Raising beardies without UV?

[hornet]

they were all eating fine from what i could see but possibly stressed by the others

 

[tarzan]

Hi miss B i use a phosphorus free vitimin D3 powder served once a week with small amount of whiskers kitten food non fish, the kitten food is loaded with supplements as well for good bone development. I only do this once a week with the cat food my guys will not readily feed on dusted insects but relish the cat food treat with the D3 added.

 

[hornet]

jason, i was thinking, if uv is as important its made out to be how long with out it would you think it would become detremental? My juvie tawnies have been without uv for the past 6 months and are fine. Adults have been without well over a year and are still going strong

 

[JasonL]

question can't be answered, each dragon is different depending on diet, and calcium blood levels. In my experience, as long as they eat well and arn't over exerted (like a male left with females everyday, all breeding season or a female doing more clutches of eggs than she should) they should always be fine.

 

[Pocket Lizard]

Hornet, regarding your earlier post.

UVB helps create the D3 form which allows absorption of calcium in the gut. Therefore a shortage of UV should merely result in dietary calcium not being absorbed (ie. it just gets passed out in faeces). I cannot see therefore how a calcium overdose could occur in such a situation. Unless...

...there is a stack of dietary D3 mixed in with the calcium, which would aid in the absorption. If this were the case, the presence or absence of UV would be irrelevant. I am still reading up on the subject of dietary vs naturally synthesised D3, but I haven't yet found evidence for the dietary supplementation method resulting in some kind of harmful "overdose". As I read more I will understand more....