MBD issues / Repti-Glo 5.0's

[mikek]

Hi folks, I am looking for ANY feedback on Hagen Repti-Glo 5.0 linear flourescent bulbs. I am running into MBD issues with male panther chameleons (my females always seem fine, even when gravid). As far as I can tell, the MBD seems to be from TOO much D3. I ran into this issue two years ago with another male and came to the conclusion that I was supplementing too much Calcium w/ D3 while using these bulbs. I have since tried to regulate it and use Calcium once or twice a week and Calcium w/D3 once a week to every 10 days. I know that this may be a little too often (after talking with some other chameleon keepers), but is it enough to show signs of over supplementation ?
I have a hatchling as well and sadly discovered some bowing in his front limbs today. All of my other chams are in screen enclosures but this little guy has been raised in a 10 gallon tank. He (starting to look male) has his Repti-Glo 5.0 on 12 hours a day, as well as his incandescent 40 watt heat bulb. All of my veileds have been fine and I use stronger bulbs on them (Hagen Repti-Glo 8.0 or 10.0's). This has only shown up in two male panthers and now this 3 month juvenile.
I have really racked my brain over this one and am now starting to wonder if the bulbs are stronger than I realize or perhaps inferior to other brands. Please note these are the Hagen Repti-Glo's, not the Zoo Med Repti-Suns (which I now realize most people use). I am not out to slander any products, just want to come up with healthy solutions for my chameleons' well being.
Any input is greatly appreciated and I welcome pm's for those that may not wish to post publicly.

Kind regards,
Mike Knott

 

[kinyonga]

I can't tell you whether that bulb causes any MBD problems or not....but...as long as your chameleons can get far enough away from the UVB light, there should be no overdose of D3 resulting from that. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and cause problems though. Also...if you are giving the chameleons too much prEformed vitamin A it can prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD.

Phos., calcium, D3 and vitamin A are the most important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon and they need to be in balance. Look at your supplements, what you feed to the chameleon and what you feed to the insects when trying to balance them.

I have kept panther chameleons for many years and I dust at almost every feeling with phos.-free calcium. I dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. Since its not proven if all chameleons can convert beta carotene to vitamin A, some people give their chameleons a small amount of prEformed vitamin A every once in a while.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Hello Mike
(r U on van Island?)

You might find this previous thread re ReptiGlo/ReptiSun of interest (read about half way down the thread, and you'll see my question about which is better, and Dave's excellent answer)

https://www.chameleonforums.com/repti-sun-5-0-a-13239/

Sandra

edit: the link to the table is broken in the thread above. Here is a corrected link: http://www.testudo.cc/Pages/Table 4.html http://www.testudo.cc/Pages/Table 3.html