What is the best, most effective, way to fortify your Tegu's diet with vitamins and minerals...especially calcium?? Is "gutloading" of feeder mice feasible, and, if so, what is the best "gutloading" product to use??
As always, info/oppinions from the people with the experience is greatly appreciated.
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Diet, Vitamins, & Minerals
littlerooster
May 06, 2004 03:26 AM
Replies (5)
beardiedragon
May 06, 2004 02:10 PM
mice and rats are great in and of themselves. You can supliment calcium with D3 for indoor and no D3 for outdoor. Rodents contain calcium and if I remember correctly D3 in their liver. fruits with vit C are important for Red Tegus (dont know about the others)
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Bennett
Home Of The Florida Orange
www.beardiedragon.com
boidsntegus
May 06, 2004 08:52 PM
Ok, please clarify this for me. I have a reptisun 8.0 UVB and right now I use minerall O, for no D3. I read to use the outdoor version if you provide UVB, and the indoor if you don't. If you use the indoor AND offer UVB, they can get poisoning from over-supplementation. Is this correct? Or should I use the I formula even though I provide UVB, since nothing can compare to the sun?
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-Bill
1.0.0 Albino California Kingsnake
0.1.0 Colombian Red Tail Boa
0.1.0 Leucistic Patternless Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Red Flame Crested Gecko
0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
beardiedragon
May 06, 2004 09:03 PM
your uvb bulb at 12" is putting out about 10-30 depending on the fixture. even if you figure 50, the sun on an average sunny day gives a reading of 400-500. a cloudy overcast day can still be well over 100. so to answer your question any indoor setup should have D3 unless you need sunglasses to open the cage.
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Bennett
Home Of The Florida Orange
www.beardiedragon.com
boidsntegus
May 06, 2004 09:32 PM
I will order some Minerall I soon. Just for curiosity sake, what about the rating at 2-3"? 90% of his basking time is spent within 2-3", so would the rating be any higher? What do you think is a better D3 source, Minerall I or a mercury vapor bulb?
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-Bill
1.0.0 Albino California Kingsnake
0.1.0 Colombian Red Tail Boa
0.1.0 Leucistic Patternless Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Red Flame Crested Gecko
0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
beardiedragon
May 06, 2004 09:57 PM
You are probably getting a reading of 50-60 that close but I cant believe he spends that much time so close to it. In order to penetrate the skin he would need to be there quite a long time. The thing about Natural UV light is they produce D3 as needed. so theoretically, if there is enough in the minerall then they wont produce any additional from the UV light. The minerall folks (sticky tongue) told me to use the indoor even with MVB lights. BTW if you use MVB I think the minimum recomended safe distance is 12". at that distance you are looking at 200-300 with a westron bulb (possibly higher) If that were the case, I would consider switching back to no added D3.
you have to join yahoo groups but if you want a ton of info on UV lights this is a must read site.
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Bennett
Home Of The Florida Orange
www.beardiedragon.com
