Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I was at a reptile show today and picked up a veiled chameleon. It's been a couple years since I've had any chameleons and I kind of forget what supplement I needed. So at the show I picked up rep-cal w/vitamin D powder. Is this the right stuff to be dusting the crickets with daily, or was it the stuff without the D3? Thanks!

Nobody knows? I don't want to be overdoing it with the vitamin d3 everyday if it's going to be hurting him. I'm getting mixed results of if it's safe or not by reading care sheets over the net. Help!!

What I do is this...
I dust at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder.
Most insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. so this helps to make up for it.

I use a vitamin powder twice a month that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. There is controversy about whether chameleons can convert beta carotene...so some people give them preformed vitamin A once in a while. Preformed vitamin A can build up in the system, but beta carotene can't. Excess preformed vit. A can prevent D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD.

Because my chameleons rarely get sunlight, I dust lightly with a calicum/D3 powder twice a month. Excess vitamin D3 can build up in the system too.

I gutload my crickets and other insects. Be careful to take into consideration the amounts of phosphorous, preformed vitamin A and D3 that are in anything that you use in the gutloads.

Appropriate basking temperatures aid in digestion.

Ok, so I'll go pick up another calcium supplement without the d3 for the regular feedings and save the other one for 2 times a month. I also have a vitamin dust with beta carotene which I'll use too. Basking spot is 105*. Thanks!

Well I went to the local pet stores and I couldn't find anything without d3 in powder form. I did however find something from exo terra that is a calcium additive for water. It doesn't give any data on how much is in each dosage but it clearly says "Calcimize liquid contains high levels of calcium". Has anyone ever tried it or heard of it? Good things/bad things? This might be a great alternative to dusting my crickets since #1 I can't find anything d3 free, and #2 my cham doesn't like to eat from a bowl and since the cage is so big he doesn't find the crickets till all the dust is worn off. What should I do? I know I should have researched this before hand, but I was pretty sure I had the right supplement, and never had a cham that didn't eat out of a bowl. TIA

You said..."I did however find something from exo terra that is a calcium additive for water"...I don't like to add anything to the water if its being misted on the chameleon....but that's just my opinion.

I never directly spray it onto him. I've read elsewhere that spraying them can stress them out. Not sure if it's true or not though.