Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok I see alot of people use repcal for their beardies, I use miner-all can anyone tell me what is the major difference on what to use for beardies and why? I know they need vitamins, calcium and D3 but what really is the difference in all of these?
thanks

I really don't think there is any significant difference between the various brands of multi-vitamins. There are some variations of how much of each vitamin/mineral in each type and possibly the source of those nutrients but other than that...no real difference in their effectiveness.

At least none that I have encountered in years of reading about people's opinion on which is best. Most seem to like the rep-cal brand but some like the Zoo Med brand too. I have used just about every type out there and noticed no difference...then again I wasn't doing any actual studies on each different brand to notice a difference.
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PHLdyPayne

I simply like the fact they miner-all has everything bundled up so when I dust they get everything. I was told however today which makes total sense, if you feed your beardies correctly then you really dont have to worry too much about vitamins but still do on the d3 and calcium, I am suprised here in Idaho how many people dont know how to feed reptiles. I had one given to me recently that died 3 days after given to me cuz they didnt feed it correctly. totally deficient shame

Here is a good article on vitamin supplements. You have to be careful and read the label to make they have the right amount of ratio in some vitamins.
Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation for Herps

Providing UVB for your dragon allows it to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. To ensure that it gets enough D3 I dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system so you need to be careful with it.

Since most insects we use as feeders have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. I dust with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings.

I also dust with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like preformed vitamin A can. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD.

Phos., calcium, D3 and vitamin A are major players in bone health and they need to be in balance. When trying to attain the balance you need to look at the supplements, what you feed to the dragon and what you feed to the insects for the content of these 4 things.