Repashy question

[PaladinGirl]

Hi all

The situation:

Is anyone familiar with the Repashy brand Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus supplement? It's labeled as a vitamin/mineral supplement. It says it has 40,000 IU/kg of vitamin D3 in it. I also keep a dish of Zoo Med Repti Calcium w/o D3 and w/o phos in the tank, as well as a little of the Repashy mixed in with it. I usually dust food with the regular calcium every other day, and do the Repashy every few days. My leo is approximately 3 to 5 months old or so.

I am just wondering:

1. Should I get a supplement that is straight Ca w/ vit D3, and a separate supplement that is just vitamins/minerals? (if there are such things, I admit I haven't really looked)

2. Is it okay to mix a little Repashy into the bowl with the regular calcium I keep in the tank at all times? (Once again, not sure if this is okay, let alone if it should just be Ca w/ D3 w/o vitamins)

3. What kind of schedule should I do for all of these supplements?

4. Does anyone recommend any particular brands? I'm pretty sure the regular Zoo Med calcium w/o D3 that I have is fine, just not sure about the whole vitamin D3/vitamin supplement thing.

Gosh I hope that all made sense because I had to read it several times to make sure it made sense to me, lol! :main_rolleyes:

 

[Wowoklol]

Leopard geckos need less D3 than calcium. D3 in high amounts can poison lizards. Common opinion is it takes a large amount of D3 for this to happen, but bottom line is it can. I'd keep regular calcium in the bowl. Not real sure how often or much D3 they actually need. I plan on dusting food with vitamins w/D3 once or twice a week. From the Repashy forums there is a breeder with 100+ geckos that dusts food with Calcium plus and uses the Repashy gutload and has zero metabolic problems he states. Those are enough in those quantities.
http://www.forums.repashy.com/introduce-yourself/6269-t-rex-leopard-gecko-dust-too-much-d3.html

I might end up with this stuff as well

 

[PaladinGirl]

Cool ty

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Using the Repashy is sufficient dusting feeders at least several times a week, according to the company website. Since breeding season started, many geckos go off food at least part of the time, as well as laying females need additional calcium for egg production. I have plain calcium in gatorade caps for all the adults, and they've been lapping it up, especially the girls. This way, even if they don't have much of an appetite, they still get some needed nutrients.

 

[ElapidSVT]

to achieve a 1.2:1 Ca ratio you need to use calcium with phosphorous in the dish and calcium without phosphorous on insect food. if the ratio is incorrect, the calcium will not be absorbed and the animals may actually lose bone mass.

i have not seen any reports of actual evidence that any lizard has ever been harmed by a vitamin D3 overdose. i use ca with d3 solely.

 

[PaladinGirl]

to achieve a 1.2:1 Ca ratio you need to use calcium with phosphorous in the dish and calcium without phosphorous on insect food. if the ratio is incorrect, the calcium will not be absorbed and the animals may actually lose bone mass.

i have not seen any reports of actual evidence that any lizard has ever been harmed by a vitamin D3 overdose. i use ca with d3 solely.

Oh so leos actually need some phos? I was under the impression that they don't need it at all.

 

[ElapidSVT]

phosphorous is *critical* for calcium absorbtion.
crickets are extremely high in phosphorous so you need calcium without phosphorous to create the proper ratio. there's no phosphorous in the dish so you have to use a calcium WITH phosphorous in the dish.

all vertebrates need the proper ratio of Ca for proper metabolism of Ca.

here's an article on horses that is just as relevant to geckos or any other vertebrate animal
http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/Calcium-Phosphorus.shtml

 

[PaladinGirl]

Okay so

Dust insects with phos-free Ca
Put Ca w/ phos in dish

The phos of the crickets alone doesn't fulfill the ratio? Wouldn't Toon run the risk of too muc Phos if she's getting it both from the dish and from the crickets??

I'll read the article like you said before I get into too much questioning LOL!!

 

[PaladinGirl]

Wait a sec....D3 isn't the same as phos is it?

Edit: No it's not, looked it up

 

[ElapidSVT]

d3 has nothing to do with phosphorous. correct.
as far as using d3 or not i think it's a moot point. there's no scientific evidence that any lizard has ever been negatively affected by too much D3, so i use it in all my calcium supplements.

in my opinion, the Ca ratio is much more important and may be responsible for MBD in animals that receive supplements as well as animlas that receive none.

 

[PaladinGirl]

Sorry I think I edited my last post before you saw it.

The phos in the crickets alone isn't enough? Would she be getting too much phos because she gets it from both the crickets and the dish?

 

[ElapidSVT]

it's not the quantity, it's the ratio of calcium to phosphorous ingested; for each gram of calcium you want a gram of phosphorous or less. the dust you put on the crickets balances the phosphorous content of the cricket. what balances the contents of the dish?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Using the Repashy complete formula takes all the ratio confusion out of the picture.

 

[GrimmyX15]

I use that for every feeding, sometimes I would left worms in dish so Nemo would eat them anytime.

Also I use Calcium worms as needed. Nemo loves them so much and I had to buy 4 cups of 25 ct worms each. It get pretty expenvise but I want to do what's best for my baby.

 

[Wowoklol]

I use that for every feeding, sometimes I would left worms in dish so Nemo would eat them anytime.

Also I use Calcium worms as needed. Nemo loves them so much and I had to buy 4 cups of 25 ct worms each. It get pretty expenvise but I want to do what's best for my baby.

Sounds like you might want to look around for another worm supplier.. Ordering more at a time usually saves you money.

 

[PaladinGirl]

Using the Repashy complete formula takes all the ratio confusion out of the picture.

Does the Repashy have phosphorus in it? I didn't see it listed on the label but I also need to get reading glasses..lol

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Their website has a comprehensive explanation of the product.

 

[PaladinGirl]

I visited the website, which helped clear some things up. It created some additional questions, which I e-mailed them about. I just want to make sure the formula I have is the right stuff because the bottle on the website looks different than the one I have (black bottle with green lid). I am also wondering if I use the Repashy for every feeding and also keep it in her calcium bowl?

Laney, what do you use for supplements?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Angie, I dust feeders with Repashy, but during breeding season, keep a calcium cap in the enclosures. Many of my breeders eat sporadically but will lick the calcium when they don't want to eat. Sometimes I'll put D3 in the cap, depends how their feeding response has been, but usually plain calcium. There's been times they'll turn their nose up at a dusted feeder but will take a plain one a little bit later. I try to be flexible because they don't always behave in their normal patterns and personalities. Sorry if this confuses you more.

 

[PaladinGirl]

Angie, I dust feeders with Repashy, but during breeding season, keep a calcium cap in the enclosures. Many of my breeders eat sporadically but will lick the calcium when they don't want to eat. Sometimes I'll put D3 in the cap, depends how their feeding response has been, but usually plain calcium. There's been times they'll turn their nose up at a dusted feeder but will take a plain one a little bit later. I try to be flexible because they don't always behave in their normal patterns and personalities. Sorry if this confuses you more.

Do you know if Repashy has phosphorus in it?