uvb and d3...

[Lovethelife07]

a breeder friend of mine said that i only need to use a uvb if im using a dust that is the outdoor formula and DOESNT have d3...he also said that if i use d3 AND the uvb the only thing the uvb is doing is making her colors brighter...
i use sticky tongue farms indoor formula WITH d3 and a uvb ...am i wrong? i thought that the uvb made it possible for my beardie to digest all of her calcium; wether or not i use the d3 or not. i always thought you had to have both d3 and the uvb for the enclosure...he totally messed up my whole thinking when he said that
any suggestions welcome

 

[riceko]

The guy I bought Scorch from is very knowledgeable on beardie health and he told me that they don't need D3 in their powder since the UVB provides them with that.
I'm not 100%, just going off of what Jeff tells me. Someone correct me if I was told wrong

EDIT: I'm also pretty sure the UVB light is essential to BD health. I don't think calcium powder with D3 can give the health benefits it gets from a UVB. But again, correct me if I am wrong.

 

[imageofeva]

ur right. don't need d3 with uv bulbs but absolutely need uv bulb!!! its essential to bone development. my stumpy, who is a rescue, didn't have the proper set up and has mbd which stunted his growth, misformed his jaw, etc., etc., etc.

 

[riceko]

Aw poor stumpy!
I really hope the week away from UVB doesn't hurt scorch too much. She's 4 inches short for being 6 months T_T (she's 11 in... should be 14.5).

 

[imageofeva]

a week is ok but no longer. also, you could go sit outside for some natural light. i try to do that once a week. i put them in my dog's pool (with or without water) and let them soak it in. just 30 minutes in the sun and their colors really pop!

 

[Lovethelife07]

thanks guys
but since i do dust with d3...could i OD lilly on her d3 intake? she seems great-eating like a horse lol and shes still chill with letting me pick her up
shes close to 5 or 6 months old and shes about a foot...give or take an inch-thats normal right?

 

[imageofeva]

that's a good size. mine 6 month old is 10-11 inches with a tail nip. d3 can prohibit the absorption of another necessary vitamin or mineral. i'm not certain and i'm sure someone will tell you which but i think its vitamin a which is related to vision. i'd switch. order it online and you'll save money.

 

[diamc]

Actually, the only time you DON'T need calcium with D3 is when you are using a mercury vapor bulb because those bulbs produce their own D3. You DO need to use calcium WITH D3 when using any other type of UVB (the only good ones you should use are the fluorescent other than the MVB's) because the UVB's and calcium work together to help your beardie process what he needs and to help prevent metabolic bone disease as well as other health issues. You shouldn't use calcium and vitamins mixed together because your beardie needs more calcium than he does vitamins and too many vitamins can cause toxicity. With a beardie under 1 1/2 yrs old, you should be dusting with calcium 5 days a wk, but only 1 feeding a day and with vitamins the other 2 days a wk. When your beardie is 1 1/2 yrs old & older, then you should cut the calcium back to 3 days a wk and the vitamins to 1 day a wk. Hope this helps clarify things.

 

[Lovethelife07]

thanks diamc...i knew i needed them both i just couldnt figure out who was right...im going to keep lilly on the d3 dust and her reptisun, do you know where to get really good vitamin stuff? i had a feeling that the one i was using was good so i stopped

 

[diamc]

Here's the recommended vitamins: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-supplements/105550/herptivite-multivitamin.html You can get a 5% discount if you enter "FIVE" in the discount box.