Do anyway use repashy calcium plus lod food

[jajeanpierre]

Not sure where you are getting the 80% value. Calcium Plus has 20,000 IU/lb of Vit D. Calcium Plus LoD has 8,000 IU/lb.

http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-oz-bag.html
http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-lod-oz-bag.html

That is 40% of the Vit D that the regular Calcium Plus has. That is a very modest number and IMO most species of chameleons will not get a Vit D overdose if living indoors, even under high quality UV lamps. Several very successful breeders use Calcium Plus at every feeding, that's the regular kind, not even the LoD.

I compared the calcium with D3 that I had on hand, Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3 which has 22,907 IU per kilogram with Repashy's LoD.

Repashy LoD is minimum 8,000 IU per POUND, or 17,621 IU per kg. When I compared the two products I had, Repashy's LoD was only 80% D3. I had no idea Repashy's Calcium Plus had so much D3 in it until you pointed it out.

The advice given on CF has always been to give D3 a couple of times a month. Repashy's Calcium Plus has double the D3 that my Zoo Med product has. That's a huge difference. I had no idea there was such a difference between the two products.

 

[frankpayne32]

I compared the calcium with D3 that I had on hand, Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3 which has 22,907 IU per kilogram with Repashy's LoD.

Repashy LoD is minimum 8,000 IU per POUND, or 17,621 IU per kg. When I compared the two products I had, Repashy's LoD was only 80% D3. I had no idea Repashy's Calcium Plus had so much D3 in it until you pointed it out.

The advice given on CF has always been to give D3 a couple of times a month. Repashy's Calcium Plus has double the D3 that my Zoo Med product has. That's a huge difference. I had no idea there was such a difference between the two products.

Calcium Plus LoD is not 80% D3... It has 76% of the D3 content of Repti Calcium w/D3, big difference.

Are you really telling people what the advice on CF has "always" been? Didn't you get your first chameleon six months ago? You, and many other new keepers need to realize that the general advice that is often given on here is meant as a guideline for new keepers and is not gospel. Although, it gets parroted so much, often by people with out much practical experience (like you), that it gets turned into it. Kind of like "chameleons shouldn't be kept in glass terrariums".

The point is that it works well for chameleons kept indoors. I've used it for years with good success. I've been keeping chameleons for about eighteen years and was a herpetology zookeeper for about eight years and the Calcium Plus is my favorite supplement product and believe me I've tried everything out there. If you don't want to use it that's fine, there are other good alternatives, but many successful keepers and breeders use it regularly.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Calcium Plus LoD is not 80% D3... It has 76% of the D3 content of Repti Calcium w/D3, big difference.

Are you really telling people what the advice on CF has "always" been? Didn't you get your first chameleon six months ago? You, and many other new keepers need to realize that the general advice that is often given on here is meant as a guideline for new keepers and is not gospel. Although, it gets parroted so much, often by people with out much practical experience (like you), that it gets turned into it. Kind of like "chameleons shouldn't be kept in glass terrariums".

The point is that it works well for chameleons kept indoors. I've used it for years with good success. I've been keeping chameleons for about eighteen years and was a herpetology zookeeper for about eight years and the Calcium Plus is my favorite supplement product and believe me I've tried everything out there. If you don't want to use it that's fine, there are other good alternatives, but many successful keepers and breeders use it regularly.

Gee whiz, I was just pointing out that Repashy LoD (which I use) contains 80% of D3 that a commonly purchased calcium with D3 contains, so it just didn't strike me as all that low in vitamin D.

I gave all the units--OBVIOUSLY I am not saying that the product is 80% D3 by weight. Sorry if I wasn't careful with my grammar. And quibbling about my 80% versus your more accurate 76% is absurd.

I bring up things like comparing the D3 in Repashy LoD and another common brand with D3 to open a discussion so I can learn, but it seems many on this forum are really not very interested in disseminating information and their experience. Or maybe they are just not interested in giving me information. There really isn't a lot published on keeping chameleons successfully and Chameleon Forums is supposed to help fill that void. But, perhaps not.

Sorry for annoying you. I'll try not to do it again, but I'm sure that since I've only had chameleons for five months, I will. Nothing is more annoying than a novice questioning experienced keepers on why they do something, but it's how we learn.

 

[frankpayne32]

Gee whiz, I was just pointing out that Repashy LoD (which I use) contains 80% of D3 that a commonly purchased calcium with D3 contains, so it just didn't strike me as all that low in vitamin D.

I gave all the units--OBVIOUSLY I am not saying that the product is 80% D3 by weight. Sorry if I wasn't careful with my grammar. And quibbling about my 80% versus your more accurate 76% is absurd.

I bring up things like comparing the D3 in Repashy LoD and another common brand with D3 to open a discussion so I can learn, but it seems many on this forum are really not very interested in disseminating information and their experience. Or maybe they are just not interested in giving me information. There really isn't a lot published on keeping chameleons successfully and Chameleon Forums is supposed to help fill that void. But, perhaps not.

Sorry for annoying you. I'll try not to do it again, but I'm sure that since I've only had chameleons for five months, I will. Nothing is more annoying than a novice questioning experienced keepers on why they do something, but it's how we learn.

