Calcium/Vitamins

Hey Guys,

This is more a question of opinion/experiences, but last year I bought some geckos at a show, when I bred them this past season, I didn't get any good eggs from them. So I asked the person I bought them from how the animals were set up, and he told me that he relied "exclusively on dusting the feeders with Calcium/Vitamin powder". Generally I keep extra Calcium/Vitamin Power (Osteoform/Vionate) in a small dish (usually a bottle cap) for the geckos to lick up on their own. However these specific animals don't seem to be touching it, I usually change it out fairly regularly to keep it fresh, but after about a week and a half, these geckos are not eating it. The animals I raise usually empty the cap in about a week. Is that normal? Which do you guys prefer dusting or letting them eat it on their own? If you do the latter, how long does it take for them to eat it? Just want to make sure these animals are healthy before/if I breed them again.

Thanks

I generally don't keep calcium and supplement in the enclosure in case they overdose on it. I dust feeders every other feeding. I only keep calcium in the cages of the hatchlings because a few of them were showing signs of early MBD until I start putting the calcium in.

Aliza

acpart said:

I generally don't keep calcium and supplement in the enclosure in case they overdose on it. I dust feeders every other feeding. I only keep calcium in the cages of the hatchlings because a few of them were showing signs of early MBD until I start putting the calcium in.

Aliza

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Thank you for your reply Aliza. I have tried strictly dusting with some of my animals but that resulted in some bad seasons. If I may ask, which supplements do you use. I have been doing the method used by Matt Boronak (probably misspelled) of Sasobek reptiles.. With a slight alteration... In his video where he shows what he uses, he actually says he mixes sand in with his mixture... I hated that idea.. So I followed the 1 part Osteoform to 4 parts vionate..although I wasn't getting a good result with dusting so I started leaving the supplements in the tank, hoping for a better season this year.

Thanks,

Keith

I have used Repashy Calcium Plus since 2009 or so. I'm no longer breeding because unfortunately, my geckos are now all crypto positive. As I understand it, geckos that are over supplemented with calcium can have symptoms similar to those that are under supplemented. If it's working better for you to keep it in the enclosure then keep that up. I do think there is room for doing things in different ways. Where in MA are you located?

Aliza

acpart said:

I have used Repashy Calcium Plus since 2009 or so. I'm no longer breeding because unfortunately, my geckos are now all crypto positive. As I understand it, geckos that are over supplemented with calcium can have symptoms similar to those that are under supplemented. If it's working better for you to keep it in the enclosure then keep that up. I do think there is room for doing things in different ways. Where in MA are you located?

Aliza

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Hi Aliza,

Thank you for the information.. I am just trying to make sure these particular animals are healthy before I try to breed them again, I didn't get 1 good egg from them last season.. They are still not eating the calcium/mineral powder like my other animals. I will probably go back to dusting for these animals. I am located in Uxbridge.

Thanks,

Keith

Dusting can work and also you can periodically dip your finger in water, dip it in the calcium and rub the paste on their mouths because they will probably lick it off.

Aliza

Newbie here. I thought the gecko will get the calcium or vitamin through the food they eat, the food like worms or maybe other food/insects already got the calcium, first time to know about the dusting or powder approach.
So is that sometimes the gecko needs to get this kind of powder for a certain reason, or is just a special treatment?
All in all, anyway I can see my house gecko will try to eat anything on the table when left behind unattended for a long time. Maybe they search for a vitamin or what so ever.

Although there are charts indicating how much calcium the feeders contain in their bodies, it's not clear that this amount is in their bodies all the time and also I think that most feeders don't have enough calcium. They most likely don't have enough D3 which is essential for leopard geckos to metabolize the calcium. It's also important that leopard geckos don't get too much of these supplements. It seems that dusting every other feeding usually supplies the appropriate amount. I've found this to be true since 2009 except for newly hatched leopard geckos, some of whom need more calcium (if they don't get it, they start to show signs of MBD. Only a few of the hundreds of leo hatchlings I produced over a 13 year period showed these signs, but it was enough to get me to leave a small bottle cap of plain calcium in the enclosures of newly hatched leopard geckos).

Aliza