Posted by:
kinyonga
at Sat Jun 26 03:01:45 2010 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by kinyonga ]
Good to hear that its eating and doing better!
Are you dusting the insects with supplements? Since many/most of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus its important to dust the insects at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder.
I also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the dragon gets some D3 without overdoing it. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but UVB from the lights should not cause an over-production of D3 as long as the dragon can move in and out of the light.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Beta carotene (prOformed) sources of vitamin A will not build up in the system like prEformed sources will. Excess prEformed may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the dragon towards MBD.
I gutload crickets, superworms, roaches, etc. with a wide variety of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
You can feed the above list of greens and veggies to your dragon along with a little bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.).
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are all important players in bone health and need to be in balance. To balance them you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the dragon.
Appropriate temperatures aid in digestion so play a part in bone health indirectly.
Hope this helps!
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