Vitamins with D3 vs. Calcium with D3

[moosassah]

I have plain calcium in dishes in their cages. I dust the crickets with plain calcium each time I feed crickets (2-4 times weekly).

I have the vitamins with D3 given once a week. The label says to dust the meal with them, but it basically looks like spices. Is a good shaking all it takes to get the proper D3 nutrients?

After rereading many posts I'm thinking I made a newbie mistake by not including Calcium with D3 in the weekly dusting?

Can someone set me straight please?

 

[Bulldog]

Save yourself the trouble and get the T-Rex dust. It's forumlated to be used with every feeding.

There's been a lot of D3 bashing on various gecko forums that's unwarranted. People say they can OD on D3. Yeah, if given 75x as much. Having calcium in the tank is also not needed unless you're planning to breed a female. Too much calcium can lead to toxicity poisoning. And with people leaving it in the tank, it can happen. Just like impaction can happen with sand. You're taking a risk. My herp vet has told me of many occasions where she's had to treat a leo for calcium toxicity.

 

[ledhead]

so damned if you do,
damned if you don't?

Do you know if those calc OD's were from people that drowned there live food in calc dust at every feeding? Did they get those handy dandy little water dishes with calc stones in the bottom to calcify the water? There are TONS of ways to get calcium into a living body not just a dish on the floor. Strange thought as often as the get neglected and get afflicted with mbd...

Don't suppose there are any hard facts from those that have raised a couple leos 20-30 years for what was done? Any one do a large study with multiple groups getting different measured quantities of supplements? Blood tests, fecals, necropsies(sp?)?

To much of anything is bad. To little of the requirements are a lead in to mbd or plain old poor health. I'd hope that if someone saw their loe munching mouthfuls daily from their calc dish they'd think to cut back a bit?

As I'm a bit wet behind the ears i have more questions then answers. As I tend to geek out on things I'd hate to be the one to do that testing... Thinks of the poor little ones on the low end of the spectrum intentionally starved of supplements...