I prefer the Zoo Med calcium products, for me they have always worked as they should.
As for being the best calcium supplement, I have to this date not seen an independent study of the various brands conducted.
In my opinion there is much to be said about the Zoo Med product; it is very very fine in granulation, and always very uniform in color. The process by which it is manufactured gives me a higher level of trust that the product is in fact free of heavy metal contamination and truly phosphorus free.
As for vitamin supplementation, I do not regularly suggest any particular product. The reason being that our methods of rearing feeder insects and methods of feeding a varried diet negate the need for supplementation with vitamins nearly universally within our collection. When I find they are required or am in the process of establishing new animals I supplement with human grade vitamins that target a particular deficit or use a multivitamin to get animals to a stable point quickly when they are received in a state of sub par condition due to dehydration and lack of food access.
Once an animal is eating regularly and is well hydrated, I reduce and ultimately eliminate general vitamin supplementation with the exception of vitamin D3, otherwise supplementation is targeted based on my veterinarians advice following a review of feeding data and whatever lab tests she deems fit for the particular situation.
MBD is a very serious issue, more often than not it is directly related to some aspect of failed husbandry, but not always. To avoid it, feed a good diet to your feeder insects and make sure those insects are well hydrated, lightly dust the insects at every feeding with a high quality phosphorus free form of calcium carbonate, make sure the animal has proper access to hydration, and always maintain proper temperatures.
For the most part an animal that is properly cared for will not develop any issues, MBD can be caused by other hereditary issues that prevent calcium uptake, though this is rare.
I truly believe that most instances of MBD are found in animals that are raised on purchased insects, those of us who rear our own feeders and take the time to feed those insects to best possible diets we can, are rewarded with less instances of MBD. Short of breeding your own feeders, feeding the ones you buy for a few days to a week should help the situation.
Maurice Pudlo
