Reddit reviews HERPTIVITE Multivitamin for reptiles and amphibians (3.3 oz) Blue Bottle, 1 Pack
We found 12 Reddit comments about HERPTIVITE Multivitamin for reptiles and amphibians (3.3 oz) Blue Bottle, 1 Pack. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
A superior multi-vitaminFood supplementContains all natural source ingredientsRich in essential trace elements and mineralsNo threat of Vitamin A toxicity
Just incase others come looking too, here is one i've found recomneded in a few places. Still has some calcium (4-5%) but it's not high in it!
I use this calcium 5x a week for a single feeding:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Calcium-Vitamin-Reptile/dp/B005FTMHFC/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=49KCZE8NNZY8RZNW9K61
I use this vitamin powder 2x a week for a single feeding:
https://www.amazon.com/HERPTIVITE-Multivitamin-reptiles-amphibians-Bottle/dp/B00076HT3S
Read the care guide in the sidebar, even if it's overwhelming. Read it all, read it twice, commit it to memory. If you truly care about the well being of the animal then this is going to be your go to guide, while we're always here to answer other questions. Also, you mention only getting one now because you're going to be free for the next dew months. I just want to make sure you understand that you're committing to a 15+ year responsibility here. 15 years if preparing and offering food daily, 15 years of socializing, 15 years of new UVB lights every 6-12 months and heat bulbs more frequently, 15 years of vet visits. If you think you can handle it that's awesome! I just don't want to see the animal end up in the same situation it was already in because you got over eager with your free time. Here are the basic necessities and the best place to buy them:
UVB - Fixture + Bulb
Supplements - Calcium + Multivitamin
Temperature - IR Temp Gun + Ambient Thermometer / Hygrometer
Heat Bulb - Go to Lowes / Home Depot/ Etc... and look for PAR38 Halogen Flood lights. Buy a few different wattage to see which gives you the proper temperature. Direct basking temp (check with IR Gun) should be no 105f - 110f. Once you find the bulb that works you can return the rest and you'll always know which wattage you need in the future.
Food - Superworms are not a staple and should only be fed as treats. Dubia are ideal and can be purchased here. Crickets, BSFL, and other treat worms can be purchased here. Buy online, you will save a lot of money. If the animal is as young as you think then he should be eating 80+ feeder insects every single day.
Substrate - Pick up some slate tile, shelf liner, or contact paper while you're at the hardware store. Do not use a lose substrate or reptile carpet.
So we are currently two raising two juvenile bearded dragons and I will give you the run down of what they get everyday.
5-8 Appropriately Sized Dubia Roaches
I would not suggest mealworms for a baby bearded dragon. The big issue with mealworms is that bearded dragons can have issues breaking them down. Crickets are another alright option but you can't beat Dubia Roaches. They are apparently 24% protein and unlike Crickets they don't smell, die all the time, or escape your bearded dragon. We have a colony we setup in a 20 gallon aquarium we purchased from https://www.dubideli.com/ but with just one baby you could just easily order a bunch of the size you need. For a baby you are probably looking at starting at the 1/4" sort group For roaches we generally feed them about what they normally eat but if they still look hungry we will keep feeding them roaches until they stop hunting them. Most of the time you can judge by your dragons behavoirs.
Pep-Cal Juvenile Bearded Dragon Food
This is served in a small food bowl. It is a nutritionally balanced commercial bearded dragon diet. You can soften it with either water or 100% juice. We have found that Apple Juice (we use Indian Summer) works best.
Shredded Salad
This is where the real work comes in. If you do not have a food processor I would suggest you get one right away. So every couple of days we make chopped salad in our food processor using vegtables and fruits from this list. I generally try to a good balance of healthy vegetables, if you like I can go into how to grow alfalfa sprouts at home (they are high in protein and calcium). I always make sure to add a little bit of fruit and a splash of apple juice to make it appealing. You will find what your dragons prefer. I know that for example anything that tastes like blackberries will go down well with our female so i always put a bit in the salad.
I just put a small amount of this salad in a food bowl every day and then put the rest in a tupperware container in the fridge. I generally make just enough to last 3 days.
Supplements
You must must be providing your bearded dragon with a Calcium/D3 supplement 3 times a week and a multivitamin once a week. I prefer to "dust" the roaches instead of putting the dust in any of the other foods because I can be guaranteed they will eat the roaches. You can get two jars of vitamin dust that will last you for almost forever. This is what I just pulled off my shelf and what we are currently using: [Flucker's Phosphorus Free Calcium/D3](http://amzn.com/B0002DHPF8} and Rep-Cal Herptivite Mutlivatime (http://amzn.com/B00076HT3S). I just have a vatamin schedule on the fridge.
