Supplement Question

[Haley J.]

I recently bought Repashy Superveggie, and the directions say if used every feeding then no additional supplements are required. Is this true? Has anyone had good results using only Superveggie? Link to the info. http://www.store.repashy.com/superveggie-4-oz-bag.html

 

[Madkins007]

1. What sort of horrible diet are they on that they are not getting any useful nutrients in the main diet? The idea of supplements is to help ensure adequate nutrients, not be the main provider of them. There ABSOLUTELY IS a danger of providing too much of many minerals and vitamins. (not a big danger, certainly, but it does exist.)

2. The phrase 'not for human consumption' worries me, as does a lack of more specific values of the mix. How much iron, iodine, vitamin e, etc. does it offer in a specific weight?

3. Want something cheaper? Try the Tortoise Library Mix. https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/nutrition/nutrients. The recipe is near the bottom, although the rest of the article my help.



Personally, I would not feed any animal, including myself, a supplement every day unless there were extenuating circumstances. Our goal should be to offer a diet so healthy that it does not need supplements, then to offer a little supplementation purely as an insurance policy.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

My grandpa was a biodynamic farmer, strong German stock kinda guy. He used to say, "If man made it, even German man, don't trust it." Use it as a supplement to a "real food" varied diet. The kind that nature made. Do not depend on it as the one and only. I agree with Madkins 007. Not for human consumption is funky scary. What's in it that is toxic to us and yet okay for the tortoise pet?

Remember, nature bats first, and last.

 

[Beck]

A good number of people on here, including a reputable breeder that lots of people recommend, use this supplement. I use it, but only once a week. If you do use it everyday, make sure its the recommended amount. This is one of the few supplements I've seen give exact ratios of supplement to food, rather than "just sprinkle".

Most animal supplements, if not all, say "not for human consumption". It doesn't necessarily mean its toxic to humans - animal products just have different processing that are not as rigorous as human protocols. Its safer for the company to put that on their package and attempt to absolve liability if someone were to say, eat half the jar in one sitting.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using TortForum mobile app

 

[wellington]

Some of us don't use supplements at all or once a week. When my leopard was under two, I would give him some supplements once or twice a week, whenever I remembered. I don't give any now, he's 2 1/2 and very healthy so far.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

"Not for human consumption" is strictly an FDA required labeling for liability.
Nothing wrong with a supplement such as this once a week to make sure no nutrients are missed. If my kids (shell-children) would eat it, I'd give it to them once a week to cover bases. Both of mine are picky and eat around anything that is not a leafy green. So I don't bother.

Over consumption of a nutrient can cause potentially fatal imbalances.


Sandy
.......................................
Oregon Tortoise Rescue

 

[Madkins007]

First off- my post was done late at night and my tone was far more blunt than I usually use. I apologize for that.

The 'not for human consumption' label is often used to dodge liability, but it should also remind us that the ingredients and processing used for animal products are often not up to the standards we may think they are. Many animal nutrient labels have been found to be very misleading or even very wrong compared to what is actually in the product. Even Zoo Med was caught having labels on vitamins that did not reflect the actual contents of the mix. This sort of thing can be really scary.

I also made Replashy sound a lot scarier than I meant to- and again I apologize for that. Actually my biggest gripe about it or most other reptile supplements is that it is awfully pricey for what it is.