# Vitamins that help with egg fertility?



## Elliot (Apr 6, 2011)

Are there any vitamin supplements for PDFs that will help with egg fertility? Something for dusting the FF with at feeding time would work best. I have a pair of Azureus that recently laid a clutch of 6 eggs that hatched successfully. The last clutch was 5 eggs and only 2 hatched. I know this can be common for Azureus, but I would like to see if there is anything that I can do to help. I already dust the FF with Rep-cal's Phosphorous Free Calcium with Vitamin D3 and Herpative Multivitamins Advanced Formula. I usually add about a pinch of each for dusting.


----------



## antoniolugo (Apr 8, 2011)

I like repashy calcium plus, its an all in one suplement. You can use it in every feeding.
Vit A its and important vitamin for reproduction. You should search in the forum for articles related to Vit A.


----------



## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

I like to dust with Vit A twice a month.


---
I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?mwidbn


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Vitamin A can help with egg fertility. Herptivite's form of Vitamin A is completelyl UN-usable by your frogs. You need a preformed Retinol to be usable by your frogs. If you switch to Repashy Calcium Plus instead of RepCal and Herptivite, you will be getting a supplement with the proper form of Vitamin A. Additionally, they make Repashy Vitamin A plus for just such problems. Repashy Superfoods :: RETAIL :: Vitamin A Plus - Repashy Ventures - Distributor Center
When my Tarapoto had a problem, I saw improvement within 2 weeks after starting to use Repashy Vitamin A plus.


----------



## Elliot (Apr 6, 2011)

Is Herptivite's form of Vit A harmful to the frogs? How often should I dust with Vit A? I see that you guys do it once to 2 times a month. Is that the norm or is there a formula? Sorry about all the odd question


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I don't think it is harmful, they just can't utilize it. There are direction on use on the link I sent you. The schedule I have been using is posted here http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-health-disease-treatment/78983-azureus-poor-sight.html


----------



## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

Make sure they are fresh. If they have been open for longer than 6 months get some new ones and mix in the old supplements into your fly media.


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

frogmanroth said:


> Make sure they are fresh. If they have been open for longer than 6 months get some new ones and mix in the old supplements into your fly media.


Aren't you concerned with vitamin sequestering blocking the intake of other vitamins and calcium?


----------



## Elliot (Apr 6, 2011)

Pumilo said:


> I don't think it is harmful, they just can't utilize it. There are direction on use on the link I sent you. The schedule I have been using is posted here http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-health-disease-treatment/78983-azureus-poor-sight.html


Woops, I didn't see the link at first. Thanks for the schedule. It answers alot of questions. I was wondering. If my frogs are not having problems grabbing flys and all. Do they really have a ViT A deficiency? Either that or they have enough ViT A to sustain the other things like STS and not quite enough to get a nice clutch of eggs.


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Elliot said:


> Woops, I didn't see the link at first. Thanks for the schedule. It answers alot of questions. I was wondering. If my frogs are not having problems grabbing flys and all. Do they really have a ViT A deficiency? Either that or they have enough ViT A to sustain the other things like STS and not quite enough to get a nice clutch of eggs.


Yes, that is possible. My Tarapoto pair had no problems with Sticky Tongue but were still throwing a lot of bad eggs. The vitamin A cleared it up very quickly.


----------



## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

Pumilo said:


> Aren't you concerned with vitamin sequestering blocking the intake of other vitamins and calcium?


Well you could just throw it away, some people think thats a waste. I know lots of others that just mix in the dry media then make their cultures. Some say it adds to the media. I don't know how good any of it really is. I think it seems to help the flies IMO. They come out bigger it seems IMO when I do throw some old supplements?

My point was people need to keep fresh supplements that's all.


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

frogmanroth said:


> Well you could just throw it away, some people think thats a waste. I know lots of others that just mix in the dry media then make their cultures. Some say it adds to the media. I don't know how good any of it really is. I think it seems to help the flies IMO. They come out bigger it seems IMO when I do throw some old supplements?
> 
> My point was people need to keep fresh supplements that's all.


Of course I totally agree with keeping fresh supplements. I toss mine and replace them every 6 months.


----------



## misteja (Dec 18, 2009)

I put some of the old/discarded Repcal vitamins & calcium in my iso cultures. They seem to love it. Never tried using it in my fly cultures.


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

There is some thought that both fruit flies and isopods will sequester certain vitamins, storing them in levels far beyond what would be found in nature. Particularly tocopherols (forms of vitamin E). These can accumulate in your frogs, blocking other vitamin uptake such as A and D3. Once the D3 is blocked, calcium cannot be utilized. 
This is why I choose to throw my old vitamins away and do not believe it is wise to feed them to your fruit flies or isopods.


----------



## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

how long will refrigerating the supplements extend the shelf life?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

frogmanroth said:


> Well you could just throw it away, some people think thats a waste. I know lots of others that just mix in the dry media then make their cultures. Some say it adds to the media. I don't know how good any of it really is. I think it seems to help the flies IMO. They come out bigger it seems IMO when I do throw some old supplements?
> 
> My point was people need to keep fresh supplements that's all.


Flies do not need any significant levels of vitamin A past what is needed to form rhodopsin in the eyes..(which can easily be done through carotenoids) and the rest is digested by the flies/larva or decomposed by enzymes in the media. Vitamin D3 is digested and used as a precursor for cholesterol formation. They do not retain nor store D3... Vitamin E is avidly absorbed and stored potentially reaching levels hundreds of times that of the background media.. Now what does this mean.. well vitamin A, D3 and E all compete for uptake and absorbtion in the digestive tracts of vertebrates including frogs.. and it is well established that a dietary ratio that deviates from a ratio of 10 to 1 to 0.1 of A to D3 to E causes conditional deficiencies including those commonly called MDB by the hobby (and can cause others such as hypovitaminosis of A resulting in a loss of fertility or even short tongue syndrome and/or immune system deficiencies..). And this doesn't even take into account the imbalances that are present from oxidation of the vitamins...See the breakdown I posted here with the relevent citations... 

The flies have an extremely efficient method of excreting calcium and feeding them higher levels does not change their calcium to phosphorus ratio... 

In general adding old supplements to fruit fly media is not a good husbandry practice. 

Ed


----------



## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

Interesting info thanks. If you don't learn one thing each day!


----------



## misteja (Dec 18, 2009)

I guess I'll stop adding it to my isos then. Thanks for the info!


----------

