Calcium - Why do we Dust it? They don't get it in the Wild?

[thatLizardGuy]

So I dust Calcium like everyone else.

But today I was thinking why do we do it?

I mean if you think about it nobody goes around Dusting Bearded Dragon's Food with Calcium in the Wild in Australia and they do good without it.

So why do we have to use it in Captivity?

 

[Elmontare]

Correct me if im wrong but i thought it was due to the fact that natural sunlight is stronger than any amount of UV bulbs a beardie could have and it stimulates production of D3 which obsorbs calcium. And the smaller amounts of calcium found in wild dragons diet is more efficiently used because of this.

 

[Taterbug]

It's not so much about the lighting, but the prey.

The diet of wild dragons is more diverse than what we offer. Crickets and most insects we offer are easy to cultivate but dismal sources of calcium. Wild prey may include items like isopods and other naturally high calcium bugs, insects that have been eating who knows what, perhaps occasional vertebrates, as well as dirt and minerals their food has on them or is self supplemented from dirt or other sources. Animals in the wild are being shown more and more to select their food sources for particular nutrients such as calcium and it's not unreasonable to extrapolate that to lizards.

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

In the wild, beardies will eat all kinds of things, as mentioned - including tiny lizards, birds and mammals.

Not only that, but they'll also go digging for calcium sources - if you put a pale, rough rock somewhere your dragon can access it, you might find they have a scratch and a lick at it to see if there's any calcium to be had.

Several of my gang will have a scrape at our empty stone fireplace (and in the garden on the flag stones, near pale patches) to see if they can find "wild" calcium - I've taken to offering them a cup with extra powder in and letting them have a good go at it when they're mooching for "wild" calcium.

 

[dementedlullaby]

Correct me if im wrong but i thought it was due to the fact that natural sunlight is stronger than any amount of UV bulbs a beardie could have and it stimulates production of D3 which obsorbs calcium. And the smaller amounts of calcium found in wild dragons diet is more efficiently used because of this.

Wow this is great info! I shake for my lizards. I just never questioned it! Thanks to the topic creator for asking as it led to a great explanation like this.

It does lead me to another question though lol . Since leopard geckos are nocturnal and we keepers don't use lights on them do they process vitamins in another way? I guess this question goes for nocturnal lizards of any species, not just leos. I know it's not a Beardie question, just got me to thinking and I'm sure we have some other leo owners here besides me .

 

[Taterbug]

Geckos have much thinner skin, and UVB light permeates it much more easily. A dragons thick keratinized skin protetcs them from the harsh Australian sun, but critters geckos need very little UVB to make adequate D3.

Some keepers do keep their leopard geckos and snakes under UVB lighting - though they also provide them with much more elaborate habitats to allow them to regulate themselves, and use lower strength bulbs than out dragons need. Leopard geckos are more accurately labeld as "crepuscular" than nocturnal I think (I'm a little rusty on leos) and are active at dawn and dusk as well. Either way, it makes sense to provide a natural day/night cycle complete with UVB - though some animals don't need it the way others do.

Other animals like geckos and snakes are also more adapted to using dietary D3 - they get more use from the D3 in powder than dragons do.

 

[dementedlullaby]

Geckos have much thinner skin, and UVB light permeates it much more easily. A dragons thick keratinized skin protetcs them from the harsh Australian sun, but critters geckos need very little UVB to make adequate D3.

Some keepers do keep their leopard geckos and snakes under UVB lighting - though they also provide them with much more elaborate habitats to allow them to regulate themselves, and use lower strength bulbs than out dragons need. Leopard geckos are more accurately labeld as "crepuscular" than nocturnal I think (I'm a little rusty on leos) and are active at dawn and dusk as well. Either way, it makes sense to provide a natural day/night cycle complete with UVB - though some animals don't need it the way others do.

Other animals like geckos and snakes are also more adapted to using dietary D3 - they get more use from the D3 in powder than dragons do.

That was very educational. I was advised by the leopardgecko forums to only use my heatpad as the lights could stress them so that's what I've been doing instead . The original question just got me thinking, sometimes it's nice to know the "why" behind the practice and not just accept it like a zombie :mrgreen: .

Thank you!

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Correct me if im wrong but i thought it was due to the fact that natural sunlight is stronger than any amount of UV bulbs a beardie could have and it stimulates production of D3 which obsorbs calcium. And the smaller amounts of calcium found in wild dragons diet is more efficiently used because of this.

Wow this is great info! I shake for my lizards. I just never questioned it! Thanks to the topic creator for asking as it led to a great explanation like this.

It does lead me to another question though lol . Since leopard geckos are nocturnal and we keepers don't use lights on them do they process vitamins in another way? I guess this question goes for nocturnal lizards of any species, not just leos. I know it's not a Beardie question, just got me to thinking and I'm sure we have some other leo owners here besides me .

Your Welcome.

And thanks for Posting about Leopard Geckos and about them not getting much UVB because they are Nocturnal.

Which remindes me about other animals I keep.

Mainly Poison Dart Frogs.

We Froggers Dust the Fruit Flies with Calcium but do Not use any UVB Whatsoever.

So the Leopard Geckos may not get much UVB but Poison Arrow Frogs get absolutly Zero UVB.

Anybody know how the Frogs process the Calcium?

 

[Taterbug]

Do you use calcium+D3 for the frogs?

Interesting article - not sure if not can answer your question or not. I'll not so savvy on amphibians. https://aark.portal.isis.org/researchguide/amphibian%20zoo%20studies/amphibian%20uv-b%20and%20vitamin%20d3.pdf

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Do you use calcium+D3 for the frogs?

Interesting article - not sure if not can answer your question or not. I'll not so savvy on amphibians. https://aark.portal.isis.org/researchguide/amphibian%20zoo%20studies/amphibian%20uv-b%20and%20vitamin%20d3.pdf

Not sure?

I use Repahsy for all my Animals because everyone says that it is the Best Calcium out there.

I will have to look at the Bottle

 

[Taterbug]

Repashy has D3 I'm it - so dietary D3 would be my guess