Two supplement questions

[trex]

Currently I am dusting wet dog food with calcium + vit d3.

1. It seems I need a multivitamin for my skink too. Are there any recommendations that you guys have?

2. My baby doesn't seem to like the calcium dust. When I dust at every other feeding, he eats much smaller amounts. When I don't dust, he can easily eat twice the amount. I guess that is understandable because that dust probably doesn't taste good. But I am worried he isn't getting enough calcium. Should I dust calcium, then mash the food up so he can't taste it as easily?

[Dakota]

I have no recommendations for the vitamins, but have you tried mixing the calcium into the food, where it looks completely gone? I'm sure since it isn't concentrated on the top, the taste will be almost completely gone, too.

[Coomassie]

I always mix it in which seems to solve the problem. Also, I use Repashy Calcium Plus which is calcium plus vitamins/minerals. I use it for all my lizards. Link: http://thegeckobox.com/products/repashy ... -plus.html

[Toria Dawn]

I mix the Calcium+D3 in well with the food, as well as mixing in Repashy Superveg supplement. I cut up the veg and add in whatever protein I'm using that week (dog food, bison, or guinea fowl eggs) and add a bit of water to make it like a gravy. I add always a tiny bit of royals fav foods (red pepper) for enticement and his eyes bulge and he devours it. The water makes the supplements not chalky, the proteins and sample of pepper ensure he's getting everything he needs, as, like I said, they entice him to mow it down.

I've also been feeding larger portions less often, with random treats in between. For example, I'll feed him a main meal every 8 or more days, but feed small amounts of treats of sprouts (he does love greens), peppers, or mealworms several times ( basically every other day) in between feedings. This is just what I do and he is a healthy weight and appetite.

[trex]

Ok thanks guys, ill try mashing and mixing the dust.

I mix the Calcium+D3 in well with the food, as well as mixing in Repashy Superveg supplement. I cut up the veg and add in whatever protein I'm using that week (dog food, bison, or guinea fowl eggs)

Whoa whoa, hold the phone.... I was under the impression that wet dog food comprised of a full omnivore diet (ie. meat AND veggies). Am I not understanding what wet dog food is, or are you just adding EXTRA veggies because your animal likes them?

[Dakota]

Different people do different things, trex.

[trex]

Ya, I know. I'm just wondering if wet dog food has both veggies and meat. I never can tell if I am falling into false advertising with pet products.

[Fatal_S]

Dog food is an omnivourous diet. Most of us mix in some other vegetables, especially as our skinks get older and don't need quite so much protein. That said there are people who feed only dogfood and have great success.

[Toria Dawn]

I agree with Dakota, different people do different things. Dog food is omnivorous, you can see the ingredients to verify this. Some people have, for longer than I've been alive, fed only dog food and been successfully. This is why I chose dog food as a regular part of my skink's diet. Others do their own mixed diets. I get free bison and eggs , which are good sources of protein, so I use those as well. My skink seems to really love veg (and green which I mentioned) so I feed him these additionally to the omnivorous dog food, as they also contain heathy vitamins and nutrients.

But everyone has their own system. Since for me bison is cheaper than dog food, aka free, I use that with veg. Since Roy likes the veg, I add more of it to dog food since the ones I buy have more grains in them than healthier greens that he loves. It's just getting to know your animal, and what is both healthy and also preferable to them.

[Jeff]

These are the two supplements that I am using currently. I add the calcium to every meal, and the multi-vitamin whenever I feel like it's time, probably about once a month.


Not all omnivours eat the same percentage of meat/vegetables. Each species of BTS is going to be a little different, but from what I have found most are likely to eat at least a slightly higher percentage of vegetable in the wild than what is in dog food. Regardless, most of the long-time keepers/breeders that I know have been adding vegetables to the dog food for many, many years with great success. It doesn't mean it is absolutely necessary, but it results in healthy skinks long-term, so it obviously doesn't hurt either.

[donkeybuff]

I am using the same supplements as Jeff.

[Ophidiophile]

I am using the same supplements as Jeff.

Ditto. I use Rep-Cal D3/Calcium and Herptivite. The former at almost every feeding and the latter once every couple of weeks. I do also occasionally add some Nekton mineral supplement but also only every couple of weeks.

[Lea]

I don't have much to add to the great replies other than it's great to see that people are supplementing!

[Richard.C]

And dont forget dogfood also contains supplements straight from the can

[Coomassie]

I'm just going to chime in and say that I add veggies to my dogfood as well. Coomassie seems to like it (although occasionally he will turn his nose up a some veggies) so I spoil him as best I can.

[critterguy]

Richard is correct...so I'm curious as to why multivitamin is deemed necessary by many people. Also, on calcium dust we need to use only enough to bring the dog foods Ca:P ratio up to that which is reccomended for reptiles.

[Richard.C]

I actually rarely use any with dogfood eaters

[hurricanejen]

I mix in repashy's calcium plus with my mixes at home, and the zoomed reptivite w/D3 here at work. Mixing it in thoroughly with the food helps hide the dust, I don't see any hesitation at all with the skinks here eating their food with the dust mixed in.

[BlueTonguesOfSA]

I don't want to get too far off topic from the original supplement inquiry, but I usually feed a can of cat/dog food mixed with a small amount of fruit, scrambled egg (occasionally) but I also add moistened mazuri tortoise diet every feeding. Would anyone care to voice their opinion on this? I have had great success with this diet, but would like to hear if you all believe there may be some caveats with this diet.

Nutrition facts - http://www.mazuri.com/mazuritortoisediet.aspx

Mods feel free to segregate if too far off topic. Thanks.

-Koen

[Richard.C]

That sounds fine to me,koen

Ive heard of a few people using the mazuri tortisediet in there blueys diet lately