Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do any of you supplement your hogs with vitamins and calcium???
I have been doing it with my gravid female every 2 to 3 feedings and with the rest of my non-gravid females and males once a month or so... Just wondering if any of you do so as well...

I had heard a little while back during my first year of breeding that it is a good idea to do so because some females will lay very poorly calcified eggs that can rupture easily during incubation. I did it for that season, and I haven't since, I wanted to see if it made a difference, and I haven't noticed any difference, so I don't anymore. If I do notice any poorly calcified clutches, I will probably do it for that particular female, but it is not something I have encountered yet.

Hi Gregg, As previously mentioned, I do use powdered calcium, probiotics, and essential vitamins. I'm wondering if anyone places their hognose in the sun for a brief time during the day, or provides a light in the spectrum of the sun's UV rays? For those using rack systems, it may prove difficult, especially if they have a large collection.

Wendell

Hey Andy and Wendell,
Thanks for the replies guys...

Wendell,
Goos question about getting them out in full spectrum or natural sunlight...

I would think that them being diurnal reptiles, hognose snakes would need to produce vitamin D3 by basking in UV in order to process calcium...

Offering a D3 supplement would solve the problem with not getting them out in the sun but I would be very careful about the ammount offered... D3 is a fat soluable vitamin and if allowed to build up in high levels it can cause some serious health issues...

A side note...
Vitamin D3 is not even an actual vitamin... It is actually a broken bond steroid known as a secosteroid...

That is correct Gregg. It is in fact a hormone produced by the kidneys and not a vitamin at all. Vitamin D3 helps regulate bone calcium and phosphorous by increasing absorption of dietary calcium and phosphorous, and it works in conjunction with the pararathyroid hormone. The parathyroid hormone influences calcium reabsorption within the kidney tubules. Just a bit of medical laboratory science for you.

that many hormones are in fact fat soluble, and therefore supplimentation of any of these can cause a great chemical imbalance within the body.Be careful.