Dusting Food

[Zoey]

Currently we have two things that we use to dust the crickets.

Please tell me how these are and if I need to add any. Normally we dust with both every other time we feed.

Fluker's with Beta Carotene
REPTA-VITAMIN
contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements, and potent color enhancers.

Fluker's Dierary Supplement
REPTa-CALCIUM
Essential for all reptiles, vitamin D enriched powder.


Only reason I am asking is because today is payday and we have to go pick up more supplements.

Thanks in advance

 

[Justin Carl]

Get a calcium without d3

 

[eldarado]

and slow down on the multi vit. once week or once every two weeks is good enough..

 

[Zoey]

Thank you Justin we will look for that while we are at the petstore.

Eldarado, we will do so. Normally we feed them 4 times a week so I didn't think it was too much, so we will cut back on it Thanks!

 

[Justin Carl]

rotate between D3 and no D3 weekly.
One week with and one week with out

 

[eldarado]

how old is your cham?

 

[Zoey]

Justin: Okay we can do that, after we pick up the one with no D3 should we start using that one this week and then the other one again next week?

Elderado: Our Male is 1.7 years old. And our Female turns a year on Fed 15th.

 

[Justin Carl]

Yea definitely I would.
Good luck

 

[eldarado]

once a week on the multi vit with beta carotene.. d3 2 times a week and calcium without d3 2 times a week. is the usual.. but the multi vitamin no more then once a week.. this is very critical to healthy chameleon husbandry .. over supplements is worst then too little supplements..

brad ramsey and dodalah have a great schedule.. that is proven over time.. check out brad ramseys link. it is great..

 

[Justin Carl]

Here is my scheduel:
Mon and Thurs-Calcium(rotate weekly)
Tues and Fri-Herptivite(vitamin
Wed and Sat-Miner-All-I or T-Rex formula

 

[Zoey]

Thanks Justin!

Elderado: Okay thank you for that! I have a link that is naming off what to do and when

 

[kinyonga]

I dust with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings for veileds and twice a month I dust with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Since there is controversy about all species of chameleon being able to convert beta carotene once in a fairly long while you can give a vitamin powder with preformed vitamin A just to ensure that it is getting some. If the chameleon isn't exposed to sunlight then you might want to dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month too. In addition to supplementing the chameleon's diet by dusting the insects, you need to look at what is in what you gutload the insects with and anything else you feed your chameleon.

Just my way of supplementing....my veileds live good long lives though.

 

[eldarado]

I would give the male vit. with beta carotene only once every other week.. that is good only in small doses.. an the female will need more calcium if she is eggbound.. but I am no expert on female husbandry.. check brad ramseys sight it is the best info I have seen..

 

[Zoey]

I dust with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings for veileds and twice a month I dust with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Since there is controversy about all species of chameleon being able to convert beta carotene once in a fairly long while you can give a vitamin powder with preformed vitamin A just to ensure that it is getting some. If the chameleon isn't exposed to sunlight then you might want to dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month too. In addition to supplementing the chameleon's diet by dusting the insects, you need to look at what is in what you gutload the insects with and anything else you feed your chameleon.

Just my way of supplementing....my veileds live good long lives though.

Thanks Kinyonga. Normally we feed the crickets anything from greens to carrots to oats. We've been trying to get the chameleons to eat more greens but they do not find them interesting enough!

How warm does it have to be to put the Chameleon cages outside for a bit (I know that right now its tooo cold.)

We'll look into getting the "phos.-free calcium/D3 powder" to use when they can't go outside for a while.

Thanks

 

[Zoey]

I would give the male vit. with beta carotene only once every other week.. that is good only in small doses.. an the female will need more calcium if she is eggbound.. but I am no expert on female husbandry.. check brad ramseys sight it is the best info I have seen..

Okay thanks for the help! We'll start changing the way we give them supplements.

I'm sure after we get it figured out it will be a breeze

 

[Justin Carl]

I am in the process of building an outside cage for my chameleons.
I am hoping by March the temperatures will get into the mid 80's so I can put my chameleons outside for a couple hours during the day.
Right now it is in the mid 70's.

 

[Zoey]

I am in the process of building an outside cage for my chameleons.
I am hoping by March the temperatures will get into the mid 80's so I can put my chameleons outside for a couple hours during the day.
Right now it is in the mid 70's.

So its best to put them out when its in the 80's?
How hot is too hot for them outside?

(sorry haven't had the chameleons in the summer we bought them in september and novemeber)

 

[Justin Carl]

Oh no, I would say minimum 80's.
95 I would think is to hot. Their is a difference between body temperature in the sun and air temperature.
So, make sure they have a cool area to go to.
Like half the cage should be in the shade.

 

[Zoey]

Okay thats good to know. Thank you for that. Will be interesting to be able to have them outside with us this summer.

The lady we bought our female from would just put her out in the back yard tree, i was like " what? " I'd be freaked something would happen to her.

 

[Justin Carl]

I use to wash my truck and four wheelers for a couple hours in the afternnon and leave my male veiled out in a hibiscus.
This year now that I have a couple more chameleons I am making an outside enclosure.