Vitamins and minerals are important for your animal’s optimal well-being, but which vitamin supplements should you choose?
And what is important for your particular animal?
It can be difficult to see through.
That is why I have made a guide for you below about what to look for, depending on which animal you have and why you should choose this particular type of vitamin for your reptile.
Excellent read.
A beginner’s guide to units of measurement in vitamins
There should be an overview of what the product contains and in what quantity on all serious vitamin products. The amount is most often stated in International Units (IU).
IU is a measurement unit that indicates how much vitamin and/or mineral a given product contains.
It is important to remember that more is not always better
Unfortunately, we work with exotic animals, where there is a lack of research and experience that could contribute data to reliable reference intervals.
For what constitutes the optimal subsidy, and in what quantities.
Always remember that nothing can replace a varied quality diet. Still, no matter how hard we try to take care of our reptiles optimally, we do not come close to what they would nutritionally consume in wild nature, so it will usually be advantageous to enrich the feed with vitamins or minerals.
The choice of vitamin supplements should be based on the species kept and how close we get to the wild diet in captivity, and if possible, figure out what deficiencies we want to prevent.
If we start with Zoo Med Reptivite D3 and NEKTON-Rep, then Zoo Med Reptivite has 220,264 IU A vitamins NEKTON-Rep has 6,600,000 IU vitamin A, so if you want something with a lot of vitamin A in it, then it is NEKTON-Rep you must choose.
If we look again at Zoo Med Reptivite, then there are 22,907 IU Vitamin D3 while NEKTON-Rep only has 10.00 IU Vitamin D3, so if you want something with a lot of vitamin D3, choose Zoo Med Reptivite.
Again, the vitamin composition depends a lot on what species you are dealing with, and you should familiarize yourself thoroughly with your own animal’s needs before buying vitamin and mineral supplements.
IGUANAS DIET AND VITAMINS CAN BE A BIT OF A SCIENCE
If you are the happy owner of an Iguana, and you want some tips and tricks for feeding and how to dose vitamins, then this is where you should read on.
It is important to remember that iguanas depend on the nutrients that the bacteria in their large intestine (colon and appendix) release from otherwise indigestible plant fibres. Therefore, the diet must consist of fibre-rich plants, generally dark forms of leafy greens should be fed ( Rucola, hibiscus leaves, fig cactus, various types of leafy greens). Moderate amounts can also be supplemented with colourful vegetables, possibly. Grated (peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots), be aware that too much starch or sugar can destroy the intestinal balance as they provide too much nourishment to the bacteria in the gut.
However, animal protein for your big green lizard is a no go, and you should avoid this in any case.
Iguanas must always have access to UVB lighting as they can activate vitamin D3 in this way and thus more easily absorb calcium (lime) from the diet. Calcium supplements can be given as a supplement to the feed.
There is widespread disagreement about the use of lime for iguanas and how much or how little should be used.
The amount of calcium and the use of vitamin D3 is also a matter of judgment according to how much UVB light the individual animal receives, and there is, therefore, no definitive formula for how much and what one should give.
A weekly addition will look like this for an iguana with a moderate amount of UVB lighting of 5%.
Lime with vitamin D3 is given 3 times a week, and lime without vitamin D3 is given twice a week.
As an alternative to the lime without D3, crushed eggshells can be given.
For an iguana with a strong UVB light of 10% set up according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it is not recommended to use calcium with vitamin D3 as the iguana gets the amount of UVB light needed to generate vitamin D3 naturally.
If you buy green vegetables from the supermarket, it is recommended to give calcium without vitamin D3 with a ratio in Phosphorus / Calcium that is 1: 2 approx. 3 times a week.
It is important to a varied diet and the right vitamin supplement for your green iguana.
Below you can read more about using special vitamins for your green iguana and why you should use this particular product over many others.
NEKTON-Iguana
NEKTON-Iguana will be super good for your iguana.
NEKTON-Iguana helps improve the development of your iguana’s skeleton and protects the nervous system, and keeps it in good shape.
NEKTON-Iguana strengthens the body if it comes out of stressful situations, for example, when the iguana needs a new species trap or if it needs to be moved.
NEKTON-Iguana is a complete vitamin that is specially developed for iguanas and green-eating lizards.
NEKTON-Iguana covers all your animals’ vitamin needs, and you should not combine it with other vitamin products.
Remember that NEKTON-Iguana does not replace your animal’s need for lime, and you must remember to combine the vitamin with lime.
NEKTON-Iguana is given to your animal 2-3 times a week on top of the feed, with the included measuring spoon.
