Are there any supplement dusting products in NZ?

[Mrw7749]

Hi there,
Are there any Supplement Dusting products available in NZ? (Question mostly directed at Ebony)
If not can you use other everyday products or anything? And how would i be able to tell if my frogs were short on nutrients and needed supplements?
I have 2 Whistling tree frogs and they seem to be fine (apart from an eye infection)


(I was previously the member Leethefrogman but that account was linked to my dads email for some reason, so I made a new account )

[Ebony]

Hi Lee. There is the Northlands Mall pet shop in Ch Ch that mainly deals in Bearded dragons and Blue Tongue lizards who I think sells it. Ive seen it on trademe as well. To tell you the truth I had never heard of calcium dusting until I joined this Forum. Ive been thinking about looking into doing this as well but want more info first. Most of the frogs I own ive had as tadpoles and now are over five years old.

[Kurt]

Well, you can order internationally for supplements or take human supplements (vitamin D3 & A, calcium) and powder them. I think you may be better off ordering them.

[jtay]

Hi there,

I'm in Auckland and most pet shops with a good reptile area have dusting powders. Most of them are marketed towards reptiles but as you can read on packaging are also for amphibians.
Fluker's is a well known one. They do a calcium powder with or without vitamin D3 - depends on your animals UV exposure and requirements. They also do a multi-vitamin spray and probably more I have not encountered. I have seen these products at Animates stores, and also at Bird Barn in Henderson. I got the calcium + D3 powder for my green and golden bell frogs - have only used it a couple times when I catch moths - they are easy to dust compared with flies!

My understanding is that Whistling tree frogs are nocturnal so if you were to get a calcium powder go for the one without vitamin D3 as it is unlikely they require the extra D3 for calcium absorption - check on that though!
Remember too much can be just as bad, if not worse, than not enough when it comes to vitamins and minerals (apparently especially for D3).
If you are feeding your frogs a balanced and varied diet they probably wont need supplements, but are handy to have around when variety of food is scarce.

Hope that helps

[Ebony]

Hi jtay, Thanks for that info. Would you no how to tell if frogs are lacking in calcium? and if frogs were getting enough variety? I do give all my frogs a wide range of foods but not sure if that's enough.

[Kurt]

Hypocalcemic frogs have a tendency to be low in energy and spend a lot of time sleeping on the bottom of the enclosure. At least thats the case in Hylids. An radiograph will definitely show any hypocalcemia in your frog.

[jtay]

Hi jtay, Thanks for that info. Would you no how to tell if frogs are lacking in calcium? and if frogs were getting enough variety? I do give all my frogs a wide range of foods but not sure if that's enough.

Hi Ebony,

Sorry about delay in reply.
I have a book titled Keeping Frogs by Mark Davidson. It's about keeping Australian frogs in captivity. There is some info about supplements and signs of deficiencies in it.
Here is a paragraph on Calcium Deficiency.

"Soft bones/ Metabolic bone disease

This occurs only when frogs are not obtaining sufficient calcium & vitamin D3 in their diets (see Feeding & Lighting). Calcium deficiency shows up as uncontrollable twitching & spasms of the back legs. Affected frogs will be obvious, as they have trouble moving about the tank. They may be hunched or twisted, but by the time this is noticed, it may well be too late for remedial treatment (it is possible though for vets to administer an injection of calcium under certain circumstances).
Prevention in the form of calcium powder right from the start is the key."

Another part in the book reads that D3 is in insect livers so it is not so important to include that with supplements, as an excess of D3 can lead to kidney failure & arthritis.

In my opinion the age and appearance of your frogs indicate to me that they are healthy as. But adding calcium powder to their diet is a good thing.

Jess