Too much calcium in urate/cutting back on supplements

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zampano

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Hi all,

A few weeks back Tifa (11-12 months) started getting her appetite back but also suddenly started taking several days (5-7) in between poops. The first time it took her 9 days and I got worried and took her to the vet. The doc couldn't detect any real impaction and she then had a very expensive blood test done which showed her to be perfectly healthy. The doc said her calcium levels were in the 'slightly elevated' but 'well within the normal range' and nothing to really worry about. She's been eating plenty of greens and getting regular baths but she still has been slow to pass anything.

I just got her third poop since (in the bath) and like the last two, about a third of her urate is a bright crystally yellow. All I've read means this usually indicates too much calcium, or a buildup of unprocessed calcium, is that right?

not very good lighting here - the yellow in the urate is a hard bright yellow in person
108608-405200166.jpg

She's still growing and has a decent appetite so I don't want to cut back on her supplements too much, but I'm considering reducing her calcium supplements to see if her urate turns a healthy white again and if that helps her with having more regular movements. Good idea? Bad idea?

* I also just bought some calcium w/out D3 for the first time and thought I would try swapping it in some days of the week for the calcium w/D3 that I've always used to see if that had any positive effects on her. The weather's been nice so I've been getting her in the actual sunshine a little bit most days and I have a Reptisun 10.0 HO about 12.5" above one of her basking spots so I don't think she's lacking D3. That said, I'm not sure if that would have any bearing on her urate situation.

Anyway, just wanna make sure my plan sounds safe and see if anyone had any pointers.

Many thanks!
 

CooperDragon

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The change in urate color *can* indicate an issue with supplementation but not necessarily. If the blood test revealed normal kidney function I probably wouldn't worry about it too much. You could try cutting back on supplements for a while and see if that has an effect. I would also offer some more water via hydrating foods like squash and by dripping water on her nose to lick up if she wants to. Extra hydration can help kidney function and may change the urate to a whiter color.
 

zampano

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Hey CooperDragon,

Thanks as always. I talked to our vet the day her first poop came and she said something similar, that the test would've shown if that yellowness was really something to worry about, to keep an eye on it, etc. I think I'll par back just a little bit on the dusting and see if I get any positive differences. She has been thirstier than usual lately, I even saw her drink from her bath for the first time ever, so I'll take that approach you suggested. She doesn't like to drink off her nose/from a dropper much and really only eats leafy greens- can't get her to eat squash, apple, carrots, etc. I think we're approaching that time when I need to stop letting her gorge on bugs so she enjoys her salad a little more. But will keep pushing for her to drink more and she still gets regular baths (every other day usually). If things get worse I'll double back for advice but thanks for putting my mind at ease for now ))

best
 

Drache613

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Hello,

This is a relatively common ailment. Since you are using a HO tube bulb, I would definitely
decrease or leave out completely, the D3 supplementation & just stick with calcium without
any D3.
You could also start increasing her oral fluids daily, or every other day just to help flush out
her system right now.

Tracie
 

zampano

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Thanks Tracie,

I'll work on the daily fluids and will see how it goes with the plain calcium (mostly) for now. Since I never have the $ to splurge on a UV meter I've always tried to keep a relatively new HO bulb in there where she can get a foot away from it, just to be sure she gets what she needs. But I only recently started reading about how that + the supplements might be too much.

She's getting ready to do some shedding and looking otherwise fine, so I think it should be easy to spot if she starts feeling off.

Glad its not a serious problem and will keep an eye on things. thanks again!
 

Drache613

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Hello,

It is hard getting extra fluids into them. I hope that goes well. How is her shedding coming
along for her? The T5 tube bulbs tend to last at least 8 months but in my experience, they
hold up longer than that with their UVB emissions.
It sounds like she is doing well overall, but keep us posted on her progress.

Tracie
 

zampano

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Yeah she often gets grumpy when I'm trying to get her excited about water and she isn't into it. I've been giving her little baths every 1-2 days still and tricking her into eating a more juicy salad and it seems to be paying off. She had another poop just 2 days after the previous one and it looked about 50% better )

As for her shed, she seems to get slower with it and more patchy over time. She was a pretty full and consistent shedder when growing last year. Now all she's done since winter was her mouth/eyebrows several weeks ago, and now it looks like she's starting work on her her head, some of her upper-torso, her front forearms, and half of her tail. And she's been working on this for weeks, the poor thing :p but as long as she keeps doing it I'm always taking it as a good sign, till she's a full grown gal at least.

108608-1927303183.jpg

It was kind of weirding me out that (with the exception of her front arms), all the spots fixing to shed looked like the areas of her body that aren't submerged when I'm bathing her, see what I mean? Like, her skin is healthy and has a good elasticity to it, I'm guessing its just coincidental but it still strikes me funny at least.

Anyway my roach shipment just arrived and I got some silkworms too that oughta be good and juicy for her. Might pick her up some hornworms next time I'm at the store too, the silkies have another week or two to get full size. Those two treats always cheer her up and seem to help her hydrate quite a bit.
 

zampano

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was coming back to check when i last posted so i could gauge just how long this shed has been taking, and to update on tifa's progress. the shed is finally almost done but she's gonna regret not doing more because this one took weeks :D

she's is back on a daily poop schedule once again, first time since last year, and seems to be the better for it. she doesn't even wait for me to bathe her anymore, she's just going in her viv like in the good ole' days, usually within an hour of waking up. the poops are the picture of health, no weird coloring or nothing. the shift on my keyboard is broken or i'd be using a lot of exclamation points here..she's eating a lot more salad - just discovered she actually likes squash finally - and is eating a steady 2-3 large dubias or large silkies per day. she's been growing about 2-3 grams per week- currently 411.

i think the calcium w/d3 was really too much for her, which is what i wanted on the record here. even though its the same stuff i've given her since she was a baby, at some point it was just an unnecessary amount. overall i've made an effort to be less cavalier with the dusting of our bugs and a lot more reserved, and i'm only using the d3 stuff maybe once weekly. to help with the sudden change i started giving her her baths in a spot in our apartment where she can be in the direct sunlight for 10-20 min. on a day like today when we haven't seen the sun in the last few days, i'll give her a little d3 mixed in with her supps.

she's been such a sport i decided to liven up her viv with a nice little succulent garden - all non-toxic varieties - for her to play with, and she really really enjoys it, and totally spruces up the joint. i'm amazed she hasn't totally demolished it yet.

overall i think i've been kinda overzealous with making sure she gets all the light/supps/etc she needs to a point where it might have been borderline toxic, so i hope this maybe helps someone else having a similar problem some day.

tifa sends her thanks for all the tips :blob8:
108608-1201651781.jpg
 

CooperDragon

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I'll bet she's relieved to have that shed done. I'm glad the succulents are going over well and haven't been trampled.
 

zampano

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I'm a little surprised they are still standing at this point, as she does love climbing all over them. I think having four plants smooshed together helps them maintain posture. The chicks and hens are sturdy broad plants so using them as a kind of base for the others to drape over seems to work well. But knowing they won't all last forever, I'm growing some extras outside the viv so I can swap new ones in when the time comes.

And yeah, post-shed, she seems to be back to her normal ways ) thx all
 

Drache613

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Hello,

She is beautiful! I'm sure she is happy to be done with her shedding, too.
The plants are great it gives her something to do in her tank. They are pretty sturdy.
I'm happy to hear she is back to normal & doing well.
Her appetite is great so it sounds like the shedding was probably affecting her too. Some
do better on D3 than others but if you are using a good UVB light she shouldn't need any
D3 supplementation.

Tracie
 
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