Do you dust his food 1-2 times a week with Calcium/D3 mix? The D3 is instrumental in calcium absorption. A multivitamin would not hurt either. This is the one that I use.
Also, you say that he has a warm enclosure but does he have heating from the bottom? That is the most important part of heating. It helps them digest better. You can get an under tank heater (UTH) for $15-$25 depending on size and purchase location. Amazon has a good selection and good prices.
He looks a little thin and maybe a little dry in the picture but it does not look like anything that will be hard to fix. Try throwing some wax worms into his diet a few times a week. That will help him fill out.
There are obviously tons of different options for basically everything, but I'll make a list of what I bought. In no particular order.
Tank - Any 40+ gallon long (36" by 18" floor space) tank works, or many people build 4' by 2' by 2' enclosures themselves from wood. This is what I have: http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/supplies/habitats-and-decor/terrariums/national-geographicandtrade-sanctuary-reptile-terrarium-5210603.html.
UVB light - By far the most used and best options are either Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% fluorescent tubes, 1/2 - 2/3 the length of the enclosure. Arcadia is hard to get in the US, so I have Reptisun. t5 is stronger so it doesn't have to be as close to the basking spot, has to be replaced every year rather than 6 months for the t8, and is generally better. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26061-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HAO.
UVB fixture - With t5 you don't need a reflector, t8 you do. Any normal fixture will work, but with the t8 it needs to be below the screen top. This is a good one for the t5 that can be hung and comes with a reflector: https://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1492359012&sr=1-5&keywords=sunblaster.
Heat lamp - Any large reptile heat lamp will be able to handle more watts and will have more balance than the smaller ones, but get whatever you need to get the correct temps.
Heat bulb - You don't need a reptile specific bulb, it just needs to heat well. I use halogen flood lights that give off lots of heat and can be dimmed with a lamp dimmer to adjust based on how hot the room is.
Substrate - Stay away from sand and other loose substrate, it can cause impaction and grow bacteria. Reptile carpets are fine but are hard to clean. You can use paper towels, but many people use either tile (my favorite, you can pick out textured tile and have a hardware store cut it for ~$10) or non-adhesive shelf liner.
Accesories - Any large flat object that absorbs heat works well as a basking spot. Water bowls raise humidity and are usually not used, so you don't need one. Many people get a hammock like this: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Reptile-Hammock-17-5-Inch/dp/B0002AQDKO/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1492359509&sr=1-1&keywords=reptile+hammock. For them to climb on.
Thermometers - The analog ones are terribly inaccurate, a digital one with a probe works well, I like temp guns though. This works well for me: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-774-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00837ZGRY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1492359802&sr=8-4&keywords=temperature+gun.
Food - You'll need calcium and vitamin powder. Rep-cal works well.
Calcium: https://www.amazon.com/Rep-Cal-SRP00200-Phosphorous-Free-Ultrafine-Supplement/dp/B00BS96G1E.
Vitamins: https://www.amazon.com/HERPTIVITE-Multivitamin-reptiles-amphibians-Bottle/dp/B00076HT3S/ref=pd_bxgy_199_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00076HT3S&pd_rd_r=V9S5NZ2T4FCBQZMDQX40&pd_rd_w=a2CFC&pd_rd_wg=axaiO&psc=1&refRID=V9S5NZ2T4FCBQZMDQX40.
Extra - Lamp dimmer if you have a light that works with it. Plug in timer so the lights stay on a consistent schedule.
Let me know if I forgot anything or if you have any more questions.
I wrote this in a thread a month ago or so, it's late and Im straight copying it over.
Buy crickets in bulk online. Get a big storage tub, some egg cartons and toss them in. I try to keep dead ones out when transferring from box to tub. I use 2 tubs, I dump them into one, shake them all off the cartons they come with to clear out debris. Then, place the cartons back in, they will swarm and climb all over them. Use the cartons to transfer them from the dirty to the clean tub. This may take may take a few minutes.
Get cricket food and cricket quencher, on amazon for like 5 a piece.
Put some holes in the lid. The box they ship In will have a screen, cut that out and use that to cover the holes.
Use cardboard tubes from paper towels, they run right up those. Take the tube, hold it in the tub at a 45 degree angle and they run right up. Dump the tube in a tall cup.
