[L_i_Z_a_R_D_M_a_N]

What is the difference between pure calcium and calcium with D3. and why do I need to use both?

[Doublet74]

I know somebody is gonna jump all over me for this BUT here goes. Regular calcium is needed to prevent MBD its a disease that weekens the bones and can kill geckos. D3 is required to add vitamin D to the gecko because they dont bask in the sun to absorb it that way. That is the VERY short answer. Now do understand Im not an expert. BUT that pretty much sums up my understanding of it. LET THE ATTACKS BEGIN !!

[Elizabeth Freer]

Originally Posted by Doublet74

I know somebody is gonna jump all over me for this BUT here goes. Regular calcium is needed to prevent MBD its a disease that weekens the bones and can kill geckos. D3 is required to add vitamin D to the gecko because they dont bask in the sun to absorb it that way. That is the VERY short answer. Now do understand Im not an expert. BUT that pretty much sums up my understanding of it. LET THE ATTACKS BEGIN !!

Thanks for sharing. You are very brave and correct!

Too much D3 is bad news as well, that's why lightly dusting prey with calcium with D3 is just recommended 2-3x/week and leaving a small dish of 100% pure calcium in the tank for leos, for breeding females, is highly recommended. Depending upon need, the leo will eat the calcium or not.

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...sa-kaplan.html

And, BTW, you want phosphorous-free calcium with D3: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...osphorous.html

(Humans need D3 too.)

[Hilde]

The gecko needs both calcium and Vit D3, so you need both to some extent.

Vit D3 helps absorb calcium (Ca). Without enough D3, the gecko won't be able to absorb enough Ca, resulting in MBD. Vit D also plays a role in cell growth, calcium/phosphate regulation, neuromuscular and immune functions.

With a properly balanced diet, the gecko can make D3 if exposed to UVB in the correct wavelength range (direct sunlight exposure or UVB bulbs which produce it in the correct range). Adding D3 to the diet forces the body to absorb it, possibly causing an overdose of D3 - which produces a form of MBD. Too much D3 or not enough can both result in MBD, so it's important to use the proper dosage. Vit D3 is fat soluble, meaning it is stored in the body, unlike some vitamins which are water soluble - excess is eliminated from the body making it almost impossible to overdose in healthy geckos. Once enough D3 has been absorbed, excess can start causing new problems. If the gecko gets the D3 via exposure to UVB, then there's no overdosing - the body only makes what it needs, making more as necessary.

If your gecko is healthy, has a balanced diet, then don't use D3 with every dusting. Depending on your feeding routine, every 2nd or 3rd feeding is probably enough. It also depends on how much D3 is added to the dusting - lots of D3 would mean including it less often, while skimping on D3 might mean including it at every feeding. It's hard to say how much and how often you should add D3 without knowing how much is in the vitamin or calcium supplement. Follow some of the suggested supplementing routines, watch the gecko carefully (it might take a few months to see if it's getting enough or too much), then adjust accordingly.

[Mgecko]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Freer

Too much D3 is bad news as well, that's why lightly dusting prey with calcium with D3 is just recommended 2-3x/week and leaving a small dish of 100% pure calcium in the tank for leos, for breeding females, is highly recommended. Depending upon need, the leo will eat the calcium or not.

Is that just for leos, that should have permanent availability of pure calcium? What about other types of geckos? And is there a way to tell if they are getting too much d3?

[Elizabeth Freer]

Originally Posted by Mgecko

Is that just for leos, that should have permanent availability of pure calcium? What about other types of geckos? And is there a way to tell if they are getting too much d3?

This recommendation is for all leos and breeding females of other genuses as well.

[Mgecko]

I did read hilde's post already, thanks

[MauricesExoticPets]

Think of vitamin D3 as the key to the vault that stores calcium, all the calcium in the world does no good if you do not have the key to get in there.

A key being very small is all that is needed, but without it you are out of luck.

As mentioned above, phosphorous in your calcium is not always a good thing. All geckos need phosphorous but it is not often more than is already in the insects they consume.

Calcium, Phosphorous, and Vitamin D3 all work together to allow your gecko to form bones, and use its muscles correctly.

Vitamin D3 is one of those that is stored in the fat, thus when an excess is present it will get placed into storage for use when there is a shortage in the diet. If you keep providing an excess the possibility increases that the high level of stored vitamin D3 will become toxic.

Most of us that have been doing this for some time suggest lightly dusting feeders, this helps reduce the chance of excess vitamins being consumed by our geckos, leos are among a number of geckos that will take powdered calcium right out of a dish to self adjust their calcium level, if they need more they will consume more.

Maurice Pudlo

[cricket4u]

Originally Posted by Hilde

With a properly balanced diet, the gecko can make D3 if exposed to UVB in the correct wavelength range (direct sunlight exposure or UVB bulbs which produce it in the correct range).. If the gecko gets the D3 via exposure to UVB, then there's no overdosing - the body only makes what it needs, making more as necessary.

I really like this, it proves my logic This whole thing should be stickied somewhere.

[Riverside Reptiles]

Originally Posted by cricket4u

I really like this, it proves my logic This whole thing should be stickied somewhere.

The problem with this is that many gecko species are nocturnal and won't receive D3 through natural sunlight OR artificial lighting. In fact, it's known to cause vision issues as well as even sunburn in some rare case. Of course, there are diurnal gecko species as well that do quite well under UV lighting. The bottom line is that each species needs to be treated as its own entity. There is not one blanket answer that covers the needs of them all. Your logic is not flawed at all...depending on which species you're talking about. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is assuming that one species can be treated the same as another. We all do it from time to time.

As for stickies. I'm not really big on them. Most people ignore them anyways. And if I stickied every thread that someone asked me to, we'd have nothing but stickies. I try to keep them to a minimum and hope that people are smart enough to use the search feature to dig and find the information that is archived in these forums. THose that do, will benefit greatly from it. Those that don't, probably aren't that interested anyways.