NEKTON-Iguana contains more vitamin D3 than traditional vitamin products and, besides, contains 18 different amino acids, which ensure a healthy and good intestinal balance.
Vitamin D3 is what your iguana needs as its diet usually contains less calcium than, for example, insect-eating reptiles. Simultaneously, the 18 different amino acids help to absorb the feed in the intestinal tract better.
Vitamin D3 makes it easier for your animal to convert calcium and phosphorus into bones.
AN OLD DINOSAUR ALSO NEEDS VITAMINS
Turtles are one of the world’s oldest living animals, and they have not changed shape in the last 50 million years. Years!.
Turtles live both on land and in water. Some are carnivorous, others are both meat and herbivorous, and some are only herbivorous.
Common to them all, however, is that they all have a shield that they use to protect themselves from danger.
The shield is part of the turtle’s skeleton, and it is therefore distinguished by having even more bone structure than other reptiles.
Therefore, turtles’ diet is also super important, and you must familiarize yourself well with your animal’s general feed needs.
Turtles must not get iceberg lettuce, as this contains substances that, in large quantities, can destroy kidneys and liver.
Likewise, cabbage is also not a super good feed item for turtles, as this has a descaling effect on the animal.
The turtle’s vitamin composition is very different from other animals, while the minerals are almost the same.
Below I will try to explain the products that I have in the range and which of the vitamin products that you find in my range are best suited for turtles, and why.
NEKTON-Multi-Rep is especially suitable for shield-bearing animals.
The product contains 12 vitamins, 9 amino acids and 7 trace elements, ensuring the animal’s basic health.
NETKTON-Multi-Rep contains less vitamin A than other multivitamins, and this makes NEKTON-Multi-Rep especially good for shield-bearing animals, such as turtles.
Vitamin A is known to make the shield soft when ingested in large quantities as a vitamin.
A can have a descaling effect.
NEKTON-Multi-Rep helps in building and maintaining bones and gives your animal healthy growth.
If you are in the happy situation of owning a turtle, this is the vitamin you should buy, but if you do not own a turtle, but for example, a chameleon, you will need some other vitamin.
NEKTON-Multi-Rep is given to your animal 2-3 times a week on top of the feed. The dosing is done with the enclosed measuring spoon according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Remember that this is a vitamin, and therefore lime must be added next to it to achieve the best health in the animal.
Insect-eating lizards and chameleons. What do I give them?
Picture courtesy Reptile.com
Insect-eating reptiles, such as chameleons and lizards, have a different need than the 2 groups of reptiles mentioned above.
This is because their body is very differently structured, and they have other needs that are important for the animal’s well-being.
For example, a vitamin with a low vitamin A content will not be good for chameleons, as too little vitamin A can give the animal, among other things, eye problems in the long term.
Lizards and chameleons that do not get the right vitamin and mineral supplements will eventually develop various types of disorders resulting from improper mineral and vitamin supplementation.
It is important to feed varied even if they are pure insectivorous reptiles, by feeding only one type of feed insect such as mealworm, the animal will not have a varied diet, and even if it gets the right vitamin and mineral supplements, this could never constitute the too varied diet for your animal.
A big problem is the creation of the correct calcium-phosphorus ratio in feed insects. It is almost impossible to reach the same high calcium content as wild insects contain. It is therefore essential to supplement with calcium on the feed insects. Also, captive-bred feed insects consume an inferior diet concerning their wild species mates, which also affects the animals that subsequently consume them. Therefore it is necessary to supplement with a quality vitamin supplement.
So it is super important that you know that even if you choose the right vitamin and mineral supplements for your animals, then a varied diet is still essential.
Below I have collected some different vitamins that are well suited for insect-eating reptiles and amphibians that require vitamin A in their diet.
This guide helps you become even better at caring for your pet and making you understand why you should choose one over the other.
NEKTON Rep is a multivitamin that has been developed especially for your reptiles, frogs and amphibians.
The vitamin contains many different substances, such as vitamin D3, which helps make the animals’ bones stronger.
The vitamin has a high vitamin A content and is therefore well suited for insect-eating lizards and chameleons.
NEKTON Rep also contains calcium but cannot replace the usual addition of calcium to animal feed.
NEKTON Rep has a positive effect on the development of muscles, glands and the nervous system.
Animals with vitamin/mineral deficiencies are usually not particularly active, but NEKTON Rep balances this nutrient deficiency, making the animals significantly more active.
