How often do you use D3?

[KatCham]

i havent heard of doing a preformed Vit A drop before! thats interesting. does the repashy have vit A in it? i have reptivite powder for a multivitamin and it have vit a in it.

The vit a in calci plus is beta carotene and I read that chams can't process this as effectively as preformed (retinol) so asked experienced keepers for advice.

A few keepers i have spoken to prefer the retinol and so I am following a recommended schedule used by a couple of them.

I am gut loading WAY better than I used to now too, thanks to Sandra's blogs so feel that Simba gets most of what he needs from that, then the rest from the calci plus supplement twice a week. When he's getting real uv from the sun, IMO he'll need less synthesised d3 and so I'll reduce the calci plus.

Vit a in too high a dose can cause issues, hence the reason for only using this twice a month, and only a tiny drop on 1 feeder.

 

[ReptileLove18]

The vit a in calci plus is beta carotene and I read that chams can't process this as effectively as preformed (retinol) so asked experienced keepers for advice.

A few keepers i have spoken to prefer the retinol and so I am following a recommended schedule used by a couple of them.

I am gut loading WAY better than I used to now too, thanks to Sandra's blogs so feel that Simba gets most of what he needs from that, then the rest from the calci plus supplement twice a week. When he's getting real uv from the sun, IMO he'll need less synthesised d3 and so I'll reduce the calci plus.

Vit a in too high a dose can cause issues, hence the reason for only using this twice a month, and only a tiny drop on 1 feeder.

i see! sandras blog are awesome ive been reading them a lot lately as well. when i get home im gonna look and see if the vit a in the reptivite is the retinol or beta carotene, if it is ill look into getting the retinol i love how this forum promotes exchange of super valuable information, i have learned soooooo much since i got on here!!! thank you every amazing cham keeper on this forum!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Excessive vitamin D3 supplementation can result in organ toxicity (gular edema)metastatic calcification, gout, and pseudo-gout (calcium-like deposit).

CORRECT

I recommend reading these:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/174-whats-supplements-brand.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/calci...w-often-90525/


https://www.chameleonforums.com/repas...-input-101541/

 

[Cainschams]

and my guy eats every other day but i spoke to Kammerflage kreations and they swear by repashy calcium plus so i mean if they are using it every day for their fucking awesome chameleons i think the rest of the world should to.

so i trust them and anyone who says otherwise well i dont beliveve you

So why did you even bring the topic up If you want to keep your mind closed to different ways to raise chameleons then so be it but there are many ways to raise them with success. To come up with such assumptions that this is the best way should come from years of experience. Just how many chams have you had and how long have you been able to keep them alive (be species specific).

I keep montane (mountainous) chameleons which are very prone to over supplementation issues. I might dust feeders once or twice with regular calcium a week (very lightly and not every feeder), multivitamin once every month and a half or so and when my guys are in for the winter they get D3 twice maybe three times until I get them back outside. It does make sense to use a product more if it has less in it.

I have never used the Repashy so I dont know how much of what ingredients it has in it. I can say I have been successful in breeding and raising captive hatched and born clutches without the product and many others have to for years before this product came out.

The important thing is gutloading. With a more well rounded gutload you dont need as much supplements. Mother nature doesnt dust every insect for a cham. I go for a well rounded gutload regimen over supplementation. I see like this. Would you feel it is healthy to eat junk food every day if you are taking vitamins? Nope!

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO the idea is to provide some D3 from supplements but not as much as it (the chameleon) needs in total and leave it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB. As long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB it should not produce too much D3 from its exposure to the UVB but D3 from supplements is ready to go and can build up in the system so you want to be careful with it.

Also..light passing through a window (glass) or plastic will not provide the UVB needed.

It's also important that the D3 in the chameleon's system is balanced with the vitamin A.

Vitamin A comes from prOformed sources (such as beta carotene) and prEformed sources (such as retinol, acetate, animal sources, etc.). PrOformed sources are converted as needed by the body...and its uncertain how well chameleons can convert it or even whether some species can convert it at all. PrEformed sources are ready to go and excesses of them are stored in the body and can build up unlike the prOformed.

There is still the question of what is too much...and I can't give you a definite answer to that. I can only tell you what I do and how long/well my chameleons live with that care.

 

[sandrachameleon]

It's a mineral supplement called Sticky Tongue Miner-All Indoor formula for trace minerals etc

and its a very good product

 

[ReptileLove18]

and its a very good product

im gonna have to find it! is it a multivitamin? at this point i have reptivite multivitamin, but im always looking and learning about good products to get the best i can for my cham, when he gets here!!

 

[Rush2112]

im gonna have to find it! is it a multivitamin? at this point i have reptivite multivitamin, but im always looking and learning about good products to get the best i can for my cham, when he gets here!!

Here is product info from the LLL Reptile site about the product

Miner-All is phosphorous free, human-grade calcium supplement formulated to stick better to insects than any other product! The only product scientifically balanced with over 50 vital mineral and trace-minerals found in skin, bones, and muscles of wild herps.

 

[nickb]

I think the most important point of this is Allen repashy himself chimed into a previous thread stating the calcium plus may in fact be too intense for chameleons. If you don't believe everyone here, I'm sure someone would dig up that thread with him

 

[Chameleonic]

I think the most important point of this is Allen repashy himself chimed into a previous thread stating the calcium plus may in fact be too intense for chameleons. If you don't believe everyone here, I'm sure someone would dig up that thread with him

Nick B yes there is lots of these threads ~ this one if for a link in the forum for interested people. it has vets and it has Allen repashy ~ annd it has nickbugeater in it https://www.chameleonforums.com/repashy-calcium-plus-input-101541/

 

[nickb]

Lol thanks for the link!