suplement ?

[Jewel]

I am dusting my crickets almost every feeding with Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium with vit.d3
I went out today to buy the other vitamins and calcium he needed and they said I should buy "Nekton-Rep" and use it 2 to 3 times a week and the Rep-cal every feeding. He said the nekton-rep is the best stuff you can get and the toronto zoo and metro zoo use this for there reptiles. Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[ChameleonsTree]

Personally i use sticky tongue farms.

 

[Jewel]

I guess what I am really asking is, did I buy the right stuff?
Everyone seems to do the following dusting program:
-They dust the insects with phosphorous-free calcium at most feedings.
-They use a vitamin powder twice a month that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A.
-And they dust with a vitamin D3/calcium powder twice a month.

At present I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium with vit.D3 almost every feeding.
So I went to see what else I needed and they said they recomend I continue to use the Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium with vit.D3 for every feeding and to buy "Nekton-Rep" 2 or 3 times a week. He said this is all I need and he highly recomended it. He said it comes from Germany and is hard to find.
This is what it contains per 1000g:
Vitamin A 6,666,000I.U.
Vitamin D 10,000 I.U.
DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate 6,600 mg
thiamine 670 mg
riboflavin 1,670 mg
d-pantothenic acid 3,300 mg
niacinamide 10,000 mg
vit B6 670 mg
folic acid 170 mg
vitamin B12 3,300 ug
ascorbic acid 16,670 mg
menadione 1,360 mg

 

[kinyonga]

I don't have time to look it up right now...but I think the vitamin A in Nekton-Rep is from a preformed source...and if it is, it can build up in the system.

 

[Jewel]

I don't have time to look it up right now...but I think the vitamin A in Nekton-Rep is from a preformed source...and if it is, it can build up in the system.

Ok, I won't open the bottle till I hear back from you because it was $25 and I will just return it if it is no good, thanx.

 

[kinyonga]

Nekton-rep does contain vitamin A from retinol which is a preformed source....and preformed sources can build up in the system.

There is quite a bit of controversy about whether vitamin A from a beta carotene source is converted by chameleons or if the preformed source is needed. All I can tell you is that I use one with a beta carotene source....and my veiled females usually live to be 6+ years old and my males even longer. They reproduce, hatch well and the babies that I have raised also live that long.

 

[Jewel]

Thank you kinyonga for taking the time to research this for me, it was very kind of you. Since I want him to be as healty as he can be, then I will take your advice and knowledge and I will return the Nekton-rep and search other pet stores to find one with beta carotene. Thanks again.

 

[kinyonga]

Rep-cal (which you already mention having the cal/D3 supplement from) has a phosphorous-free calcium...scan to the last one...
http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm

 

[Campy]

since this is pretty much the same topic im not goin to open a new one

i use sticky tounge miner-all "I" . I dust everyday... that's the only supplement i do . i was told by the people at the shop to do it every day for the first 5-6 months . then back off to every other day or so... every couple days .

As well . for gutloading my crickets . what should i get . im planning on buying something to feed them . but dont kno what to get... i just want to give them one thing . and be set . i like things simple . lol

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."i use sticky tounge miner-all "I" . I dust everyday... that's the only supplement i do . i was told by the people at the shop to do it every day for the first 5-6 months . then back off to every other day or so... every couple days"...minerall only contains minerals and calcium and the "I" type contains D3...so your chameleon is getting no vitamins.

I only dust twice a month with a calcium D3 powder. I dust with a vitamin powder twice a month and at almost every feeding I dust with a phos.-free calcium powder. I'm not saying that other ways don't work...I have just found what works for me and stuck with it.

You said..."As well . for gutloading my crickets . what should i get . im planning on buying something to feed them . but dont kno what to get... i just want to give them one thing . and be set . i like things simple"...I don't like commercial gutloads because I worry about what they have in them in the way of phos., calcium, D3 and preformed vitamin A. I gutload with a wide variety of greens and veggies. Again...I do what I have found works for me.

 

[Jewel]

Rep-cal (which you already mention having the cal/D3 supplement from) has a phosphorous-free calcium...scan to the last one...
http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm

I use the third one down " Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3 Phosphorous - Free Ultrafine powder" almost everyday and I just went and bought the first one " Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamin Vitamin A requirement from Beta Carotene", do I use this one twice a month? Is it ok with these two or do I need more?

 

[kinyonga]

I dust with the last one shown on the page I gave you the link for (Rep-Cal Calcium, Phosphorous Free - No Vitamin D3) at almost every feeding. I use this to help balance the poor ratio of phosphorous to calcium in the insects.

I dust with the top one (Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamin) twice a month. I use this because I think it makes up for whatever is lacking in their diet and there is no danger of the vitamin A overdosing. Only preformed vitamin A will build up in the system.

I dust with the third one down (Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3, Phosphorous - Free Ultrafine powder) twice a month. I do this because my chameleons get no direct sunlight and I feel they need a little D3 to make up for not getting sunlight. I don't want to use it more often because D3 from supplements can build up in the chameleon's system and cause problems.

I do all of the above because it seems to work....along with gutloading the insects with a nutritious diet and using the repti-sun 5.0 UVB tube and keeping the chameleons at the appropriate basking temperature...my chameleons seem to live long healthy lives. Other people have different methods of keeping their chameleons that work too...but, like I said, this works for me.