NEKTON Rep is soluble in cold water and can be given in drinking water if necessary or as a powder via a live feed, for example, feed insects or on top of green feed.
It is recommended at all times to give the vitamin as a powder form and only in very sick or weak animals to give it soluble in water through a syringe in the mouth.
NEKTON Color Rep is a multivitamin, a bit like NEKTON Rep.
However, NEKTON Color Rep contains 2 active substances, namely canthaxanthin and apocarotenal.
These substances highlight or retain the strong colours of your reptile or toad.
I can recommend that you use NEKTON Color Rep over a period of time, after which you return to NEKTON Rep when the desired result is achieved.
NEKTON-Tonic-R is good for blah. Fruit and insectivorous geckos.
The composition of 60 different elements, particularly characterizes NEKTON-Tonic-R.
The supplement is a super good supplement for pregnant animals, animals with stress or malnourished animals that need a boost to get started again.
In very high malnutrition cases, NEKTON-Tonic-R can be used as a complete feed for the malnourished animal until your animal normally eats again.
NEKTON-Tonic-R can be used for all reptiles and contains various protein and sugar species that make your animal recover faster after one of the above cases.
If you take over a malnourished reptile, NEKTON-Tonic-R is often an important factor in ensuring optimal survival.
Zoo With Reptivite D3 contains D3 and amino acids. Zoo Med Reptivite D3 is calcium based on ensuring healthy bone growth in your reptile.
You can use Zoo Med Reptivite D3 up to 2-3 times a week on your reptile’s feed.
You can use Zoo Med Reptivite D3 by sprinkling on, e.g. vegetables, fruits or insects.
This product is good for lizards. If calcium deficiency occurs, your lizard’s limbs and joints may swell or swell.
Zoo Med Reptivite D3 is one of the world’s most widely used vitamins and is used for virtually all types of reptiles. Still, we recommend that this vitamin be used for turtles or green-eating lizards because it has a shallow vitamin A content.
Zoo Med Reptivite is given on top of the feed, and the manufacturer’s instruction for herbivores and omnivores is to provide 2.2 grams of vitamin per 142 grams of body weight per week.
All reptiles should have calcium. But what calcium should your reptile have?
Reptiles must have calcium supplements for their feed in order to maintain a good bone structure.
How often have you not thought about which lime to choose and why you should choose this one.
I have also asked myself that question many times, and I would therefore like to share the experiences I have with you.
There are 2 types of lime from different brands.
Lime with vitamin D3 is super fine for leopard geckos, crown geckos or other similar animals that do not get the right amount of UVB lighting.
Likewise, lime with D3 can be good for turtles in moderate amounts that are indoors, as they usually do not get the right amount of UVB light, and therefore also do not get the optimal amount of vitamin D3.
Some animals, such as chameleons, may only get calcium with vitamin D3 in moderate amounts, as they get their needs covered through UVB light, as well as through the multivitamin they otherwise get 1-2 times a week.
It is important that you consider whether your animal gets enough UVB light to be able to absorb enough vitamin D3 so that it can convert calcium into bone.
You can not just give calcium with vitamin D3, because vitamin D3 can also cause poisoning, so it is super important that you stay updated on your animal’s health before you start filling extra vitamin D3 on your animal.
Lime without vitamin D3 is also an option, this is used a lot for chameleons, turtles, small diurnal geckos and other terrarium animals that get plenty of vitamin D3 through UVB and the added vitamin for their diet.
You can read much more about what to choose from the different products here, and why I recommend this particular product for your reptile.
NEKTON-Rep-Calcium + D3 is packed with D3 vitamins and two kinds of amino acids.
NEKTON-Rep-Calcium + D3 can be used for your reptile, as it helps to maintain and improve skeletal development.
Calcium metabolism also becomes far more solid in all reptiles.
NEKTON-Rep-Calcium + D3 improves and balances calcium deficiency and the diseases that can occur despite calcium deficiency.
NEKTON-Rep-Calcium + D3 can be easily mixed with ordinary green fodder or insects.
If you mix it with insects, you spray the feed animal with water so that the powder sticks better.
You need 2 parts lime and 1 part vitamin, where you then mix it in a box and shake the feed animal around. When you have finished shaking the feed animal around, it is ready for serving.
NEKTON-Rep-Calcium + D3 contains 50,000 IU, making it especially good for terrarium animals that do not come out in the summer.
If you are in the lucky situation that your animal comes out in the summer, this calcium is not the one you should choose for your animal.
The product is given according to your animal’s needs and 3-5 times a week if a lot of vitamin D3 is needed for your animal.
