# calcium dust



## gcd312 (Jan 9, 2012)

hey guys,

so i determined that my tegu must have a calcium deficiency after looking at other posts about tegus with the same symptoms as mine. so to correct it, i plan on getting a stronger UVB light (or MVB) and i've been giving him calcium dust. 

i noticed that he hasn't been eating as much the last couple of days (since i started using the dust). do you think he just doesn't like the taste of it? should i put less dust on his food? might a larger variety of food help? or could him not eating as much be due to the calcium deficiency?

any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


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## Tegasaurus (Jan 9, 2012)

Hello gcd312..Usually a calcium deficiency starts with the twitching of the back toes. Then, the animal cannot support it's weight with it's back legs. He will sort of shuffle with his legs by his sides while he drags his belly on the ground. However, the shuffling does not always mean that he has a deficience. Some of the larger tegus, seem to like shuffling here and there. Just lazy I guess.

Calcium dust should be used on almsost every meal, with the exception of mice. You can mix the powder in with ground turkey and chicken. He won't even know it's there. Also, once in a while, it might be a good idea give him a calcium supplement with d3 added. Maybe just until he is doing better. You can give the plain calcium supplement to him all the time. However, if it has D3 it should only be given once in a while.

Rob


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## gcd312 (Jan 9, 2012)

ok, yea i saw those symptoms in another thread - he had them. 

ive just been sprinkling the dust on top and it actually has d3 so ill get normal cal dust then. ill also figure out a way to cook it in the chicken. 

thanks a lot for your help


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## james.w (Jan 9, 2012)

How often do you give him food with bones, (rats, mice, chicks, chicken necks)? These foods are good sources of calcium (depending on how big your tegu is). What are you using for UVB currently?


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## gcd312 (Jan 9, 2012)

james.w said:


> How often do you give him food with bones, (rats, mice, chicks, chicken necks)? These foods are good sources of calcium (depending on how big your tegu is). What are you using for UVB currently?




never give him food with bones, hes not really big enough i dont think. only about 22 inches, less than a year old. his UVB is a 10.0 coil by ReptiGlow. im guessing a need a bigger one? 

he only really eats pinkys and cooked chicken. used to give him ground turkey but it kept going bad in my fridge so i stopped wasting money on it. if you have any other suggestions for food that i can get at like Jewel or something, im open hear them.


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## Jermosh (Jan 9, 2012)

You can make little meatballs with the calcium and stuff and freeze them on a sheetpan.


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## james.w (Jan 9, 2012)

It's tough to gauge how big 22" is, but you can offer cut up rats as well. Chicks and chicken necks can be cut up as well. Cooked meat is nowhere near as nutritious as raw. Nobody is cooking their food in the wild. With my raw turkey, I divide it into small bags and store it in the freezer. I only thaw out what us needed. 

The coil UVB bulbs are known to cause problems and the output isn't the greatest. I would recommend a MVB or at least the tube style.


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## gcd312 (Jan 9, 2012)

cool, thanks a lot for your help guys


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