Like I said in the last post, I raised many little vields(particularly the 1st clutch) with WAYYY too much rep-cal, every pinhead, ever day, and saw NO problems for them, even the ones I held back for breeding. The male I klept lived for 4 years with NO health problems, then was killed by another male.
They were given WAY more rep-cal than they needed, like I said, the last male veild I have cam from much larger stock(nearly 2 foot father) than my original male(a 13" WC), and was given much much less rep-cal /minerall. every other feeding, every other cricket. He grew just as fast as my other veilds, reaching about full size at about 15 months(I did not feed them as much as they could eat--I worry more about over feeding than over/under supplementation or UNDER-feeding--these are cold blooded reptiles after all).
The thing I worry about with NO UVB is the over supplementation in the long run. I have heard that it can lead to calcification of the digestive tract, as D3 amounts tend to be high, and they are most likely over fed to begin with.
When I had the oppurtunity(sine I move the heck outta Jersey), I kept my veilds outside, with no d3. I imagine in Canada, that's just not going to cut it for more than a few months at best.
Commercial supplements tend to be very high in D3, to the point that it would be toxic if it was all absorbed. Fact is, most of it is NOT absorbed, chameleons do not readily absorb D3 in their digestive system that well at all. That's probably why they DON'T die when given so much Rep-cal! They Can absorb enough, though.
IF money is NOT an issue, contimplate this: Set up a FEW MV bulbs a foot or two above two cages. Use it as a flood--that's what I do. I use it to provide a wide area with diffuse UVB light. Probably NOT enough to sustain a veild from hatchling to adult without supplementation, but enough to help quite a bit, and if the literature I have read is correct, it's enough to pretty-much maintain an adult's blood levels with minimum supplementation.
As much as I LIKE MV bulbs, and as much as I WANT to have a be-all-end -all source of artificail sunlight, I cannot bring myself to trust them 100% JUST yet. I still rely on my past experience--that's why I use repcal over minerall-I KNOW it works.
I know some people that have raised thousands of veilds from hatchling to adult with NO supplementation using cheap, $20.00 MV bulbs. I , however, will not do that until I have a clutch of my own.
I have a female veild A L M O S T ready to mate. When I get some hatchlings, hopefully before the end of the year, I plan on doing a bit of an experiment.
I am going to raise them in groups:
one a control, just like I used to raise them. florescent, 40 watt heat bulb, rep-cal, herptivite in the gutloads.
Another will be under a MV bulb, Zero Rep-cal, but gutloaded crickets with herptivite. I want to see it work. I am confident it WILL work,but I want to stick to what I KNOW works until I have some babies.
Now what do I do if end up with calyptratus/deremensis hybrids....
