Calcium confusion

[animal805]

Hi all,
Have been giving my 2 beardies 1 feed of crickets dusted with calcium powder per day for 5/7 and dusted with vitamins 1/7 as many people have told me and this is what I have read many times. I rang a herp vet yesterday to ask some questions only to be told that I should only dust 1 cricket only and do this twice a week and one cricket with vit once a week. Any points of view would be helpfull as I am confused.

 

[BigWillieStyles]

Rubbish, just go with your earlier dusting way.

 

[JAS101]

Hi all,
Have been giving my 2 beardies 1 feed of crickets dusted with calcium powder per day for 5/7 and dusted with vitamins 1/7 as many people have told me and this is what I have read many times. I rang a herp vet yesterday to ask some questions only to be told that I should only dust 1 cricket only and do this twice a week and one cricket with vit once a week. Any points of view would be helpfull as I am confused.

how old are the baerdies ?
are u sure they were a herp vet ...

 

[animal805]

Yes, Herp vet, he said too much calcium can cause nuroligical disorders

One is 7 weeks and the other is about 12 weeks. They are in seperate enclosures but the little one is having some minor balance issues?

 

[black_headed_mon]

i've only ever gave calcium 2-3 per week and vits once a week.over all the yrs my beardies have never had anything wrong with them

 

[Flaviruthless]

If the little one is having some balance issues I would cut the calcium back, not a drastic amount but perhaps lower it to 4 / 7 times per week. I have heard of it causing problems and to my knowledge, too much and too little calcium manifest symptoms in the same manner. I dust one of my hatchling feeds with calcium per day, they get two feeds a day every day. What else is going on in the environment? Are you spraying the dragons with water?

 

[JasonL]

I really hardly ever used calcium powders, with the correct diet and sunshine they are not needed. You should NEVER trust in two things, fake UVB and calcium powder. Just because you feed a reptile calcium does not mean that it will be digested in the right way for a number of factors, mainly diet and UVB intake, and even if the calcium is used by the reptiles body, it doesn't mean you still won't end up with calcium deficiency problems, due to extreme growth rates from over heating / thus causing racing metabolism... and if you understand your lizards dietary, UVB and heating requirements then you will find you need nothing more. Dusting with calcium every now and then is still a good idea, but don't count on it saving your lizards, count on your research into its needs... there are many good articles on the net, take time to read them and understand how it all works.... too much calcium is no good for an animals kidneys.

 

[animal805]

If the little one is having some balance issues I would cut the calcium back, not a drastic amount but perhaps lower it to 4 / 7 times per week. I have heard of it causing problems and to my knowledge, too much and too little calcium manifest symptoms in the same manner. I dust one of my hatchling feeds with calcium per day, they get two feeds a day every day. What else is going on in the environment? Are you spraying the dragons with water?

Yep all is good temp wise etc and they both get misted with water at least twice a day and bath/swim at least once a week I will continue to dust but will reduce the frequency as they both get out in a mesh enclosure in the sun for half an hour or more in the sun. Thanks for all the advice and the little one is a bit brighter every day since his episodes started last Sunday evening.

 

[Bluetongue1]

It seems that continual high level of calcium absorbed through the gut can make the body think there is excess calcium and instead of storing it they excrete it. Then when they have a growth spurt, they run short. The calcium available in an appropriate diet takes longer to get at, as the food has to be digested first. As a result the level of calcium does not build up quickly enough to get to the point where it is excreted and so it is stored instead.

It is apparent that different individuals react differently to high calcium loads. This could be because some are less sensitive to high calcium levels and have a greater threshold before switching from storing to excreting.

Irrespective, 3 dustings a week and make sure they get their greens. Dandelion leaves are an excellent source of calcium.

Vitamin D is required by the body to absorb calcium from the gut and to make use of calcium in the body, such as building bones. For the skin to be able to make Vitamin D, the UVB light has to be strong enough and the reptile has to be warm enough i.e. at Preferred Body Temperature. The effective distance of most UVB light to the reptile is 15 to 30 cm, depending on its strength. All UVB sources degrade over time and stop emitting UV light. Their visible spectrum remains the same, so they don’t look any different. You need to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for replacement or borrow a UVB meter and actually measure the output. If in doubt, replace all UV bulbs every 6 months.

So remember, your dragons need heat and UV together and at the correct distance.

Blue