Ok, I am slightly confused by the issue of Vitamin D3.

1) Most people here, as well as the IC care sheet/articles, say that you should stay away from vitamin D3 supplements, because they are not only not absorbed, but may be harmful to the liver/kidneys, and should rely on UV exposure. Yet, these exact same persons/caresheets recommend "Rep-Cal" Iguana food, which contains vitamin D3 as stated on their package, and/or Rep-Cal Calcium with D3. There was even one care sheet that said these two contradictory things in the same page. Can someone clarify this for me?

- How can they say "No supplemental D3" and at the same time recommend iguana products that contain added vitamin D3?

Most websites say "Don't listen to pet shops owners" and I agree that a lot of clerks don't know what they are doing. But today, a shop owner said to me, "Don't believe the websites, I've been doing this (raising herptiles) for 21 years". Sigh.... I only want to give the best to my juvenile iggy and this is confusing.

2) The mechanism for UVB causing synthesis of D3 in the herp is supposed to be by converting "pro-vitamin D3" into "pre-vitamin D3". Ok, so I expose the Iguana to UV lamps and sunlight. But where does the "PRO-vitamin D3" come from that the sunlight converts to "pre-vitamin D3" Does it come from diet?

3) If I do end up coming to the conclusion that ANY commecial foods/supplements with D3 in it is completely unusable, I will have to look for non-reptile specific product alternatives (not to mention having wasted quite some money). This is because NONE of the herp stores here believe that you can do without D3 supplementation and they don't even stock the D3 free versions of the products. From what I read, if this is the case, I may go with Centrum multivitamin and mineral plus a human calcium carbonate supplement.
Is this a good plan?
The iggy is a juvenile that was shipped here and has been kept by pet store for 3 months, it is now about 21 inches long snout to tail length.

4) Some recommend Centrum SILVER instead of the more popular Centrum. Why is this? Is it because of extra calcium that the silver version has? If I use Centrum Silver instead of the regular Centrum, do I need more calcium supplements like calcium carbonate powder?

Most of what an iguana eats has bad and good stuff. Take a collard. It is high is oxalates but the amount of Ca far outweighs it. You try to minimize the bad but it is almost impossible to eliminate. That is why variety and moderation is the key to a successful diet. Sounds like what our diet should be doesn't it. There are a few absolutes such as animal protein--none at all. And some nearly absolutes such as the D3.

Iguanas have the tendency of being dehydrated which leads to kidney problems. The RepCal Iguana Food pellets do have a minimal amount of D3 and contains corn (both not too good) but it absorbs lots of water and has lots of good vitamins that if used at the appropiate level for your iguana it is more good than bad. Most love it and it tends to increase their appetite and the water hydrates them. Also it helps lubricate the digestive system and make them regular.

The reason people recommend centrum and centrum silver over reptile vitamins is that human vitamins must meet higher standards than reptile. If the silver has more calcium it may have been recommended so that no other calcium supplement would be needed. I once used centrum and calcium so that was what I suggested at the time. I had not read the label of the silver. Human calcium carbonate (without vitamin D) is cheaper and also again must meet human standards so it is recommended by many. But if you use the soaked RepCal food daily neither will be necessary. Again the amount of D3 is minimal.

The provitamin D (7DHC) is manufactured by the iguanas cells and activated by UVB to become previtamin D3. Sunlight and Vitamin D

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Jan. 25, 1963 - Sept. 10, 2006 (R.I.P)

Why do they put D3 into the supplements for iguanas then? Is it for marketing purposes only? Because people think you need D3 in there?

By the way, CHAMELEONS can absorb orally ingested D3, right? (Correct me if I'm wrong). Perhaps that is what started the D3 in supplements trend, because they made them for Chameleons and now everyone expects them to be in there for other reptiles too?

Hello,

Rep-cal carries supplemental calcium without D3. Its called "Rep-Cal calcium, no Phosphorus, No D3. Thats what you should use for your iguana. Its the "green label" and I have a bottle of it available here:

http://www.herpcenter.com/cart/index.php/cPath/26

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It may be marketing. UVB is so hard and expensive to provide. A lot of people want shortcuts to providing UVB and so companies provide it.