Sorry if I wash harsh, I really do mean that. I know it is possible for tone to be misread online, perhaps I misread yours. I know from personal experience that the experienced keepers on this site definitely DO want to disseminate good information. There is sometimes just so much poor or at the least unfounded advice thrown around on the internet it's hard to make yourself clear without being blunt. Many of the "experts" just stop giving advice because they are met with so much resistance, often by those that are asking the questions.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Sorry if I wash harsh, I really do mean that. I know it is possible for tone to be misread online, perhaps I misread yours. I know from personal experience that the experienced keepers on this site definitely DO want to disseminate good information. There is sometimes just so much poor or at the least unfounded advice thrown around on the internet it's hard to make yourself clear without being blunt. Many of the "experts" just stop giving advice because they are met with so much resistance, often by those that are asking the questions.

I do understand how sometimes the printed word doesn't convey the true meaning and intent of the writer, having first-hand experience--just look at how you misunderstood my post.

I really want to do what is best for my animals. There are no books that can give me the information that experienced keepers can. I'm proud that I've managed to keep all but one of my 9 wild-caught quads alive. The vet who did the necropsy on the one that died assured me he could never have survived due to the lung damage from the lung worms--he was a dead chameleon waiting to die. It's been a steep learning curve, so there have been a lot of questions from me, and my questions will always include "why." If I don't understand the "why" experienced keepers do something and find success in doing it that way, I'll never understand how to keep chameleons, how to tweak my situation to make it best for them.

Blunt is not the issue. Being patronizing and insulting is.

 

[frankpayne32]

Blunt is not the issue. Being patronizing and insulting is.

I completely agree...

 

[APailthorp]

Newb cham keeper here.

So using this one supplement, Repashy Calcium Plus LoD, all the time instead of three supplements in rotation is not raising any alarms?

I've got the three supplements, but don't have confidence that my chams get all of the dust from any given feeding. This seems like a better way to go than calcium no D3 all the time, with D3 twice a month, and multivitamin twice a month. With a single all-in-one powder any feeding is just like the others and missing feeders with an occasionally supplied dust is no longer possible.

So I ordered some.

Now, what am I going to do with those three jars I have...

 

[frankpayne32]

Newb cham keeper here.

So using this one supplement, Repashy Calcium Plus LoD, all the time instead of three supplements in rotation is not raising any alarms?

I've got the three supplements, but don't have confidence that my chams get all of the dust from any given feeding. This seems like a better way to go than calcium no D3 all the time, with D3 twice a month, and multivitamin twice a month. With a single all-in-one powder any feeding is just like the others and missing feeders with an occasionally supplied dust is no longer possible.

So I ordered some.

Now, what am I going to do with those three jars I have...

A lot of succesfull keepers use it regularly as their main supplement. You should be good to go. Good gut loading and feeder variety is still key to good all around nutrition though.

 

[Ka0s1976]

I have been using Repashy Calcium plus LoD for a year now. I supplement every feeding (3 times per week). This has helped my older chameleons that were having issues. I have one adult that has been on it his entire life and he is the largest and healthiest of all my chameleons.

 

[JoshD49]

I have been using the zoo med calcium without d3 every day and with d3 every other week same with the multivitamin. I have recently switched to the repashy and honestly I think anything can do well as long as you are keeping to a regimen and making sure not to over do it. I read people online have been using it for everyday feedings without issues but that doesn't mean someone has not had an issue. I personally like that it doesn't smell bad and the zoo med stuff leaves white powder on my chams face that I keep mistaking for something bad.

I am starting to really like the repashy products and picked up bug burger and super-load which I am starting to use since I don't think I am doing a good job of gut loading with real food. I don't know which of these 2 are better and they seem to have similar ingredients but I have seen some people have crickets that wont eat the burger.

Please take everything I say with a grain of salt as I am very new to chams and do not claim to be any more knowledgeable then regurgitating information from this forum and other websites. I am very used to dealing with supplements and offering a varied diet to pets as I have been in saltwater reef tanks for over 12 years and have had to nurse plenty of strange animals back to health. That being said I chose to go with repashy as the ingredients are a lot of the same food items people are saying to give food items as load. It seems to be natural ingredients and provides a much bigger variety then I ever could.

 

[Kinoki]

Not sure where you are getting the 80% value. Calcium Plus has 20,000 IU/lb of Vit D. Calcium Plus LoD has 8,000 IU/lb.

http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-oz-bag.html
http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-lod-oz-bag.html

That is 40% of the Vit D that the regular Calcium Plus has. That is a very modest number and IMO most species of chameleons will not get a Vit D overdose if living indoors, even under high quality UV lamps. Several very successful breeders use Calcium Plus at every feeding, that's the regular kind, not even the LoD.

So it's cool that I use calcium plus Lod every feeding, plus a good variety of bugs and gut loading? The bottle says it's an "all in one, dust at every feeding."

 

[JacksJill]

It really depends on what species you are using it for. Panthers can take it several times a week but montanes will only tolerate it twice a month if kept indoors, once a month outdoors.

 

[Kinoki]

It really depends on what species you are using it for. Panthers can take it several times a week but montanes will only tolerate it twice a month if kept indoors, once a month outdoors.

Nosy Mitsio, I have been dusting all his food in it because he was barely eating for a while. His appetite is great now, feed a mixture of mostly 5-10 crickets, 1 silkworms daily and a super worm every week or so. He's about 9 months old but a little undersized because of his hunger strike, catching up now though.

My guy is also mostly dark brown, that is why I am concerned about my supplementation with calcium plus lod. When I take him out he'll turn a light turquoise green/brown and show red spots on his underbelly. His eyes also show some pale red coloring and greenish scales behind them.