# Alternative Calcium, Shells?



## larissalurid (Apr 16, 2012)

So I have powdered calcium w/ D-3 as well as liquid calcium w/out. I was thinking of still using some of the kind with D-3, but using powdered egg shells instead with each meal. I was wondering how much you are supposed to feed a tegu with each meal. (also if anyone has blue tongue skinks how much to feed to them)

I was looking at buying this, it says crushed not powdered is this ok?: http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/PLUCKERS_OVERPREENERS-HATCHED_CRUSHED_EGGSHELL_-_100_PURE_EGGSHELL.html


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## frost (Apr 17, 2012)

wuth my blue tongues i usually feed give them a spoon full every other day. and feed whole prey.there is a forum i look at the get my info called bluteongueskink .net i wouldent advize talking on there they will most likely make u wanna strangle them.


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## Dana C (Apr 17, 2012)

I have used powdered egg shells for about 7 months now. Providing your Tegus get a lot of uvb a D3 supplement shouldn't be necessary but a little once a week can't hurt. 
I use 1/4 teaspoon for 5-6 ounces of ground meats. I also grind multivitamins up and mix 1/4 tsp per pound of ground meats. I once used the Fluker brand for my reptiles but compared their contents to a measured amount of a ground multi vitamin simular to Centrum and switched. So far so good. This sort of follows the SDZ diet, (it was never used as the official Varanus diet of the zoo however).


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## larissalurid (Apr 17, 2012)

Dana C said:


> I have used powdered egg shells for about 7 months now. Providing your Tegus get a lot of uvb a D3 supplement shouldn't be necessary but a little once a week can't hurt.
> I use 1/4 teaspoon for 5-6 ounces of ground meats. I also grind multivitamins up and mix 1/4 tsp per pound of ground meats. I once used the Fluker brand for my reptiles but compared their contents to a measured amount of a ground multi vitamin simular to Centrum and switched. So far so good. This sort of follows the SDZ diet, (it was never used as the official Varanus diet of the zoo however).



Yea 1-2 times a week is all I use d-3. :] 
And hmm, that's interesting. I use repti-cal multivitamin. 
And yea I just recently was looking at the SDZ diet, has that worked the best for you so far?

oh and thank you for telling me how much you use!!!


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## dragonmetalhead (Apr 17, 2012)

Wouldn't it be cheaper to crush your own egg shells? Like with a meat mallet or something?


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## Dana C (Apr 17, 2012)

Actually, I use a coffee grinder. Between the eggs I eat and what the lizards eat, I have 10 or more egg shells to grind. I let them dry but I don't rinse them or remove the membrane which is a source of biotin. I bought the electric coffee grinder for $5 at a thrift store but they are available a lot of places for under $20 brand new. 
Egg shell calcium is calcium carbonate which is primarily what your bones consist of. It is readily digestable and the actual calcium uptake is great. There are other forms of calcium, one of which is very slightly more usable but is used only in cases of sever calcium depletion. 
A huge advantage of egg shell calcium is that it is free, if you eat eggs.


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## laurarfl (Apr 18, 2012)

I use 1/2-1 tablespoon calcium per pound of meat, and divide down from there. I supplement with a few drops of Vit D once a week or every other (I use high potency human grade). I use this formula for all of my carni/omnis. There isn't really a hard and fast rule because various forms of calcium will have different rates of absorption, plus you have to factor in decay, shelf life, other components of the diet, etc.

I mix a big batch of meat for everyone, and the BTS gets a bit of that mixed with veggies. I only give her mice once or twice a month.


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## m3s4 (Apr 18, 2012)

*And yea I just recently was looking at the SDZ diet, has that worked the best for you so far?*

I've been using this diet now with my own variations thrown in every now and then. This is a great recipe for Tegus, (and monitors) and if necessary, _can _be used as a staple diet.

Currently, this diet makes up 75% of my juvie's diet(s). The other 25% comes in the form of pinkies. 

When mixing the eggs, to prevent as much avidin/biotin bonding as possible, I separate the yolk(s), keep the shell(s) and get rid of the whites. 

I add calcium powder to one batch, and liquid calcium to another - alternating with each feeding. I use a multi-vitamin powder and never use d-3. 


Regarding additional vitamin D-3:

"Vitamin D3 is a fat soluble vitamin. It is made naturally in the skin of most animals and it helps the animal use and digest the calcium in it's diet properly. An animal getting a well balanced diet, and UVB light or direct sunlight should not need vitamin D3 supplements in it's diet. It will be making enough of this important vitamin on it's own.

