Switched to Repashy Calcium Plus - Baby Panther Cham not adjusting well?

[CarlyMK]

Hi, I'm looking for a couple opinions!

I recently switched my supplementing sched to just the Repashy Calcium Plus all in one supplement, my 2.5 m/o Panther is not adjusting very well to the change. He usually eats all the crickets I put in his cage but since I switched he seems to be eating less. I offered him a butter worm the other day, he gobbled it right up, so it's not that he doesn't want to eat I just don't think he likes the taste of the supplement. I also have a 4m/o Faly that has adjusted well, he still eats the same amount he always did.

Before I switched I was dusting with Calcium w/o D3 Daily, with D3 twice a month and a multivitamin twice a month. (alternating weeks of course).

Has anyone else had experience with this? Could he just be waiting on more butter worms? Does he just need some adjustment time?

Any ideas would be appreciated!!

 

[pssh]

He could just not like the taste or it could be affecting him in some way that we are unable to see (some people have reported that certain animals they used it on did not do well and/or got ill/died. We still don't know if it was directly related to the all in one supplement though as various other things could have come into play.) I personally don't use the product at every feeding like some people recommend. I don't feel comfortable offering that much D3, so I use it once a week or so (if I use it.) I like the sticky tongue minerall supplements better, personally.

 

[CarlyMK]

Hi! Thanks for the reply. I made sure I researched this product before I bought it. The breeder I got my cham from recommended it, as well as on Kammerflage Kreations, one of the site sponsors spent years doing research on the product to see what effects it had on their chams, they now fully endorse it! The amount of D3 in it is a tiny enough amount that it is slowly introduced as a mineral, as opposed to a day worth of cricks covered in D3 twice a month (as far as my understanding goes).

I understand that circumstances surrounding the health of every cham is different, which is why I'm glad you gave your opinion. This little guy has recently been introduced to worms and can't seem to resist them, maybe its a strike? The worms were lightly dusted with the Repashy as well and he didn't have a problem eating them up! I'm going to keep a close eye on him just incase!

If you have any other concerns with this product please let me know, information is always welcome!

 

[pssh]

Okay, if he will eat the worms with the supplements on them, it could be a combination of not liking the dust much and loving the worms too much (or just the worm part.) Try only offering the crickets at the beginning of the day and dont offer the worms. He should eat them, but since he is small, if he wont give in to the crickets by the end of the day I think you might just have to give in and give them to him. If he does eat the crickets again, this could be a sign that you shouldn't offer worms frequently or only give them to him after he has eaten his crickets first.

As for the D3 being given in small amounts daily, if they have good UVB lights, they are already getting UVB daily and in the amounts their body needs (as it wont produce more than it needs.) The D3 supplement is only just that, a supplement used as a just in case sort of thing (because we cant/dont give them natural sun every day.) Even other supplements that have similar or smaller amounts of d3 in them were/are recommended to be used less often. I prefer to rely on my gutloading and UVB lights for the majority of what my chameleons need, personally. Obviously, methods and what can be provided will differ from keeper to keeper, and that is just fine. That is just how I, personally, choose to do it.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I agree with pssh. I also do not use supplements as heavily/frequently as others, prefering the more natural way of getting nutrients to my chameleon (gutloading, variety of prey, etc) and for me this has resulted in long lived healthy breeding chameleons.

It could simply be that your chameleon, not suprisingly, likes to eat larva. He'll eat the crickets if he's hungry enough (meaning so long as you dont too quickly give in and let him eat only want he wants). So long as you are offering a variety of prey, and the chameleon doesnt eat larva excessively, no worries. Aim to have no single type of feeder make up more than 20% of your chameleon's intake.