Always follow your common sense and lean on other experienced keepers’ experiences with just the exact species you keep.
Remember that too much vitamin D3 is not good, nor is it actually be too little.
NEKTON-Rep-Calcium + D3 is very fine-grained and is therefore perfectly suitable for getting stuck on feed insects or leafy greens.
NEKTON-REP-CALCIUM-PUR is one of the latest products developed from Nekton for reptiles.
Unlike many other calcium products without vitamin D3, amino acids have been added to this calcium product.
This makes it taste better for the animal and strengthens the health of the individual animal without the use of unnecessary sugar and fruit.
The lime is of good powder quality so that it sticks well to both feed animals and greens.
The use of the calcium without vitamin D3 can happen every day without a poisoning happening.
For example, for chameleons or turtles, the use of the calcium without vitamin D3 can be used every single day without poisoning, as with excessive use of calcium with vitamin D3.
Excess lime will be excreted in the urine and faeces.
However, it is still important that vitamin D3 is added as the animals cannot absorb calcium without vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 can be added either via UVB light or using either calcium with vitamin D3 or a multivitamin.
NEKTON MSA Calcium + D3 is calcium with added vitamin D3 and some amino acids.
The calcium is given to your animal every time it needs to be fed to strengthen its bones and egg production.
However, NEKTON MSA cannot replace multivitamins but must be combined with a multivitamin, depending on the species in question.
NEKTON MSA can i.a. combined with NEKTON Rep.
You can give your pet 0.25g NEKTON MSA per. Body weight every day, or 1.5g once a week.
NEKTON MSA contains 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 and is therefore very good for animals that have proper UVB light and animals that are kept outside in the summer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and listen to others’ experiences, so you do not give too much vitamin D3 to your animals.
Nekton MSA has a slightly coarse consistency and is therefore not very suitable for feed insects but more for sprinkling on top of the feed for your animal.
Drago Vit + D3 Vitamin is a phosphorus-free calcium supplement.
Captive animals often suffer from calcium deficiency as they do not get the proper UVB lighting to see if they were in a natural environment.
Therefore, I would recommend you to use Drago Vit + D3 Vitamin on top of the feed.
Drago Vit + D3 Vitamin is a good supplement for reptiles and amphibians to support all necessary vitamins, minerals and fibre.
You can combine DRAGO-VIT CALCIUM + D3 VITAMIN with MULTIVITAMIN.
You can sprinkle the vitamin on something green and then serve it to your reptile, or shake it on top of the feed animals.
Drago Vit + Vitamin D3 contains 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 and is therefore well suited for animals with the right UVB light and animals that stay outside.
Drago Vit + D3 Vitamin is not finely powdered but is still well suited for feed insects and leafy greens.
Drago Vit Calcium without D3 is a pure phosphorus-free lime, which is used for e.g. chameleons.
The lime is best for putting on e.g. vegetables, you can also put it on insects, but Drago Vit Calcium without D3 is best to put on green.
Calcium is important for all reptiles and amphibians because the animals have a need for this as it helps build the bone structure and produce eggs.
The lime is given every day together with the usual feed.
Zoo With Repti Calcium + D3 is ultra finely precipitated calcium carbonate with vitamin D3.
This vitamin is a phosphorus-free calcium supplement that goes out to reptiles and amphibians.
Vitamin D3 enables the reptile, among other things, to absorb calcium to build bones or build a shell around any eggs.
Zoo Med Repti Calcium + D3 is especially suitable for nocturnal reptiles that do not receive UVB light daily.
However, do not just fire up with this, as too large doses of vitamin D3 may well poison your animal, and in the worst case, kill the animal. So remember to check up on how your pet is doing!
Zoo Med Repti Calcium + Vitamin D3 contains 22,907 IU of vitamin D3 and is thus a good middle ground covering most reptiles’ needs.
This Calcium will be good for reptiles kept indoors and outdoors as it has a moderate vitamin D3.
Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3 is just as fine as Zoo Med Repti Calcium + D3 and phosphorus-free.
This vitamin also goes out to reptiles and amphibians.
This is also especially useful for reptiles or nocturnal reptiles that do not get sunlight during the day.
Because Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3 is as fine as it is, it’s super good for petting insects, after which you serve it to your reptile.
It would be best to choose vitamin supplements for your animals, always depending on what species you are dealing with.
If you doubt, you are very welcome to contact us at Monis for much more information.
The blog post here has been prepared in collaboration with veterinarian Mark Krabbe who has added some important facts about different animal species.
