Calcium Help Please

[TheWerewolf]

Okay, I am confused about the calcium for my Nim. Here is the cause of my confusion.

So, I didn't give Nim calcium for a week or two after I got him. Then I bought some and started dusting. Using the schedule I think everyone uses on this site. Calcium: One feeding a day for five days. Multivitamin: One feeding a day for two days. Are these correct? I am following them. But here is my confusion. I heavily dusted his crickets and fed him as much as he wanted in 10 to 15 minutes. But I began to see yellow crystalline things in his urates. Then I read somewhere on this site that the cause for that is too much calcium. So I stopped the calcium altogether for a week or two. The yellow crystals stopped appearing. Now, when I hold him I usually play with his legs. But I heard the joints creak. Not loud, but if you listened carefully you could hear it. So I began to start the calcium up again. Now I still follow the dusting schedule but dust the crickets so lightly they appear slightly white. For a week I saw normal urates and his limbs didn't creak. So I thought I struck gold. But I think I am wrong now because the yellow crystals are back in his urates! I am so worried! Could this kill him? His husbandry is correct. I even have the ReptiSun 10.0 tube. I worry about this guy so much. I love him so. I don't want to be killing him. Here is a picture of the calcium I am using.

Oh, and I am not sure if this helps or not but Nim is being fed on Zoo-Med canned o' crickets and wild pesticide free dandelion greens. We don't have the money to even buy bulk crickets, roaches, or phoenix worms right now. I wish I bought and raised a colony of dubia before I got Nim. I didn't even know there was such a thing as 'feeder roaches' before I got him. I am just so worried about him. It seems like everyday I find something about his behavior that scares me. Most of the time it is stupid worries over slight harmless things. Could this be one of them? He is also getting every other day baths and misted greens. He doesn't act lethargic. He is alert and glass dances to get out, or for food. When I take him out he runs around till he gets cold and wants snuggles.
If I have missed anything that will solve this problem. Please ask. I love my boy more than the world. I would and will do ANYTHING to help my boy. I am very worried.

P.S. Mods, if I put this in the wrong spot, you are free to move it.

 

[Tonja]

I have a parmesan cheese container with a mesh screen over the shaker holes...I put in about 1/8th tsp of calcium and then dump my crickets in it close it up and shake and roll it to LIGHTLY coat the crickets, now dubia...open up the side with the shaker holes and shake out the calcium excess thru the screen, close it, open the other side and dump them into Geicos and Ems enclosure..they are just barely dusted and have been doing this..never saw a yellow urate on either of them doing this. I dust one feeding 5 x a week and vitamins 2 x a week and they seem to do fine with this and no signs of MBD. Hope this helps!

 

[TheWerewolf]

Thanks. But I am still confused because I kind of dust the same way. Maybe less. So, since he has the canned crickets I usually make a sort of canned cricket and dandelion green salad. To dust it I just take half of an 1/8th of a teaspoon and sprinkle it on his food. I am doing it so lightly that I am confused as to why he has yellow crystals in his urates.

 

[Tonja]

I have never seen crystals in Geicos poo but where they urate meets the poo <gross I know> its a little yellowish not much but a little..I always thought it was the poo mixing a bit with the urate <discoloration> as its being evacuated..

 

[TheWerewolf]

Oh, that's an idea. Because there is yellow crystals right in between the poo and the urate. But sometimes I do see it on his urates. I'll post a picture of his poo when he does his morning poop. So that others can evaluate it.

 

[Amy2]

I use this same calcium...is this calcium ok to use? I know it isn't the most recommended one, but is it still alright?

 

[TheWerewolf]

I've been using it for months and haven't found a problem. And Nim's problem is fixed. I figured that every other day should do. And I think the yellow crystals are out of his poop.

 

[Amy2]

Good, because I have been using it for Gizmo since I got him. I have backed down on how much I use it with him, I use it about 3 - 4 times a week, and then his vitamins 2 times a week.

 

[Burra]

I am currently using this calcium as well because our local pet store was out of rep-cal. I'm not having any problems with it health-wise, but I do find it messier than rep-cal.