probably handle vitamin D3 daily but most dust with plain calcium daily and use calcium with D3 once a month and a general vitamin mix once a month. Montanes (Jackson's) are more sensitive to vitamin supplements and the dose is decreased for those. The care sheets here are a fantastic resource https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/

 

[jajeanpierre]

I avoid D3 like the plague, including avoiding feeding them feeder insects that have been raised on a diet fortified with vitamins. I give them good lights (Arcadia) and expect them to produce Vitamin D on their own. I also regularly check their UVB output with a light meter. I work with a species that seems particularly sensitive to any artificial vitamin supplements, with the exception of Vitamin A.

 

[Veild Cham Owner]

Ok so my calcium has it in there, should I stop using it?

 

[Meg4433]

I ordered calcium without D on Amazon.

 

[Meg4433]

I use calcium with D every other week. So twice a month.

 

[Veild Cham Owner]

I ordered calcium without D on Amazon.

Ok thank you

 

[KapitalJ]

Ok so my calcium has it in there, should I stop using it?

Use it twice a month. Get some without D3 for daily dusting..

 

[Veild Cham Owner]

Use it twice a month. Get some without D3 for daily dusting..

Ok so would I use the D3 for a whole week or just 2 days?

 

[KapitalJ]

This is my routine. Seems to be the same as quite a few members.
Calcium no D3 everyday except Sunday.
Sundays I alternate between Vitamin supplement one week, calcium with D3 the next week.

 

[Veild Cham Owner]

This is my routine. Seems to be the same as quite a few members.
Calcium no D3 everyday except Sunday.
Sundays I alternate between Vitamin supplement one week, calcium with D3 the next week.

Ok thank you so much!! I will look into getting some calcium w/o D3 as soon as I can!!!