Spray On Color Enhancer??? WTH?

[Tanga]

I was browsing through the webpages of a certain reptile supply companies website and came across this disturbing product. It's a "spray-on" color enhancer for any and all reptiles available in 3 colors, yellow, blue/green, and orange/red. Huh? Whats the purpose of this? Is it like a spray on food coloring to enhance the coloring of a reptile? Or is it something that a devious leopard gecko breeder would spray on to make their geckos look intense orange in order to sell them? At any rate, I would never use this junk....I just don't understand it.

Here's the link to the products for more information.
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Liquid-Color-Enhancers?sc=2&category=26

Ooookay.....:main_laugh:

 

[thestack510]

Oh no! Before you know it we'll have to label our geckos **ALL NATURAL COLOR** ** NO ADDITIVES OR ENHANCERS** What's next temporary tattoos? :main_laugh:

 

[Bellalee]

I think your totally right it's probably spray on food coloring.. Idk.. odd..

 

[SteveB]

Same ingredients are found in Calcium Plus, Crested Gecko Diet, etc...

It doesn't actually say to spray on the animal, although the design looks like that's what you'd do... unless I'm missing something, I think it's meant to be sprayed on food (which would be good for beardeds... which I think the owner of the company breeds).

Certain foods do have an effect on color... look at Flamingoes... they get their pink from their diet.

Nature Zone is a good company, they were the first mainstream company with gelled cricket food, and a number of other innovative products... they think outside the box with some of the stuff they've come out with over the years.

 

[Zynx_Keekeio]

well i rememeber getting my leopard gecko bright orange after a few sheds lost that complteley was the dullest orange, poor thing. I still liked her.

 

[breanna-banana13]

Oh no! Before you know it we'll have to label our geckos **ALL NATURAL COLOR** ** NO ADDITIVES OR ENHANCERS** What's next temporary tattoos? :main_laugh:

dont laugh about the tattoo thing, the petstore I used to work at had gotten some huge parrot fish (i think they were parrot fish) these things were massive. like the size of my hand. anyway, on their side was this like black residue and when i asked if something was wrong with them i was told that they had had tattoos it used to be a big heart w. people initials or s/t. it was wearing off and thats what the black was from. rediculous.

 

[geckolvr88]

How on earth would one apply a tattoo to a fish?! That's insane.

And hopefully we're not going to see a whole bunch of spray painted reptiles!
I bet it does have something to do with the food. Like color inhancing fish flakes and what not.

 

[crotaphytidae]

It is a food supplement meant solely to enhance the color of the animals that consume it. The thing is if you have your SHTCT and you give the animals the green one they will not become green. The color pigments in the skin are already their and can't be replaced by other colors. These products are designed to give the color cells an extra kick to help them achieve their highest potential and brightest color, I personally think if this is going to be done that it is done with other supplements that are natural. Caratenoids for instance will not only help yellows, reds, and oranges be bright as they can be they also help in eye development and skin development. Here's a link to another discussion were Allen Repashy discusses it better that I ever could.
Paprika as color enhancing supplement?

 

[Mel&Keith]

On Nature Zone's website it says it's a nutritional supplement. For some reason that part of the description isn't on the Big Apple Herp description which makes it a little confusing.

It's supposed to be sprayed on the food. A lot of vegetable eating reptiles can take on color from their diet. I'm sure that's what this was intended for, iguanas and such, not Leopard Geckos.

 

[VTHokie]

Many of the fish available in pet stores are tattooed. A lot of parrot cichlids, along with those neon glass fish, "blueberry" oscars, and many others, are artificially colored. People get angry when those colors fade out, but I don't know what they were expecting...

 

[katemonsterxo]

oh my..

"maximum absorbency and pigmentation enhancement"

oh yeah, that surely sounds "100 % safe".

i just loveee how they say all this great stuff about the product, but only have two words about the safety of the pet... selfish. this is a disgrace =( poor animals that had to get hurt just from testing this stuff out beforehand... and for what... mother nature ain't good enough for ya?! uck.

 

[malt_geckos]

where did you see this?

 

[Krow]

If we had temporary tattoos for herps, my leo would have a tribal sleave on her tail, because shes just cool like that, lol
IM JUST KIDDING!!

 

[ajveachster]

Oh no! Before you know it we'll have to label our geckos **ALL NATURAL COLOR** ** NO ADDITIVES OR ENHANCERS** QUOTE]

Sad, but true

 

[lillith]

Many of the fish available in pet stores are tattooed. A lot of parrot cichlids, along with those neon glass fish, "blueberry" oscars, and many others, are artificially colored. People get angry when those colors fade out, but I don't know what they were expecting...

Where on earth did you get this information? Unless I saw this being done I'd consider the reports of the regular wholesale tattooing of fish batches to be rather improbable. Not impossible mind, you...but improbable.

I can believe that some idiot would tattoo a large fish for fun, though. I think it's lame. It's not like tattooing livestock with tracking numbers in their ear...which I also think is mean, but makes a certain brutal logic in large cattle herds or whatever.

...Or did you mean that they feed them with coloring? That'd be something I could believe.

 

[Olimpia]

Would normal food coloring work if you fed it to mealworms, for example? Just out of curiosity

 

[Mel&Keith]

Unless I saw this being done I'd consider the reports of the regular wholesale tattooing of fish batches to be rather improbable. Not impossible mind, you...but improbable.

Tattooed fish have been sold in pet stores for years. Here's a story our local new did - link and a different one.

 

[lillith]

Oh, I believe people are dumb enough to do it, but do people really tattoo a whole tank of neons just to make them brighter?

That's just sad. It just demotes my faith in my species a tad further.
I know I'd quit patronizing any petstores I'd see this foolishness in.

Thanks for the links, though.

I wouldn't feed food coloring to mealworms, but I have sometimes mused what beets might do. I feed them my beet greens anyhow...

 

[Neill]

I actually ran across this product when i was searching for a RED bearded dragon. Damn spray on tan reptiles! I do think some breaded dragon breeders use it because i have not seen a breaded dragon look as red as some i see on sites!

 

[Wind Dancer]

i've seen white mollies(fish) that are maybe 1 1/2 inches with hearts, dots and stripes in multi colors on their sides at a chain pet store.
that bottle looks like sno-cone syrup