Licking Calcium?

[blackmailchan]

When I gave Roosevelt some mealworms, I covered them in a little too much calcium so now almost the entire bottom of his food bowl has a thin layer of calcium powder on it, the stuff is really sticky and I can't get it off, but sometimes I see Roosevelt go over to his bowl and start licking it off of the bottom and even trying to bite it. Should I let him lick and eat calcium or is it possible he could get too much of it? He doesn't really get a lot of calcium in his diet.

The stuff is Zoo Med's Repti-Calcium.

[Katrina]

He doesn't really get a lot of calcium in his diet.

This is a much bigger concern than him licking up the calcium. Do you only supplement when feeding something like meal worms or at most meals? A growing bluey needs a lot of calcium (and more calcium than phosphorus in the diet). If you aren't doing so, then I'd sprinkle a bit of calcium powder on every meal or every second meal.

What do you normally feed?

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Yes. I made the mistake of not giving enough calcium while Bberry was eating chicken(which has alot of phosphorus and not enough calcium) annd because of that he has mbd

[blackmailchan]

He gets endive, raspberries, blue berries, bananas, apple, meal worms, crickets, strawberries, celery and dandelion greens. I only just began to add calcium powder, he also has a UVB light in his tank.

I figure I'm going to add calcium to every one of his meals.

[Katrina]

He gets endive, raspberries, blue berries, bananas, apple, meal worms, crickets, strawberries, celery and dandelion greens. I only just began to add calcium powder, he also has a UVB light in his tank.

I figure I'm going to add calcium to every one of his meals.

Sorry - this is a late reply, but I've been out of town...

I noticed from your list that the only protein source is crickets or meal worms. Crickets and mealies are actually very poor feeders - there is little protein or nutrients there! I'd definitely add different protein sources into his diet and skip crickets entirely or offed just as treats. If you want to stick with live feeders, try horn worms, silkworms, roaches etc. Other good options include canned dog or cat food, cooked chicken or beef etc. Definitely add calcium, especially if feeding something like chicken - even with all those healthy greens, they don't make up for the amount of phosphorus in the meat and fruits. And limit fruit to no more than 10% of the meal - it is a treat food only!