supplement schedule

[lucky]

okay. this is my current schedule. i dont think i am but just for peace of mind i thought i'd ask all of you your opions as to whether or not im doing too much d3. i use zoo med products.
WEEK 1
mon-sat: cal w/o d3
sun: cal w d3

WEEK2
mon-sat: cal w/o d3
sun: reptivite w d3

WEEK3
repeat week 1

WEEK 4
repeat week 2

now the other question. if this is too much d3, could i just use the multi vitamin with d3 twice a month and "kill two birds with one stone"?

thanks for your responses. and happy holidays

 

[pssh]

Sounds good to me. Compared to repcal brand calcium with d3, you could probably even use it more I believe. (but dont take my word for it...)

 

[sandrachameleon]

D3 every other week sounds essentially fine to me. There are other factors to consider, such as the type of chameleon, how much outdoors sun time it gets, whether or not you use UVB lighting, age of chameleon, what you feed it and what you gutload the feeders with....

 

[lucky]

i have a male veiled 11 mos. and a male panther 6 mos. gut loading, lighting is fine. nothing is wrong with my chameleons. i feed the well gut loaded, crickets, dubia, silks, hornworms, and supers. i just need to know if i can use the d3 less. i feel like i might be using it too often. can i cut back to twice a month? oh and its to cold to put them outside right now.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

i have a male veiled 11 mos. and a male panther 6 mos. gut loading, lighting is fine. nothing is wrong with my chameleons. i feed the well gut loaded, crickets, dubia, silks, hornworms, and supers. i just need to know if i can use the d3 less. i feel like i might be using it too often. can i cut back to twice a month? oh and its to cold to put them outside right now.

If the temps are right outside and they are out there 3 days a week. No D3 is needed at all.

As for the D3 you can use it two times a month just fine. Just be sure your UV bulb is changed out every 6 months or check it with a meter.

 

[pssh]

The brand you use has 10,400 IU/Kg in both the calcium with d3 and the vitamins with d3. Repcal has 400,000 IU/Kg in the calcium with d3. Most people recommend using repcal brand twice a month, and your brand has a lot less d3 in it than the repcal brand, so I'm pretty sure you're fine.

Or at least that's what the internet said...

 

[lucky]

thanks pssh. i'll just stick with the schedule im on right now and i will definitely checkout LLL for prices on their repcal products. which do you use? out of curiosity. im pretty sure they have cal with and without d3 and a multi, correct?

 

[pssh]

Yep, I use all three. I think they have a coupon for the plain calcium and a package deal for the other two!

 

[sandrachameleon]

i have a male veiled 11 mos. and a male panther 6 mos. gut loading, lighting is fine. nothing is wrong with my chameleons. i feed the well gut loaded, crickets, dubia, silks, hornworms, and supers. i just need to know if i can use the d3 less. i feel like i might be using it too often. can i cut back to twice a month? oh and its to cold to put them outside right now.

I dont think you are using D3 too often, unless what you gutload with also contains D3, or lots of A.

 

[lucky]

colard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, carrots, apple, oranges, sweet potatoes, potatoes thats about what i use. mostly carrots apples and greens though. change them out every day when i feed my chams.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Good list of gutload items. If you're looking to add to your gutload, couldnt hurt to add seeds, nuts, bee pollen, sea weed, alfalfa.

Anyhow, Doesnt look like there is D3 in your gutload, so you do want to continue to include it on a regular basis as a supplement.

More info on Supplements:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/174-whats-supplements-brand.html

 

[rgladu]

Found this article that suggests that the animals can self regulate for Vit D by basking habits, thank heaven! See citation below from PUBMED.

Panther chameleons, Furcifer pardalis, behaviorally regulate optimal exposure to UV depending on dietary vitamin D3 status.
Karsten KB, Ferguson GW, Chen TC, Holick MF.

Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas 76129, USA. [email protected]
Reptiles may bask for reasons other than thermoregulation. One alternative is to regulate homeostasis of vitamin D(3), a hormone essential to the health of many reptiles. Maintenance of vitamin D(3) homeostasis requires either regulation of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) or ingested vitamin D(3). However, the prey items of most vertebrates tend to be low in vitamin D(3). Thus, basking may be the primary opportunity for vitamin D(3) regulation. We tested the hypothesis that panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) behaviorally regulate exposure to UV in natural sunlight with high precision, accuracy, and effectiveness. Panther chameleons with low dietary vitamin D(3) intake significantly increased exposure to UV in natural sunlight compared to those with high dietary vitamin D(3) intake. All lizards fed low dietary vitamin D(3) regulated within optimal UV levels with extreme effectiveness (ability to regulate within optimal UV levels relative to available UV). Chameleons of both dietary treatments regulated UV exposure with great precision, exhibiting little variation among individuals within treatments. Our results add to a growing body of literature that empirically demonstrates the importance of basking for nonthermoregulatory purposes and, more specifically, as an integral mechanism for the regulation of a vital hormone, vitamin D(3).

PMID: 19335229 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You could cut down to twice a month D3 supplementation by eliminating the calcium with D3.
Since you are doing regular calcium dustings this would be the smart choice.
D3 twice a month is PLENTY if you have proper UVB lighting.
I hardly ever use D3 anymore, but dust with calcium at almost every feeding.

-Brad

 

[Leilaskeeper]

It seems many have their own preferences as to how they supplement their chams. From what I was told, I should just give my cham cal w/ d 2-3 times per week and a multi vit once a month and that's fine.

I received this advice from someone who has had experience with chams for over 15 years and has bred them for over 8. He owns a reptile store and has owned many different kinds of chameleons.

So much info thrown back and forth and not really sure what is right or wrong .. the confusion!!

 

[lucky]

ive, since original post, gone to just using my reptivite with d3 twice a month. that and i dust with plain calcium 5-6 days a week. i dont suppliment on sundays and sometimes on saturday i just give them plain crickets or dubia. thanks to all for input.