hi all, can anybody tell me what or if i need to be using any vitamins, mollie has a all-in-one 100 watt powersun lamp. i sprinkle limestone powder on her food but not sure on vitamins. also where can i buy "vitasol 8in 1?
vitamins
- Thread starter nicky-mollie
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You should be able to get the Vitasol at a pet store!
Lots of people here use the TNT from Carolina pet supply.
http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=58
Some use Herptivite!
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cage-cleaners/-/repcal-herptivite-supplement/
I use both! TNT a few times a week, Reptivite once every couple of weeks!
Lots of people here use the TNT from Carolina pet supply.
http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=58
Some use Herptivite!
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cage-cleaners/-/repcal-herptivite-supplement/
I use both! TNT a few times a week, Reptivite once every couple of weeks!
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If you are feeding your tortoise a good quality, varied diet there should be no need to use vitamins of any kind. The only "supplement" needed is calcium carbonate. That is only because young, growing tortoises and egg laying females often need high volumes of calcium that cannot be supplied in their main food source. Even at that I never put it on their food. I offer it seperately in a shallow dish which is available to them at all times. They can control when they need it (and they do). In my opinion, by coating their food with vitamins, calcium or both they are effectively being forced to take in multiple vitamins and minerals that their body may not need at the time, if at all. In the wild their diets are typically less nutrional, their activity levels are greater and their survival conditions are more crucial. In captivity their diets are much more nutrional, their activity levels are far less and they have little worries about adverse conditions that they have to overcome.
Its important to always let us know the appx. age of the tortoise you are asking about. We usually recommend the bird vitamins for a hatchling. Soaking hatchlings in Vitasol for the first year of life can be very beneficial and can make the difference between a dead baby and a live one. However, Molly looks to be a couple years or maybe even three years old, so you don't need to follow this advice any more. GBTortoises has given you some good advice for Mollie.
Yvonne
Yvonne
This is mostly aimed at more advanced keepers...
Vitamin supplements are a little tricky. While it is true that you should not need to offer them, it is also true that our diets are probably not perfect. Many keepers and experts recommend occasional light vitamin supplementation as an insurance policy (and please note, I am talking vitamins and minerals other than calcium here, OK?)
The risk is that the 'fat soluble vitamins'- A, D, and E, do not flush out of your system like the water-soluble vitamins do. If you build up too much more of A, D, or E than you use, you can overdose on them.
Most reptile nutrition science articles I have read (often based from zoos, and http://www.anapsid.org/vitamin.html) recommend a balance of A, D, and E of 100:10:1. A lot of supplements are WAY off that level. ZooMed Reptivite 3, for example, has ratios of about 10,000:100:1, and many others are also way high in vitamin A (because of the whole eyes and A issue, which is mostly for box turtles.)
Many vets get frustrated from seeing 'over-supplemented' animals- too many vitamins and stuff, not enough good food.
Another thing to be aware of is that the same person from the above article and others have found that a lot of pet vitamins are not what the label says. The most common problem is less calcium than listed, but there are others as well.
Finally- you may not be aware of it but not many nutrition experts for humans recommend taking vitamins- for a lot of the same reasons listed above.
So, what I am trying to get to is...
1. You should not need to offer vitamins if you offer a good diet.
2. If you decide to offer vitamins as a sort of insurance, GO LIGHTLY- treat it like a cross between solid gold, radium, nitroglycerin, and salt.
3. Consider using a crushed human multi-vitamin- they are subject to tighter controls and are usually cheaper for the nutrition you get out of them.
(PS- anyone know the nutritional values of TNT? I cannot find it on-line.)
Vitamin supplements are a little tricky. While it is true that you should not need to offer them, it is also true that our diets are probably not perfect. Many keepers and experts recommend occasional light vitamin supplementation as an insurance policy (and please note, I am talking vitamins and minerals other than calcium here, OK?)
The risk is that the 'fat soluble vitamins'- A, D, and E, do not flush out of your system like the water-soluble vitamins do. If you build up too much more of A, D, or E than you use, you can overdose on them.
Most reptile nutrition science articles I have read (often based from zoos, and http://www.anapsid.org/vitamin.html) recommend a balance of A, D, and E of 100:10:1. A lot of supplements are WAY off that level. ZooMed Reptivite 3, for example, has ratios of about 10,000:100:1, and many others are also way high in vitamin A (because of the whole eyes and A issue, which is mostly for box turtles.)
Many vets get frustrated from seeing 'over-supplemented' animals- too many vitamins and stuff, not enough good food.
Another thing to be aware of is that the same person from the above article and others have found that a lot of pet vitamins are not what the label says. The most common problem is less calcium than listed, but there are others as well.
Finally- you may not be aware of it but not many nutrition experts for humans recommend taking vitamins- for a lot of the same reasons listed above.
So, what I am trying to get to is...
1. You should not need to offer vitamins if you offer a good diet.
2. If you decide to offer vitamins as a sort of insurance, GO LIGHTLY- treat it like a cross between solid gold, radium, nitroglycerin, and salt.
3. Consider using a crushed human multi-vitamin- they are subject to tighter controls and are usually cheaper for the nutrition you get out of them.
(PS- anyone know the nutritional values of TNT? I cannot find it on-line.)
Madkins007 said:This is mostly aimed at more advanced keepers...
Vitamin supplements are a little tricky. While it is true that you should not need to offer them, it is also true that our diets are probably not perfect. Many keepers and experts recommend occasional light vitamin supplementation as an insurance policy (and please note, I am talking vitamins and minerals other than calcium here, OK?)
The risk is that the 'fat soluble vitamins'- A, D, and E, do not flush out of your system like the water-soluble vitamins do. If you build up too much more of A, D, or E than you use, you can overdose on them.
Most reptile nutrition science articles I have read (often based from
zoos, and http://www.anapsid.org/vitamin.html) recommend a balance of A, D, and E of 100:10:1. A lot of supplements are WAY off that level. ZooMed Reptivite 3, for example, has ratios of about 10,000:100:1, and many others are also way high in vitamin A (because of the whole eyes and A issue, which is mostly for box turtles.)
thanks for your thorough info have took it all on board
Many vets get frustrated from seeing 'over-supplemented' animals- too many vitamins and stuff, not enough good food.
Another thing to be aware of is that the same person from the above article and others have found that a lot of pet vitamins are not what the label says. The most common problem is less calcium than listed, but there are others as well.
Finally- you may not be aware of it but not many nutrition experts for humans recommend taking vitamins- for a lot of the same reasons listed above.
So, what I am trying to get to is...
1. You should not need to offer vitamins if you offer a good diet.
2. If you decide to offer vitamins as a sort of insurance, GO LIGHTLY- treat it like a cross between solid gold, radium, nitroglycerin, and salt.
3. Consider using a crushed human multi-vitamin- they are subject to tighter controls and are usually cheaper for the nutrition you get out of them.
(PS- anyone know the nutritional values of TNT? I cannot find it on-line.)
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