Such a Thing as Too Much Calcium?

[burntotears]

Beardie ate a bunch of dusted feeders this morning and they left a lot of dust behind in his enclosure. I saw him walking around licking up the calcium dust that was left behind on the floor. Is that okay? I don't want him to get sick from too much.

Is it better to dust feeders in a container and feed them inside of it rather than inside their enclosure where it will leave dust particles everywhere?

 

[CooperDragon]

Once in a while if they lick up calcium it shouldn't be a problem. They can get too much calcium but it would probably take quite a bit. It's more likely just to pass through. I usually dust by shaking bugs in a cup (old yogurt container, cleaned) and then letting them crawl out with a nice light, even coat of supplement on them. Most of the excess stays in the container. I wipe up any dust that remains in the enclosure.

 

[burntotears]

Yeah I was having issues with crickets in the cricket keeper and getting them dusted I had to put it in the tubes with them and then when I was shaking them from the tube it threw dust everywhere that he later went after. I would like to not have crickets at all eventually, they are such a pain. And my baby doesn't seem that interested in chasing them around the enclosure. If they come near him then he'll snatch it up but otherwise he has no attention span for it. Or he's just lazy and wants his food to come to him.

 

[CooperDragon]

Dubia roaches are much easier to care for. I don't miss crickets one bit. I kept both of them in cardboard tubes which makes them easy to shake out into a cup as needed.

 

[CJuddy]

Feeding too much calcium can cause your beardie to have to pass it in its urate. If it happens continuously you run the risk of a type of MBD called hypercalcemia.