Question regarding Calcium & Multivitamin usage

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HiddenHand

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How often should I be using these supplements? My little guy/gal is going on 4 months old and I am afraid he has become addicted to both as he doesn't seem to want to eat his Dubai's or crickets unless I dust them first. Everything I have read seems to conflict and I am curious to get some veteran owners opinions. I use Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamin and Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3 (phosphorus free).

He will eat 15-20 3/4 sized dubais/crickets a feeding and I am concerned he could be eating to much of the supplements now that his appetite has really kicked into gear. I use Dubai's as his staple but he also gets nutri-grubs, horn worms, medium super worms, and wax worms as occasional treats between regular feedings. As far as greens go he has been really picky but his favorite is collard greens and bell peppers. I have not withheld food to get him to eat more greens because he is still really young.

He is so cute though and I've started hand feeding him to gain trust but now if I offer him a bug without some form of powder on it I swear he looks up at me like "What the #*#*# is this"? He will even lick the dust off my fingers to get his fix.

Should I be concerned?
 

Shinryu

Hatchling Member
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Hi! Here's a post that sounds very relevant to your situation. It addresses the same question for a 3 month old beardie so seemed especially relevant to me.

Generally, my understanding that for beardies under a year old, calcium is daily and vitamins are 4 to 5 times per week. Dubias are a good staple. Occasional hornworms are great if sized right and can help with hydration a lot.

As far as nutri-grubs, I found this old post.
Nutri Grubs for beardies? Seems like you need to feed a lot of them.

@CooperDragon, are superworms ok for young beardies? I know that mealworms are not for baby/young bearded dragons because of risk of impaction and superworms seem like they share some similarities with mealworms. Super worms and wax worms are high in fat so it's good to have a varied diet.

As far as veggies, collard greens are a great staple for beardies. I've always heard that bell peppers should be fed only occasionally (maybe once per week?) because they are high in Vitamin A, which isn't good in big amounts for beardies.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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What type of UVB light do you have in place? If you're using a high output UVB source, you may not need to use calcium with D3 and could use plain calcium powder. If you use a lower output source (such as a T8 or a compact/coil bulb) then using D3 supplement is probably a good idea.

I would dust the bugs in a light, even coat at every meal. Use the calcium daily, and substitute the multivitamin in once or twice per week. You just need to dust the bugs, not the veges.

As far as the superworms go, it kind of depends on the size. If they are able to chew them down well, then they probably won't pose a problem. I think the crunchy shelled bugs (including mealworms) can be beneficial as a small part of the overall diet because the hard shells can help to clean their teeth and gums as they chew. Since dubias are in the diet, that should help take care of that quite a bit so perhaps soft worms like black soldier fly larvae or silk worms are a good idea
 

HiddenHand

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What type of UVB light do you have in place? If you're using a high output UVB source, you may not need to use calcium with D3 and could use plain calcium powder. If you use a lower output source (such as a T8 or a compact/coil bulb) then using D3 supplement is probably a good idea.

I would dust the bugs in a light, even coat at every meal. Use the calcium daily, and substitute the multivitamin in once or twice per week. You just need to dust the bugs, not the veges.

As far as the superworms go, it kind of depends on the size. If they are able to chew them down well, then they probably won't pose a problem. I think the crunchy shelled bugs (including mealworms) can be beneficial as a small part of the overall diet because the hard shells can help to clean their teeth and gums as they chew. Since dubias are in the diet, that should help take care of that quite a bit so perhaps soft worms like black soldier fly larvae or silk worms are a good idea
The light is a Reptisun 10.0 USB, 18" 15 watts, T8 tube lighting with fixture. He is eating lots of food and seems to be vary active but I may go ahead and get a higher output bulb. The one I purchased was supplied in a link by someone on reddit. He has really went into a growth spurt lately and I want what is best for him.

His staple food is dubai's roughly 30-40 a day, 3/4 size but he does get a variety of other insects occasionally. Wax worms, nutri grubs, horn worms, The super worms I ordered are medium sized but he doesn't get them often at all, more like the occasional treat. I've not noticed any partially digested outer shell in his BM's and he goes pretty regularly.

He will snack on a salad of collard greens in the morning but he doesn't go crazy with greens yet. I was concerned he might be getting to much in the way of supplements as his appetite has increased dramatically over the past few months.

Thank you for the information. :)
 

Shinryu

Hatchling Member
Staff member
Lead Writer
I'm
The light is a Reptisun 10.0 USB, 18" 15 watts, T8 tube lighting with fixture. He is eating lots of food and seems to be vary active but I may go ahead and get a higher output bulb. The one I purchased was supplied in a link by someone on reddit. He has really went into a growth spurt lately and I want what is best for him.

His staple food is dubai's roughly 30-40 a day, 3/4 size but he does get a variety of other insects occasionally. Wax worms, nutri grubs, horn worms, The super worms I ordered are medium sized but he doesn't get them often at all, more like the occasional treat. I've not noticed any partially digested outer shell in his BM's and he goes pretty regularly.

He will snack on a salad of collard greens in the morning but he doesn't go crazy with greens yet. I was concerned he might be getting to much in the way of supplements as his appetite has increased dramatically over the past few months.

Thank you for the information. :)
I apologize if this has been asked already but what size is the tank? Still a young dragon at 4 months so do you have him in a 20 gallon tank? The reason I ask is because 18" is very short for the next size up tank --40 gallon breeder tank. Especially when using a T8 bulb, you would need to make sure that it spans 2/3-3/4 of the total length of your tank. Also T8s need to be mounted inside the tank because they have significantly lower output than T5 bulbs.

If you have a 20 gallon tank, I would recommend upgrading soon and then upgrading the fixture/bulb to a minimum of 24". If you do upgrade the UVB light, the ones that I highly recommend are Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 high output (at least 24") or Arcadia 12 % UVB T5 high output (also at least 24"). If you have a larger tank, you will need a longer tube.
 
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