Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is too much calcium powder on the crickets bad? i put calcium everyday on mine and i was wondering if i should be skipping some days?

yes - too much calcium could be a bad thing ... calcium and d3 should be dusted about 3 times a week, herptivite 2 times and a multivitamin 2 times (about that ... people have their own makeup). if you care dusting only with calcium d3, you are risking edema
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Jason
f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com

So that would mean no days off from vitamens? you said
3 calcium/2 herptivite/2 multivitamen

Thats 7 days... no day off from food or vitamnes..

That seems like a lot!

I think we need to know exactly what kind of cham we are talking about here. Some need more than others. Females often need more than males.

As for me - my chams are Jacksons - so - I do both the multi and the d3 once every 10 days. I have seen more chams get sick from an over suppliment than under (that is assuming the environment was set up correctly).

I also gutload the heck out of my feeders. They get a mix of cricketfarm's feed as well as ectotherm cricket bites(Highly reccomend them..they are GREAT!). They also get the occasional left over veggies from a salad. The feeders eat this for at least three days before I offer them to the chams. My silk worms - they just eat their mulberry - and those are the ones that get the vitamins and the calcium. I find I can spray they a bit and make the powder really stick. They dont move much - so it does not come off. The wax worms and butterworms get nothing as they are only given occaionally - mostly for fat content...but they also can be a good calc boost (I think...)

I am one of the believers in the quality and vitamins you put into your feeders. If you do it the way we are all supposed to - vitamins and extra powders for your herp - whatever it may be - are just suppliments...and should be done sparingly.

Hope that helps.

-adam
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Adam
Portland, OR

1.1 Jacksons Chameleons (Female is red phase)
0.0.4 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
0.1 Uroplatus Phantasticus

it depends on the species and the age. For Luna (4 1/2 month old veiled) Sonia gave me instructions of:
Juvenile: D3 2x/week
Vitamins 1x/week
Adults: D3 and Vitamins 1x/week or 1x every 2 weeks

Too much can be a big problem...it's a case where more is not better. As iso pointed out gutloading the feeders with healthy food is key. What you put in your feeder you are puttin ginto your cham so a good dry gutload AS WELL AS fruits and veggies.

Hope this has helped!
lele

>>is too much calcium powder on the crickets bad? i put calcium everyday on mine and i was wondering if i should be skipping some days?

Lele, I'm glad to see another supplementation schedule that is the same as what I'm doing. It seems I've seen alot of LONG lists of what people are doing for supplementation...makes me feel better to know that others are also taking a less is more approach.

Kristen

P.S. Still no mail from you...that is too weird.
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1.1 pygmy leaf
1.0 carpet
1.0 jackson
0.0.3 red eared sliders