Next you need cricket calcium and vitamin powder. Sprinkle a dash of each in the cup and shake them up. Calcium each morning, vitamin at least 3 times a week in the morning.
https://imgur.com/HDwCqB1
Here is the mobile version of your link
Is this an ok multivitamin?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00076HT3S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539178662&sr=8-1&keywords=gecko+multivitamin&dpPl=1&dpID=51Pge5dLvKL&ref=plSrch
UVB distance is good. A reflector is something shiny behind the bulb that takes the light that would be going up and directs it down. Like this. I asked because having one affects the distance the UVB should be mounted from the basking spot.
Hmm.. Is this the Exo Terra multivitamin you are using? The ratio of vitamins A, D, and E are not what they should be for a bearded dragon (100:10:1). Additionally, muscle tremors in reptiles are specifically associated with deficiencies in biotin (vit B7) and thiamin (vit B1), as well as calcium deficiencies. That multivitamin doesn't even have thiamin and the amount of biotin is much lower than in Herptivite, as far as I can tell. Exo Terra is using mg/lb and Herptivite uses mg/kg and I used google to convert so I could have screwed it up.
Here is some info about thiamin deficiency. Here is a vitamin B supplement for reptiles.
Have you ever given her antibiotics or treated her for parasites? If yes, did you use a probiotic afterward? Apparently a lack of digestive flora can contribute to vitamin B deficiencies. You can read more about vitamin deficiencies here. Here is a good probiotic.
I have no idea if your beardie has a vitamin deficiency but I would suggest switching your multivitamin to Rep-Cal's Herptivite simply because it is a more complete multivitamin. If you feel that the vitamin deficiency is likely and/or the gut flora could be an issue, then administering that vitamin B complex and/or the probiotic would be a good idea and won't harm your beardie even if she isn't deficient.
As far as I am aware, the tremors from an impaction would be in her hind legs, but I could be wrong about that. I think changing her multivitamin is a good idea even if she never has another tremor.
The constant stress marks are interesting. Is that new or has she always had that? Do you have a background on the back and sides of the tank? Does she have a hide? Are there other animals in the same room as her tank?
You might want to add one more dose of calcium to your weekly schedule so she is getting 5 doses of calcium per week and 2 doses of the multivitamin per week.
Your dragon looks like shit. Do not worry about its stains because it is massively unhealthy. Worry about THAT.
Because he has no UV and not enough heat he has no appetite. Because he has no appetite he's malnourished and very underweight.
MBD is metabolic bone disease which is caused by lack of calcium and vitamin D, which is caused by malnutrition and lack of UV. MBD is causing his jaw to recede. See more info at this link.
You need to immediately
(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dpets&field-keywords=digital+probe+thermometer&sprefix=digital+probe%2Cpets%2C262&rh=n%3A2619533011%2Ck%3Adigital+probe+thermometer)
With this set up your dragon should start to feel better and want to eat more kinds of food!!
Therefore:
Finally
IF YOU CANNOT DO TO THESE THINGS, GIVE YOUR DRAGON TO SOMEONE WHO CAN.
Oh crap man, did the vet not see the dragon moving like that? That's either metabolic bone disorder (MBD) or hypothiaminosis, and it's pretty advanced.
MBD: Beardies cannot use vitamin D from their food, they have to produce it with their skin and to do that, they need a proper light bulb. That does not look like a proper bulb. No vitamin D means he can't absorb calcium, and this is what lack of calcium causes. It is fatal unless you do something, stat. This is a proper bulb. You also need to get a large amount of calcium into the dragon, they sell liquids at the pet store that you can eye dropper into its mouth.
Hypothiaminosis is lack of vitamin B. Symptoms are similar, MBD is more common I think. Does your son use a vitamin supplement in addition to calcium? Because he ought to be. Herptivite is a good one.
104 F is not a high basking temp, 114 would actually be better. I also don't believe in water bowls in dragon enclosures as they raise the humidity and dragons are susceptible to pneumonia but others may disagree. My dragon gets a swim in the tub every week and fresh salad every day and she's plenty hydrated. A ceramic heat emitter might work better than a night light but don't go buying extra stuff just yet. I'm not sure that guy's gonna make it. Get the light bulb, a fixture for it, the liquid calcium with D3 and a multi vitamin if he doesn't have one. It's still eating, you have a chance. Good luck.
E: I am but an enthusiast, I might be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.