Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I read a book that says I have to dust my pacman frog's food (i.e. crickets) in a 2:1 Calciumhosphate ratio dust, otherwise too much Phosphate would prevent calcium to be absorbed. What I don't understand is that whether I need to have the Phosphase in the dust at all. I see lots dust in the pet store does not contain phosphate. Could you shed some light on this?

My pacman frog dust has this content:

Crude Protein, min 25%
Crude fat, min 1.5%
Crude fiber, max 3%
Moisture, max 8%
Ash, max 8%
Calcium (Ca) min 14%
Calcium (Ca) max 16%
Vitamin A Acetate 20,000 IU/Kilo
Vitamin D-3, min 4000 IU/Kilo

Is it appropriate? If not, could you recommend a brand that I could easily find?

Thank you very much for helping a newbie!

Kennis

The calcium to phosphorus (not phosphate) ratio in most insects (some soil dwelling insect are exceptions) is usually somewhere between 0.1:1 to 0.5:1 which is insufficient to support proper bone growth. Improper ratios do not prevent calcium uptake but proper calcium metabolism for bone development. The end result is that the calcium to phosphorus ratio in the diet should be between 1:1 and 2:1 (and close to 1.5:1 may be the best) for the best bone growth.

While the supplement has the proper Ca ratio, the ratio of vitamin A to D3 is different than what is typically recommended. According to the literature, the ratio of vitamin A to D3 should be as close to 10:1 as possible...

Ideally you should choose a supplement that contains a ratio of vitamin A to D3 to E as close to 10:1:0.1 as possible as these vitamins compete with each other for uptake.

There are several good supplements out there depending if you want to work with a 2 part or a complete supplement.

Ed

Thank you Ed for your thorough answer. Could you recommend a complete supplement?
Thanks!
Kennis

A lot of Zoos use Rocksolid Herptoculture products but if you read the fine print they recommend a rapid turnover of the product. (I'll have to look into that some more).

Many people also use Rep-Cal and Herpetovite and mix them so the ratios are correct (as it says on the directions). These should be discarded and replaced at least every six months.

With Bufonids, there is some indications that some species do not efficiently convert beta carotene to retinol and can result in some toads developins hypovitaminosis of A..

Ed