Are "All-In-One" Supplements Safe?

[FallOutFighter]

I am considering using either Repashy Calcium Plus or Zoo Med Reptivite for my leopard gecko. Is it true that if I use one of them I don't need to dust with any other supplement? It seems to good to be true. Are both of them proven to be safe? If I use one of them do I need to keep a cap filled with Calcium in the tank?

 

[Zux]

Many people here advise against the practice of keeping calcium in tanks and prefer to control supplementation themselves. That way they know what their Herps are getting.

Regarding the two products you mentioned as far as I am aware nobody here would reccomend using ZooMeds Multivitamin product alone without also supplementing calcium via another powder.

As far as Repashy goes that does seem to be designed to be used on its own & daily. From what I have read many people have good things to say about the products and the results they are seeing from using it. I myself am considering trying it out in place of my current regime using of ZooMeds products.


- Shane

 

[FallOutFighter]

Many people here advise against the practice of keeping calcium in tanks and prefer to control supplementation themselves. That way they know what their Herps are getting.

Regarding the two products you mentioned as far as I am aware nobody here would reccomend using ZooMeds Multivitamin product alone without also supplementing calcium via another powder.

As far as Repashy goes that does seem to be designed to be used on its own & daily. From what I have read many people have good things to say about the products and the results they are seeing from using it. I myself am considering trying it out in place of my current regime using of ZooMeds products.


- Shane

Well Reptivite does include calcium, D3, and vitamins but yea looks like most people recommend Repashy Calcium Plus so that's the one I'm gonna go with.

 

[Russellm0704]

I have great success with Repashy.

 

[Zux]

Well Reptivite does include calcium, D3, and vitamins but yea looks like most people recommend Repashy Calcium Plus so that's the one I'm gonna go with.

Actually there is two versions, I buy Reptivite without D3 because I include D3 with my calcium but yea, I think ill do the same.

 

[Dinosnores]

I've been using calcium plus (along with consistently feeding my feeder bugs a nutritious, balanced diet as well as gutloading) for a while now with my guy, Sarge, and it's been working out super well for me. It does a great job of coating the bugs without clumping and Sarge looks absolutely amazing and the symptoms of MBD from his previous home are slowly starting to get less severe.

I think if you use ONLY one of those all-in-one supplements and don't make your feeder bugs healthy by giving them food with a good Ca ratio and gutloading them then you could run into trouble.

 

[FallOutFighter]

I've been using calcium plus (along with consistently feeding my feeder bugs a nutritious, balanced diet as well as gutloading) for a while now with my guy, Sarge, and it's been working out super well for me. It does a great job of coating the bugs without clumping and Sarge looks absolutely amazing and the symptoms of MBD from his previous home are slowly starting to get less severe.

I think if you use ONLY one of those all-in-one supplements and don't make your feeder bugs healthy by giving them food with a good Ca ratio and gutloading them then you could run into trouble.

What food would you recommend for feeding and gutloading?

 

[Russellm0704]

For gut loading my mealworms, I keep them on wheat bran (which they eat) and throw in carrots for moisture. I have a mealworm colony so I never have my mealworms in the fridge, but if you do store them in fridge then take them out a day before feeding them to your gecko and gut load them.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

For gut loading my mealworms, I keep them on wheat bran (which they eat) and throw in carrots for moisture. I have a mealworm colony so I never have my mealworms in the fridge, but if you do store them in fridge then take them out a day before feeding them to your gecko and gut load them.

Wheat bran is loaded with phosphorus. Please check this out: Show Foods

One of our goals is to feed our geckos insects balanced 1.5 to 2.0 parts calcium to 1.0 part phosphorus. How is that possible if we feed/gut load them with wheat bran or wheat germ?

 

[Russellm0704]

Wheat bran is loaded with phosphorus. Please check this out: Show Foods

One of our goals is to feed our geckos insects balanced 1.5 to 2.0 parts calcium to 1.0 part phosphorus. How is that possible if we feed/gut load them with wheat bran or wheat germ?

I have been using this method for over 3 years with 3 successful breeding seasons. I learned this method from many of the top breeders who also have their own mealworm colony. I know that it has worked for me and many others. It is also how all the top mealworm providers keep their colonies. So any mealworms that we buy are probably raised this way.

 

[Dinosnores]

What food would you recommend for feeding and gutloading?

I follow the specifications in the master care sheet (I use dubia roaches, superworms, and refrigerated mealworms). There are a lot of options to choose from as far as veggies/fruits for moisture, just check that table Elizabeth linked to so you can make sure the ratios are okay. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the closer you can get, the better.

For dubias and superworms, I feed them a nutritious dry diet every day (dubias get bearded dragon food, superworms get bran) with some kind of fruit or veggie every other day or so. I don't leave the fruit/veggies in there all the time or else they'll only eat that. For the mealworms, I use the method Russel described and take them out 10-24 hours ahead of time and put them in a cup with some leafy greens so they can warm up and start eating. I may switch to breeding my own mealworms, though, because I always seem to have some that look fine in the cup but have died in their dormant state and never wake up, it's like a 20% loss each time.