# Do dart frogs need Herptivite?



## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Do dart frogs need Herptivite?(im just a newbie still)


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## johnnymo (Jul 20, 2007)

They will need their food to be dusted by vitamin powder and calcium powder for proper growth/health.I dust one day with calcium and the next with vitamin. Rotating powders instead of using them both at the same time is supposed to be better for reasons i forgot. I think it has something to do with the powders potency degrading when they come in contact or someting.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

i dust everyother feeding and alternate between vitamins and calcium.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Ok. Thanks for the info! So i do need Herptivite.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

it doesn't hurt, but know one really knows how much of the stuff gets absorbed.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

It does matter as this is the main source of some vitamins like vitamin A or even some of the micronutrients... 

Ed


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

Julio said:


> it doesn't hurt, but know one really knows how much of the stuff gets absorbed.


Not really. These companies don't just through a bunch of vitamins together in hopes that some will and won't be absorbed. They're made to best benefit herps (I know darts were probably not in consideration, but I am certain amphibians were, and in regards to vitamins and minerals, they're not that physiologically different from other amphibians).

They do help and they are necessary for healthy frogs.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Do dart frogs need Herptivite? Yes or No?


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

Yes.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

terrariumman said:


> Do dart frogs need Herptivite? Yes or No?


 Yes. Their captive care food is usually fruit flies or pinhead crickets, because these are convenient for us to raise to feed to them, but which are both short on some essential vitamins and calcium, unlike the variety of live foods they get in the wild that also feed on a variety of foods, not just the starches and yeasts we feed fruit flies and crickets. The foods we feed are short or lacking the essential vitamins and minerals they need. When you think about the fact that poison dart frogs lose their poisons in captivity because they no longer get the essential chemical elements to produce them, it's easier to understand that they aren't getting a lot of other stuff either with a limited captive diet. They aren't usually being exposed to UV light in our vivariums, so the D3 in the calcium supplement is also essential. Rep-Cal which is calcium with D3, (without phosphorus,) and Herptivite, covering other essentials without overdoses. Yes, Herptivite or a comparable product is essential to their lasting health.


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## kleinhanz (Oct 18, 2004)

I'll chime in and just say that you CAN mix your Rep-Cal and Herptivite (1:1) and store for use (I store at 4deg C). The reason the factory does not mix them prior to purchase is due to a manufacturing process to prevent the "beadlets" of beta carotene (in Herptivite) being damaged by the calcium (in Rep-Cal). 

If you don't believe me just read the package. Mix 1:1 and store. No need to remember a rotating schedule.

Also, check the experation dates on the package when buying, this stuff last forever so give yourself as much shelf-life as possible.

Cheers!


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## johnnymo (Jul 20, 2007)

nice! That makes feeding time a little easier for me. No more marking "v" or "c" on my calendar anymore haha.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

kleinhanz said:


> I'll chime in and just say that you CAN mix your Rep-Cal and Herptivite (1:1) and store for use (I store at 4deg C). The reason the factory does not mix them prior to purchase is due to a manufacturing process to prevent the "beadlets" of beta carotene (in Herptivite) being damaged by the calcium (in Rep-Cal).
> 
> If you don't believe me just read the package. Mix 1:1 and store. No need to remember a rotating schedule.
> 
> ...


If you are going to be premixing and storing it cold then you should split the batch up into several batches because each time it warms up and cools, moisture will condense and speed the oxidation of the fat soluble vitamins. 

They do not last forever.. once they are opened they should be discarded and replaced every six months. 

Ed


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## kleinhanz (Oct 18, 2004)

> If you are going to be premixing and storing it cold then you should split the batch up into several batches because each time it warms up and cools, moisture will condense and speed the oxidation of the fat soluble vitamins


Yup, I split up into batches for storage.



> They do not last forever.. once they are opened they should be discarded and replaced every six months.


Forgot I would be taken literally here, yes, check expiration labels and Ed's 6 month rule sounds good. Even though the stuff is cheap, it's nice to split a batch with a friend otherwise you'll ended up throwing half of it away. Yes, common sense.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

I have a little mortar and pestle and just grind together a few days' worth at a time, adding a little Naturose to enhance the red frogs at the same time.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

I think throwing out suppliments every six months is a bit much. As long as the Rep-Cal Calcium/Herptivite isn't past the due date printed on the label it should be fine. I replace mine once a year at the local herp show where I can get it cheap.

I'm sure if it went bad earlier than the expiration date then the manufacturer would want you to buy more as soon as possible.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Arklier said:


> I think throwing out suppliments every six months is a bit much. As long as the Rep-Cal Calcium/Herptivite isn't past the due date printed on the label it should be fine. I replace mine once a year at the local herp show where I can get it cheap.
> 
> I'm sure if it went bad earlier than the expiration date then the manufacturer would want you to buy more as soon as possible.


For products like the powdered vitamins we use the expiration date is the *estimated* length of time a product can be stored on a shelf in a sealed container in constant conditions away from harmful and variable factors such as light, temperature changes and humidity. Once you open the container of supplements, they are no longer responsible for changes to the contents from oxidation, degredation, contamination etc. 

Also if you refer to the Nutrition Chapter in Reptile Medicine and Surgery (second edition) where Dr. Donoghue states quote "...shelf life of most preperations is restricted to a few months after manufacture.... "endquote


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## Drew (Nov 9, 2006)

Considering the amount of money we all probably spend on this hobby one of the least expensive things are the vitamins. I pitch mine every 6 months or so. It's just not worth it to keep that stuff around for longer than that.


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## Jayson745 (Dec 13, 2006)

^^ I agree. The stuff is so cheap, there really isn't a good reason to risk it.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

To each their own. I have always kept them a year and have been using Rep-Cal for over 7 years. Not once have I had a problem that could be traced to suppliments.


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