# What supplement to use



## alex111683 (Sep 11, 2010)

I am at about the 5 month mark for my supplements and am looking into trying different ones. Right now I am using good ol' pink and blue (reptical and herptivite)

I am thinking of ordering Repashy supplements this time around and have seen there are a options or at least there seems to be. As you can see from my signature, I don't have too many PDFs so I don't want to order unnecessary supplements. 

I see that there is supervit, calcium icb plus, and superpig. From my understanding the icb is a complete supplement, calcium and vitamins? So if I ordered the supervit would I also need to order a seperate calcium? And it seems as though from the frogs I have, they wouldn't benefit from superpig.

What would you guys recommend I get? What are other supplements you would recommended?


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/62082-repashy-products.html


----------



## alex111683 (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks so much. I can't believe I missed that thread when I was searching last night. Maybe because it was so late hahaha.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

alex111683 said:


> Thanks so much. I can't believe I missed that thread when I was searching last night. Maybe because it was so late hahaha.


There's a bunch of supp threads...not all come up on a search though....gotta hunt for them.

I rotate 5-6 diff supps and calc.....the more the merrier and the better than chance of providing something important that one other supp, when used alone, won't have.

Keep em fresh and stored properly though.....


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Find one or two people to split a bag of ICB with. Brings the price down and you have less wasted product because unless you have a room full of frogs you'll never use it all.
Doug


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Pumilo said:


> Find one or two people to split a bag of ICB with. Brings the price down and you have less wasted product because unless you have a room full of frogs you'll never use it all.
> Doug


Good point.

The nice thing about Nekton Rep (German vit / supp that can be found on eBay) is that it comes in tiny , single hobbyist serving sizes - that and it's an awesome product.


----------



## alex111683 (Sep 11, 2010)

Unfortunately I don't have the splitting option. Even though I have looked and asked around here at the three local pet stores, nobody seems to keep these amazing little guys. I don't know why since weather is perfect. Summers rarely get above 75 here.


----------



## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

Too bad you don't live closer, I'd have gladly split with you. I just ordered a bag of ICB but didn't realize it was going to be way more than two frogs need...


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Pumilo said:


> Find one or two people to split a bag of ICB with. Brings the price down and you have less wasted product because unless you have a room full of frogs you'll never use it all.
> Doug


There are two ways to look at this issue.. one is splitting but if you are splitting, you have to transfer the supplement to a opaque air tight container.. 
the other is supporting the manufacturer.... 

In the past there was one supplement that on independent analysis contained everything it said on the label... they even had a supplement that adjusted for the extra amount of supplement that fruit flies retained.. they went under..... they had a supplement that was tested on dendrobatids.. the name was Walkabout Farms.. 

While splitting supplements may save a few dollars.. keep in mind you are also taking sales away from the manufacturer... 

Ed


----------



## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm a bit confused here, why is it bad to just buy what you will use? The only way to support the manufacturer is to buy more than you need and then end up throwing most of it away? Wouldn't a better way to support the manufacturer be to continue buying smaller useable amounts or splitting with another person every 6 months?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

PeanutbuttER said:


> I'm a bit confused here, why is it bad to just buy what you will use? The only way to support the manufacturer is to buy more than you need and then end up throwing most of it away? Wouldn't a better way to support the manufacturer be to continue buying smaller useable amounts or splitting with another person every 6 months?


In general it depends on the cost of manufacturing and the cost of packaging. Usually the smaller the amount in the package the more it costs per unit volume. 
I don't want to put words into Allen Repashy's mouth but it may not be cost effective to package smaller amounts particularly when you may end up competing with your own products. This is actually a problem for the smaller company as it requires a larger inventory so the stock on hand can meet fluctuations in demand as well as the ability to be able deal with the increased cost through loss of stock (remember the company has to discard product after a certain period as the material oxidizes). 

Does that make sense?
So the less of the supplement the company sells, the longer it sits on the shelf regardless of the size of package, the more has to be discarded due to age the more it has to charge for any supplement.. this is where it can end up being non-competitive regardless of the quality of the product...


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I forgot to add, (again I don't want to put words in Allen Repashy's mouth) but you have to sell/move enough of the supplement to allow the purchase of the ingredients at a cost that enables it to be cost effective and competitive and to use up the ingredients before they themselves go bad.. 

As a further complication, there was one independent analysis of supplements (this was before Repashy) used in the industry and only one of the products tested had all of the ingredients on the label much less close to the reported levels of ingredients. That company was the one that went under. In the US, there isn't any regulation of the supplement industry which is why good quality supplements can be hard to find. 


In my own opinion, the cost of good quality supplements is pretty inexpensive compared to a lot of other things in this hobby (like the cost of the frogs). Investing in good quality supplements is one of the more important aspects of this hobby..... It can literally mean the difference between life and death for the animals involved... 

Ed


----------



## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

I agree that as a general practice it's best not to halve supplements with other froggers---primarily b/c of putting small business out of business and cutting their profits in half, but also b/c the recipient isn't sure just when those were opened and how they have been kept (in the fridge with a silica pack inside, for instance).

For example---I buy local eggs at $4/dozen b/c of the higher nutritional value---that is, the hens are truly 'free range' and feed on insects as opposed to the ones that claim 'free range' whose hens rarely venture out of doors. You can see the difference in the color of the yolks---darker colors = more nutrients. 

So, paying a bit extra for better quality is going to pay out in terms of health benefits and support local/small business in the long run, which will enable them to develop even more superior products in the future.

I believe strongly in the Repashy supplements, Supermin and Calcium Plus ICB. I use them half and half at each feeding and have not seen disease in my collection yet. Superpig is just something extra that is not vital, and I only use that once a month, sparingly, as it should not be used liberally on dart frogs.


----------



## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

earthfrog said:


> ......
> I believe strongly in the Repashy supplements, Supermin and Calcium Plus ICB. I use them half and half at each feeding and have not seen disease in my collection yet. Superpig is just something extra that is not vital, and I only use that once a month, sparingly, as it should not be used liberally on dart frogs.


I am pretty sure that Mr. Repashy came out and said that you should not use Calcium Plus ICB and Supermin in conjunction with each other. The Calcium Plus is a complete supplement and Supermin is used if you are supplementing calcium in another fashion or not at all.

Here is the thread. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/62082-repashy-products.html


----------



## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

phender said:


> I am pretty sure that Mr. Repashy came out and said that you should not use Calcium Plus ICB and Supermin in conjunction with each other. The Calcium Plus is a complete supplement and Supermin is used if you are supplementing calcium in another fashion or not at all.
> 
> Here is the thread. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/62082-repashy-products.html


No, he did not say you shouldn't do it, only that you did not need to do it. There is a difference. I feel better about doing it that way, but apparently it is not needed. Once again---I've only had one death in my froglets when breeding in the past 2 1/2years due to SLS and no visible signs of disease. Hooray for Repashy's!


----------

