Jacksons Supplementation

[Saldarya]

Evening All,

In reading through posts it seems to be a consensus that Jacksons need less supplementation then say the Panthers. That being said, less is a pretty subjective term.

Can anyone provide some feedback as to your supplementation schedule for Calcium with and without D3 as well as any general vitamins. Assume that the gutload for the insects is complete and in good order.

Thanks a ton!

Bobby

 

[nasi8one]

Ive read that calcium with d3 and multi vitamins should be given about every 5-6 weeks, and regular calcium without d3 about every other feeding. Some one with more knowledge will chime in and hopefully agree with my suggestion or better yet give both of us a good schedule to follow.

 

[chamillionaire3]

i would give calcium with d3 and multivitamin about once a month. and i give calcium without d3 every 2 weeks. jacksons most definitly dont need as much supplementation as the other species

 

[AngieL]

Here's a good care sheet for you by an experienced keeper! There are a few options there for supps https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

 

[Miss Lily]

I got my Jackson at just 7 weeks old and put him on the following schedule, along with paying attention to gutloading really well with fresh fruit and veggies.

Plain Calcium 1x per week,
Reptivite WITHOUT D3 1x per week and
Reptivite WITH D3 once every 6 weeks.

He has done really well on that and is now 15 months old and still growing nicely!

 

[deadhd5]

I use rapashy calcium plus lightly once a week and plain calcium 3 times a week. So I supplement about every other day.

 

[deadhd5]

It should be noted however that Jacksons need very little D3, so if your Jackson is getting a lot of time in the sun or if you have a 10.0 UVB bulb (probably not advisable for a montane) I would not supplement D3 at all.

I plan to keep my Jackson outside 2-3 days a week come springtime. At that point I will cease rapashy calcium plus and supplement only reptivite 2x a month, along with plain calcium every other day.

 

[Saldarya]

Thank you all for the feedback.

 

[pigglett79]

I use rapashy calcium plus lightly once a week and plain calcium 3 times a week. So I supplement about every other day.

This is closer to what I do; however I see so many different methods that I have no clue what is best. I just try to gut load my feeders well and offer a wide variety. I use sticky tongues Mineral outdoor 2-3 times a week, Repashy calcium plus 2x a month and repti calcium w D3 1-2 times a month.

 

[kinyonga]

Do we not dust with calcium go make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phos in the feeder insects? If so, then why would we dust the insects less often with a phos - free calcium powder for a Jacksons than other chameleons? Do the insects miraculously become more calcium/phos. balanced? Am I missing something here???

 

[deadhd5]

Do we not dust with calcium go make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phos in the feeder insects? If so, then why would we dust the insects less often with a phos - free calcium powder for a Jacksons than other chameleons? Do the insects miraculously become more calcium/phos. balanced? Am I missing something here???

A great point.

It would be more accurate to say I dust 50% of my insects, not 50% of days. I always add calcium to my crix and superworms but don't dust the silkworms, butter worms, phoenix worms, or flies.

 

[Saldarya]

Do we not dust with calcium go make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phos in the feeder insects? If so, then why would we dust the insects less often with a phos - free calcium powder for a Jacksons than other chameleons? Do the insects miraculously become more calcium/phos. balanced? Am I missing something here???

Well, this lends itself to my next question that I was going to post next.

Why do the Jacksons need a different dusting schedule, if they do at all?

 

[Lovereps]

Montane species are said to be more sensitive to oversupplementation than other types of chams.
Perhaps it is the fact that they are from somewhat cooler regions and presumably metabolize everything more slowly.
What I have read numerous times is that excesses of D3 and other minerals/vitamins accumulate in their vital organs, leading to organ damage or failure.
The advice to use plain calcium at every other feeding rather than every feeding probably stems from the fact that there is tremendous variation in how much supplement a feeder is dusted with initially and how much is on the feeder at the time of ingestion.
It is most likely safer to err on the low side rather than the high side.
I dust lightly at every other feeding,etc. gutload my feeders and use a variety of feeders. None of my montanes has shown signs of MBD over a 3 year time period, FWIW.
It may be different for very young montane chams, so someone who breeds montanes may have some thoughts to add.