Best Powder for Baby

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Hello! I've had our baby Crunch for about a week or two now, he seems to be 3 months old due to his length. I was just curious what's the best kind of powder to be dusting his crickets with? Right now I'm using Fluker's Repta Calcium with Vitamin D3 and Phosphorus Free. I've heard mixed things about D3 regarding the lighting in cages. The lighting in Crunch's cage is kind of unknown on wattage. They're by the All Living Things brand, a heat lamp and a coiled lamp, they came in a $60 pack together at Petsmart (I've heard mixed things about the coiled too, I would prefer having a tube light but this is what we're using until we can get Crunch's bigger tank set up).
I'd also really like to know if anyone knows about this All Living Things brand? I know it's super generic brand but it's really the only option I had at the time, I didn't want to spend big $$$ on fixtures and stuff that wouldn't fit his temporary cage or be too hot for it. I plan on using Reptisun 10.0 tubes in the future, what good light fixtures can I get that would fit that? Also, I have no idea what a good heat light brand is.
I'm not sure if this is enough information, especially because I don't really know the wattage or anything on the lights he's currently using. But just some tips on what the best kind of powder to give our growing boy (or possibly girl?? Still too young to know) would be greatly appreciated!
 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
Once you get a larger enclosure I would recommend getting Arcadia. If you're in the US here is a good place to get them along with their fixtures. These are pretty inexpensive.
http://www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/arcadia-d3-12-uvb-t5-bulb-22/
http://www.reptilebasics.com/t5-light-fixtures/t5-single-bulb-light-strip-24/

All living things is not really good for uvb. For a heat lamp it doesn't matter too much. It's been advised to stay away from neodynum and any colored bulbs. They like bright light. I always go for bulbs that say "daylight" on them. A good flood lamp fitted into a dome that has a wide beam will work.

I have found this calcium powder at this site. It sounds pretty good since it has different sources of calcium in it as well as serrapeptase in it. I just started using it. I also got their organic vitamin powder which also has some good stuff in it. Now if you go with a T5 bulb there is information out there that say you don't need to add D3 supplement if you use those. I opted to use calcium 3 times a week (no D3), vitamins 2x a week (no D3), and calcium with D3 2x week.

http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=87
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
How big is your enclosure now? The Arcadia brand bulbs are excellent, but I don't recommend the fixture from reptile basics as it reduces the output of the bulb quite a bit compared to higher quality fixtures. Your best bet for a fixture is the Sunblaster https://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ/ or if you want to get a combo, the best one I've found so far is this http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

I agree that All Living Things brand isn't very reliable. The ZooMed Repti Basking Spot light is a decent bulb but I prefer using a PAR38 halogen flood light for basking as it's bright, produces a good amount of heat, is durable, and relatively cheap.

I like using Repashy brand supplements. Repashy SuperCal NoD is what I use for calcium. Repashy Calcium Plus is a good all-in-one offering if you want some multivitamin as well.
 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
Oh I didn't know that cooper, thank you for the info. I remember some people said it didn't matter too much on what fixture with reflector to get as I myself was trying to find out in the past. I actually ended up getting the sunblasters for my enclosures. I figured the ones at reptile basics were pretty much the same and suggested those since they are from the same site as the Arcadias.

You can possibly find those a little cheaper. I got mine from a garden supply company. You can check around with how much shipping cost but may be around the same with Amazon if you get free shipping anyways.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Yeah definitely worth checking garden supply stores. Most of the T5 fixtures and lights are for gardening/hydroponics. I didn't realize how different the fixtures can be until I tested a bunch of them. I think it comes down to the quality and shape of the reflector as well as the quality of the ballast in the fixture. There was a clear difference between the generic reptile basics fixture and the sunblaster and the sunblaze which are higher quality gardening fixtures using the same bulb. Taterbug published a really useful guide describing the different outputs between combinations of light/fixture/reflectors. https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides
 
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