*If it is getting vitamin D3 supplements or too much vitamin D3 supplementation the D3, being fat soluble, can build up to toxic levels in the animals system.*

Hypervitaminousis D produces soft tissue calcification. Vitamin D intoxication has followed ingestion of rodenticides containing cholecalciferol. Clinical signs in mammals are depression, anorexia, polyuria/polydipsia (frequent urination/excessive thirst), and weight loss. Treatment regimens for reptiles have not been tested by controlled clinical trials; currently, treatment should follow guidelines for other species, which often include glucocorticoids and calcitonin."

More can be found here: Calcium defieciency in reptiles


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## larissalurid (Apr 19, 2012)

I was thinking meat mallet, but ah coffee grinder is a great idea! I already have one of those around too. I just wasn't sure at first how much of the calcium they'd go through and thought the $4 like 1lb bag was a good price if they go through a lot. I suppose if using my own would be enough that works out great. 


m3s4 said:


> *And yea I just recently was looking at the SDZ diet, has that worked the best for you so far?*
> 
> I've been using this diet now with my own variations thrown in every now and then. This is a great recipe for Tegus, (and monitors) and if necessary, _can _be used as a staple diet.
> 
> ...



I know that too much D-3 is bad, but I have also heard people say that they use D-3 instead of UVB for certain reptiles like blue tongue skinks and leopard geckos like I have. (especially since leos hate light) I've seen results of a study where 3 groups of skinks (UVB only, d-3 only, both) had the UVB only ones the least healthy and the others did better. And not really sure exactly what you were saying though, like if you were trying to tell me something by that? Do you mean I should give none of my reptiles d-3? I would think it's necessary for ones like leopard geckos that get no UV. 

Also was wondering if I could coat insects with powdered egg shells for my leopard gecko since right now I only have calcium w/ d-3 powder and calcium liquid drops w/out d-3 i have to put in his water since he's an insectivore and I can't put liquid on the insects.


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## m3s4 (Apr 19, 2012)

Some reptiles can indeed benefit from D-3, this much is true. 

Plenty of UVB, calcium supplementation and a good vitamin supplement are fine, the additional D-3 is not needed for tegus.


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## Dana C (Apr 19, 2012)

If you have a container that you can place the crickets in for dusting. A very light mist of water won't harm them and will make the egg shells stick.
The reason I use a coffee grinder is that I can powder the egg shells. I also use a tiny amount of Vitamin D as in 1/8 - 1/16th of a tablet in a pound of meat.


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## larissalurid (Apr 20, 2012)

Dana C said:


> If you have a container that you can place the crickets in for dusting. A very light mist of water won't harm them and will make the egg shells stick.
> The reason I use a coffee grinder is that I can powder the egg shells. I also use a tiny amount of Vitamin D as in 1/8 - 1/16th of a tablet in a pound of meat.



Ah I do, thank you. And I know you mentioned before that it was a human type of supplement you give them now? What kind of vitamin d pill do you recommend? Are there any I should or shouldn't use because of something else in it, etc? 

Also would you recommend adding cod liver oil? I've heard people do, but I figure I'll be told they don't need it like the D-3. So just wondering.


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## Dana C (Apr 20, 2012)

larissalurid said:


> Dana C said:
> 
> 
> > If you have a container that you can place the crickets in for dusting. A very light mist of water won't harm them and will make the egg shells stick.
> ...



By all means add cod liver oil or plain fish oil. I don't use much and I don't use it daily either. I mix a capsule in once or twice a week. Finding noncapsule fish oil is hard, at lease for me. I poke a hole in the capsule and mix the whole thing in their ground meat mix. A capsule is digestable gelatine so having them ingest the capsule won't do them any harm. As far as the Vit. D goes, I use the lowest dosage hard tablet I can find which is the Western Family generic tablet of 1,000 mg. Once ground in the coffee grinder I use about 1/8 of the powder. It is easier to grind a few tablets at a time and adjust the amount you use accordingly. I also don't use it daily. Once or twice a week is plenty.

Once your Tegu becomes an adult or even sub adult, when you buy whole chickens to roast, save the necks and chop them in to pieces with a cleaver or hatchet. They are a great, tasty source of calcium which comes from a part of the chicken which usually is tossed. 
Also, when you have a little cooked meat left over and it is unseasoned, a little of that will work as a treat. In fact, they will love it. Just think, your Tegu will love BBQ.


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## larissalurid (Apr 20, 2012)

Dana C said:


> larissalurid said:
> 
> 
> > Dana C said:
> ...




Thank you! and lol, actually the only meat in the house will be for him and the skink, I've never eaten meat in my life lol. I'm having my bf help me with figuring out best things to buy / prices though.


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