Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the reasoning with the calcium with and without vitamin D3? I give my leos the one with D3 as well as dusting their food everyday. I generally alternate what I dust with (Vitamins one day and calcium the next). Any info would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks!

Vit. d3 is involved in the absorption of calcium. You need to have a source of dietary d3 in order for your gecko to form good bone structure. Adding it to the calcium is the easiest way to do this. Calcium without d3 added is for reptiles that get significant exposure to UV lighting(i.e sunlight). The uv causes a chemical reaction in the body which converts a precursor of vit. d3 to the active form. Therefore, reptiles that get alot of exposure to UV rays do not need a dietary source of d3.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

You should go ahead and buy calcium without D3 and use that most of the time for sprinkling to prevent overdosing on the D3. It's recommended you only use calcium with D3 once a week. I also keep a dish of non-D3 calcium in the terrarium at all times just in case.

At what levels of d3 will a leopard gecko "overdose" as you put it on d3? As a matter of fact, growing leopards need more than you might think. Who recommends the protocal you state on you post? I have been using minerall-I for over 6 years on all of my adults and hatchlings. I keep it at all times on the bottom of my mealworm feeding dish. Never a sign of a problem in all the time I've bred leopards. I'm sorry if I come off as hash in this post, I'm just tied of people giving what I consider poor advice when it comes to supplementing. Most of this advice comes from information that may have been posted here in the past as is read as gospel. I'm speaking from 11 years of hads on experience raising leopards, and I can't tell you it is nearly impossible to create a state of hypervitaminosis in leopards. In fact it is far easier to do the opposite.
My advice is to use a good calcium supp. WITH d3 in it, I prefer Minerall-I. Ensure that you gecko is having proper bone growth, this is also important for breeding females.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

I can tell you it is nearly impossible to create a state of hypervitaminosis in leopards. In
fact it is far easier to do the opposite.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

It is very possible to over dose vit. D3 and very dangerous if done, it best to use it not too ofter (once a week) since there have been no studies on what the limit on herps

I cannot attest for any formal studies. I have mentioned in my post that I have been breeding leopards for 11 years. All my adults(currently 80) and every hatchling I have ever raised has always had free access to calcium with d3. We are talking about 1000's of leos raised this way with out any sign of a problem. Is this not proof to you or anyone else reading this thread that it is a very difficult thing to cause a dangerous level of d3 in a leo. What is a dangerous level? Rep-cal has a rediculous amount of d3 in it compared to minerall, yet I know many breeders that have used it exlusively for years without incident. I still say it is far easier to undersupplement, and I say this with 11 years of confidence and experience. This is not something I read somewhere or heard on the forum.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

It is very possible to over dose vit. D3 and very dangerous if done, it best to use it not too ofter (once a week) since there have been no studies on what the limit on herps

It is very possible to over dose vit. D3 and very dangerous if done, it best to use it not too ofter (once a week) since there have been no studies on what the limit on herps

Bill, Considering the beautiful and HUGE baby, I just got from you, I trust your word in this. I have a mineral supplement and a straight calcium supplement that I offer my leos alternately. After reading this thread, I checked them and neither one, Jurassical or Reptivite, contain D3. I am leaving shortly to go buy a 3rd supplement that has it since my leos never get natural sunlight.

However, I just want to add to this conversation...Page 30 of the newly updated version of The Leopard Gecko Manual talks about d3 overdoses. They say that some breeders feel that these overdoses lead to high incidences of birth defects and "dead in shell" babies. My other Leopard Gecko book doesn't mention it at all.

I have heard the same thing form some breeders. I have had deformed babies born in the past. Nothing that would be considered High incidence. I can tell you this though. I have heard others breeders mention that the same thing could be caused by lack of pre-formed vitamin A in the diet. This year I have added a supp. that contains Vitamin A in the dish and have not changed the d3. I have had 1 mildly deformed baby out of over 300 so far this year. It was probably an environmental cause rather than nutritional.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

From what I've read, it is actually VERY difficult to overdose on the Vitamind D3... its aid of the absorption of calcium is directly related to the calcium/phospherous ration in a given supplement....What isn't used in the dietary process is excreted as waste though its generally very difficult to raise D3 levels high enough to be of any danger to a reptile. All I've seen are problems with a LACK of D3.. not with a surplus of it. I'm sure its possible.. but too low levels are much easier to accomplish than too high levels.