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Jan. 25, 1963 - Sept. 10, 2006 (R.I.P)

I use Rep-Cal as well. There is nothing but 100% calcium. But mine is for my Chinese water dragons. They may have different needs than Iguanas.

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http://dragcave.net/user/manhirwen

Yup, there are a lot of voices out there in reptile care and many talk against many of the others. The guy at the store is correct. There are a bunch of websites out there with BAD info for reptile care. But at the same time there are many many many stores out there selling igs and giving bad info.

I use soaked Rep-Cal Adult ig pellets on my 10 year old iguana's salad daily. Yes they have D3 in them and I don't like that but the benefits outweigh that for my use. The water the pellets carry into my ig is worth it and compared to the whole of his diet this is a minimal cost. D3 is a fat soluble compound so it enters the fat of the lizard and there is no good way to flush it out of the system so it may build up over time. Compare this to something like C which is water soluble. I am sure you have met people who, when sick, drink half a gallon of orange juice and pop about 3000 mg of vitamin C a day. This is not a problem because the body can expel it easily with the water.

There is no single best way to keep an ig and everyone has an opinion. As you keep yours you will have to sift through the vast amount of info and decide which has the best evidence behind it and most reliable sources behind it.

Keep asking the questions and questioning the answers. I know it is frustrating but it sounds like you're doing really well.

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~ Mark

Well this is why I give my iguanas the RepCal Iguana Food pellets.

I have an iguana, Dragon. She was previously owned by boys that said her favorite food was dog food and peas and carrots. Well they said she was a male too. She had bumps along her back and bends in her tail. She was plump back then. Most likely from the animal protein. As she lost the plumpness you could see the corkscrew spine more. She had had advanced Metabolic Bone Disease. Most likely due to her diet and husbandry. Well she has had medical issues either directly or indirectly related to the diet she had back then throughout the years. That was 10 years ago and she is now about 13.

A year ago she went from 5lbs to 4lbs very quickly--she had began eating very little. Her urates were gritty and tinged with orange. I took her to the vet and there were indications of possible kidney disease and an infection. The treatment was antibiotics and force hydration. Also try to get her to eat. The eating was the problem. I tried chopping everything very tiny, tried holding the bowl for her, and even begging her. Some one told me to call this rehabber and I did. He gave me some food recommendations and then said to try this RepCal food pellets. So I got on the internet and looked for it. All the ads said it had D3. I kept looking and found one place that made no mention of D3 and so I ordered it. It came and I made it up and added it to Dragon's food. She went for it immediately. Well later I looked on the package and found that it had D3. So I called the rehabber back saying I got the wrong kind. He told me no that it was the right one. Like you I said that I thought D3 was wrong. He said yes but there was only a minimal amount and the benefits for Dragon outweighed the D3. It was getting more water in her, adding calories, and getting her to eat more of the rest of the food. If she didn't eat and get more water she risked the chances of dying of kidney failure. Both of my older iguanas are anorexic and so are still on it. My younger one gets it because he is in breeding season and has slowed down on eating and I give it to him to keep him hydrated and regular.

Now you have a younger iguana who is healthy. You don't have to use the RepCal food. It is just an option for vitamin supplementation and the added benefit of hydration. Another option is the Centrum Silver. A third option is regular Centrum with human calcium carbonate. And then you could also go with reptile vitamins and RepCal calcium (w or witho D3). Or you could go with the opinion that if you feed a healthy diet no supplementation is needed at all. These are just options that are available. You need to take what you know and decide what is best for you and your iguana. People have just told you what has worked for them. That is what is good about these forums--you get to hear many different sides that you can consider. You can learn from the successes and yes also the mistakes of others. Sometimes there is no definite right or wrong way and you just have to weigh the benefits against costs. But in the end you are the decision maker and the one responsible for caring for your iguana. In time you may be on here telling what worked for you.

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Jan. 25, 1963 - Sept. 10, 2006 (R.I.P)