Vitamins and Calcium
- River Gard
- Mar 24, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 7, 2023
I hope this is helpful to someone! -River
Quick Summary
Uvb=calcium without d3
No uvb= calcium with d3
They won't overdose if you don't overdust their feeders.
Keep UVB on 4 hours a day, 7% UVB and no coil bulbs. Arcadia is the best.
Leos in troubled health have special circumstances and should follow different rules.
Multivitamins are not calcium. Multivitamins are dusted depending on age, and calcium is never dusted.
Basic info:
Geckos cannot process non-d3 without UVB. If you don't have UVB, use D3 in the enclosure.
Leos regulate their own calcium intake by licking the bowl when they need calcium, though it is unlikely that you will see it. They know when they need it and don't. That's why dusting is actually more harmful than healthy, and why UVB is a major help.
You can easily overdose and underdose your leos calcium. This is what people refer to when they say "overdose" but the sheer quantity that they would need to consume would be improbable but not impossible. I put about 1 table spoon of calcium, but that is not the only measurement you can use, just what I've found to be less wasteful.
On the other hand multivitamins should be applied to feeders 2 times a week for a baby or 1 time a week for an adult. Calcium does not provide all the nutrients they need, and in captivity they cannot access those vitamins. So, we need to dust them instead. They can overdose on this so it is never left in the enclosure. (It is like a multivitamin we take as humans but in a powder-like form similar to calcium, usually a different color)
Helpful tips:
Sometimes when calcium gets wet it can turn different colors. Try taking a small portion of it and mixing a small amount with water when you first get it. This way you won't wonder what it is if you see a weird color in your vivarium. Some calcium brands turn red. This can be alarming because you think your leo is bleeding. Thoroughly check the leo and monitor it, but if you test the calcium you can know if it is that.
Health:
If the leo is in a state where you suspect or know the leo has metabolic bone disease or metabolic bone disease, dusting calcium with D3 every other day will help but the most effective option is UVB.
Get a UVB light of 2%-7% (5% or 7% is preferred) with this leave calcium without d3 in the enclosure and continue dusting feeders with calcium with d3 (only every 2 days though) stop dusting feeders after the leo shows any progress or any change. I would continue dusting feeders 1-2 times a week until the vet clears the leo of current danger. Make sure to provide lots of cover and hides for the leo to retreat to, to escape UVB. Leave on for 4 hours a day.
UVB usage:
Leopard geckos greatly benefit from proper UVB, but what comes with this is the horrible alternative UVB lights that brands make such as coil bulbs. Your leo may not receive enough UVB from these bulbs, which is sad because he/she might be deprived of d3.
The only proper type of UVB for a Leo is 5%-7% UVB in a tube/long bulb in a dome specific for that bulb. The most reliable, most trusted, most effective brand is arcadia shade dweller.
You should leave the UVB 12 inches away from the leo, or it could lead to UV burns. With a wired mesh lid you should get 7%, as it weakens the UVB. It should only be left on for a maximum of 4 hours a day.
If you are using UVB, you should still provide multivitamins, because it does not cause the leo to produce multivitamins. UVB enables leopard geckos to produce d3 as they would in the wild under the sun.
They would get their other vitamins from scavenging and other things they cannot do in captivity, hence the dusting of vitamins.
Metabolic bone disease:
Metabolic bone disease is permanent, but it can be stopped, and in some cases the leo even recovers to some extent.
This is why it is so critical to use the right calcium. People think they are doing right, and then accidentally hurt their leos.
Vitamin Schedules
Links
UVB 7%
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/36311-arcadia-shadedweller-prot5-uvb-kit--12?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4feBBhC9ARIsABp_nbUqSCWJjBgp2KehRWNRs88Do1soOmlMl_x74xF6HhRO--qDU08RBDYaAnFUEALw_wcB
Calcium without d3 (flukers also carries it)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UJPHL8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_HomeGbWHJS5W4
Calcium with d3 (repti calcium is also a good brand but more expensive)
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