I agree,and they should put fine print on the label since there are lots chameleon keepers do use the Rep-cal Herptivite,did u read any negative comments for the Rep-Cal users??The company needs to make the special formula on the cham only,rapshy has gecko supplement,so do other brands too.
Vitamin A Plus Micro-Fine Vitamin A Supplement by Repashy Superfoods
- Thread starter Alexander1
- Start date
guanagator
Avid Member
I don't think the rep cal is causing negative outcomes just maybe not meeting the exact needs of a chameleon. I haven't read much about RepCal personally since I don't use it. I've always used the repashy line and recently switched over to just calcium plus trusted the supplement observations of the Kammers they compared and tested the repashy calcium plus on a breeding group of Panther chameleons for 3 years before switching over to it and recommending it to their customers and in general. I use the gel cap drops additionally after hearing many with more experience than myself suggest it, I hope some of them will see this and contribute!
I just browsing thru some of the sponsors site,the Rep cal multivitamin pics are on their sites,the Herptivite With Beta Carotene.....hmmm
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Feeder insects are a poor source of Vitamin A no matter what you gut load them with. Crickets have no livers which is where it is stored. To be honest, from what I've read on Vitamin A content of insects, I am not sure how they get it in the wild unless wild insects are much richer in Vitamin A than the insects we feed in captivity.
@guanagator I'm hesitant to comment because there is a risk of an overdose, plus there are other vitamins like Vitamin E that should be supplemented in conjunction to Vitamin A. I wouldn't suggest giving a full gel cap to a chameleon without knowing the correct dosage to treat vitamin A deficiency. I want to buy injectible Vitamin A and inject feeders, but keep forgetting to ask the vet if they will sell me some. I can say that vitamins do deteriorate quickly in an opened bottle. I keep mine in the fridge and discard after 6 months.
You can find the therapeutic dose to treat Vitamin A deficiency, but use something written by knowledgeable vets, not someone like me as a reference.
As far as supplementing babies, if the mother has adequate Vitamin A levels, babies won't need supplementing for months. The egg yolk should be rich in Vitamin A. I supplement Vitamin A from a human gel cap (one drop on a feeder) once a month.
leedragon
Chameleon Enthusiast
my firend. the thing is that this is quite new information so alot of people don´t know it. and it also that companies like to make money. carefull with over supplementing. it can cause gout and liver problemsI just browsing thru some of the sponsors site,the Rep cal multivitamin pics are on their sites,the Herptivite With Beta Carotene.....hmmm
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
There is nothing particularly new about chameleons not being able to convert plant-based Beta Carotene to Vitamin A. Back in the 90s there was an unsubstantiated magazine article stating that chameleons were susceptible to Vitamin A intoxication. After that article came out, commercial supplements only used Beta Carotene. Shortly after cases of Vitamin A deficiency began to appear. I don't there is anything new about this information.
JaxyGirl
Avid Member
I agree with you about the feeders and lack of Vit A. I have several types of feeders which are all fed a variety of foods but I still never feel that they have enough nutrients in them to sustain the health of a chameleon for it's entire life. So I do inject my feeders with vitamins. I think you'll really like using a syringe....it's so much easier. I got a 2cc syringe from my vet and I inject a cricket or hornworm with a drop of liquid vitamins plus Vitamin A and Omega 3 approx 2-3 times a month. The crickets make wonderful gel cap...My chams don't even taste it
