Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I keep a lot of my lizards outdoors, and am wondering which brand of Calcium supplement is best for this...

Thanks
Kameron

I'm not real knowledgable when it comes to calcium and vitamins, but I thought that if they got direct SUN light that you didn't need calcium (or not much of it). The UVB rays from the sun (or bulbs), along w/certain greens, are supposed to aid in bone development. That's what I thought anyway. I could be wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time. lol I'm sure I will be corrected if I am wrong. Where do you live to keep them outside?

Carrie

>>I keep a lot of my lizards outdoors, and am wondering which brand of Calcium supplement is best for this...
>>
>>Thanks
>>Kameron

I do feed a high calcium diet - based on collard and mustard greens, but I would like to supplement as well, just in case. What you may be thinking of is vitamin D - in an indoor habitat, you may need to supplement this as well, but in the outdoors they get it from natural sunlight. (I think, but may be fuzzy on the processes.) I keep them in specially built cages in my backyard. They are on casters/wheels in case of inclement weather.

I think I am thinking of D3, but can't you OD on regular calcium too? I wish we had more stable weather in FL so I could keep my guys outside more often. It's been pouring rain all day! YUCK!
I hope someone more knowledgeable answers so we both know the process better.

Carrie

>>I do feed a high calcium diet - based on collard and mustard greens, but I would like to supplement as well, just in case. What you may be thinking of is vitamin D - in an indoor habitat, you may need to supplement this as well, but in the outdoors they get it from natural sunlight. (I think, but may be fuzzy on the processes.) I keep them in specially built cages in my backyard. They are on casters/wheels in case of inclement weather.
>>

as far as D3 goes it is a vitamin needed for the absorption and utilization of calcium in the diet, without this vitamin the calcium could not be used by the body. You can feed fresh dark leafy greens till your dragon is blue in the face =] but without D3 your dragon will not be able to absorb the much needed calcium into his system. As for a calcium supplement i think repcal makes a cal without D3, i use their multivitamin and cal w/D3 and i think their products are really great.

i'm pretty thrifty, so i just use a cuttlefish bone that i scrape onto their food every few days or so. it's the same thing as the stuff in calcium supplements...i asked my vet about this and he said it was just fine. he also told me that you can use ground up egg shells from hard boiled eggs. i keep my dragons outdoors in the summer as well, and they do just fine on this.

-ming