# Dart Frog Supplementation



## DartSolo (Sep 7, 2014)

Hey all, so ive had my frogs for about a week and everything seems to be doing great, they have all started coming out and hopping around the cage. I know that dart frogs need supplementation like all frogs, but i did not know what to supplement them. So i went to Scails n Tails and they told me that Reptivite is enough supplementation is enough so I bought it and now I read online that Reptivite is good but I need more than just that. What do you say, should I buy more supplements and if so then what kind? Thank you


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Repashy brand supplements are considered the ideal product at this time, if its possible I would switch to them. I dust my flies every other feeding with Repashy calcium plus and monthly with vitamin A plus. A vitamin A is necessary for dart frogs and absolutely crucial for breeding frogs. 

Always remember to purchase new supplements every six months! It may not say it on the package, but they lose their effectiveness after approximately six months after opening.

John

Edit: I also feed my frogs every day, so they get a dose of calcium+ every other day, just to clarify things a bit more


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## froggorf (Nov 22, 2008)

In general, I'd say most people use a daily (or every other day) dusting of Repashy Calcium+ and a 1-2/monthly dusting of Repashy Vitamin A. It's important to replace these supplements ~6 months and are best kept in the fridge. See if others chime in, but I don't think you can go wrong with the above supplements which can be purchased from most DB sponsors or directly from Repashy.


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## froggorf (Nov 22, 2008)

Looks like John beat me to it!


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## zimmerj (Aug 20, 2014)

I was actually just having an email conversation with an enthusiast with many years of experience with dart frogs on the topic of supplementation. This is what she said:

We use ONLY Repashy Calcium Plus to supplement.* It is the only supplement containing natural food-sourced nutrients.* The others are chemical renditions of nutrients which carry a higher risk of toxic-build up in the tissues.* Vitamins A, D and E, and beta carotene are fat-soluble.* The frogs cannot excrete what their tissues don't use.* The build up can contribute to organ failure in mature frogs.* Also, dust so lightly that you cannot discern the powder on the insects. In this case, more is not better.

She went on to say the following when I asked about supplementing with vitamin A as well, which Repashy Calcium Plus does contain:

Never supplement with an individual nutrient.* It causes imbalances.* Nutrients work synergistically. Also, if the nutrient is from a chemical and not natural source, you are risking toxicity.* This is especially relevant to vitamins A and D.


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

zimmerj said:


> I was actually just having an email conversation with an enthusiast with many years of experience with dart frogs on the topic of supplementation. This is what she said:
> 
> We use ONLY Repashy Calcium Plus to supplement.* It is the only supplement containing natural food-sourced nutrients.* The others are chemical renditions of nutrients which carry a higher risk of toxic-build up in the tissues.* Vitamins A, D and E, and beta carotene are fat-soluble.* The frogs cannot excrete what their tissues don't use.* The build up can contribute to organ failure in mature frogs.* Also, dust so lightly that you cannot discern the powder on the insects. In this case, more is not better.
> 
> ...



Ok, I see how someone could be worried about over supplementation as it is a very valid concern, but under supplementation is just as big of a problem. I would not recommend supplementing calcium plus alone though. Would your frog die if you did? Probably not, Repashy has done a great job balancing his products, but they are not perfect and it may still cause issues that you might not notice. Many hobbyists have found that supplementing with vit A one a month can drastically improve breeding success and overall health of their frogs.

John


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## DartSolo (Sep 7, 2014)

So would you guys recommend I buy and use Repashy right away or can i finish off the bottle of Reptivite first?


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

That is totally up to you. Repashy is a superior product due to advances in its formulation and particle size, but you already purchased the reptivite and it is an effective product as well. Reptivite was one of my go to supplement years ago, but repashy has simply outperformed it.

John


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Naturally speaking, you can't get much more general than the statement "Chemical renditions". 




zimmerj said:


> I was actually just having an email conversation with an enthusiast with many years of experience with dart frogs on the topic of supplementation. This is what she said:
> 
> We use ONLY Repashy Calcium Plus to supplement.* It is the only supplement containing natural food-sourced nutrients.* The others are chemical renditions of nutrients which carry a higher risk of toxic-build up in the tissues.* Vitamins A, D and E, and beta carotene are fat-soluble.* The frogs cannot excrete what their tissues don't use.* The build up can contribute to organ failure in mature frogs.* Also, dust so lightly that you cannot discern the powder on the insects. In this case, more is not better.
> 
> ...


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## zimmerj (Aug 20, 2014)

DartSolo said:


> So would you guys recommend I buy and use Repashy right away or can i finish off the bottle of Reptivite first?


I switched over immediately from Fluker's but like FroggyKnight said, that's up to you.

If you refrigerate Repashy after opening, it will extend the shelf life.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

zimmerj said:


> The others are chemical renditions of nutrients which carry a higher risk of toxic-build up in the tissues.* Vitamins A, D and E, and beta carotene are fat-soluble.* The frogs cannot excrete what their tissues don't use.* The build up can contribute to organ failure in mature frogs.*


Hmmm...... I have to say that there is a small nugget of fact hidden in a much larger nugget of BS. Contrary to this "expert", fat soluble vitamins can be excreted.... for example large amounts of vitamin A are excreted in the stool (up to a third of intake), metabolites of vitamin A are detectable mixed with the bile secretions where they may undergo further digestion by gut flora and fauna or the digestive process itself or be excreted with the other fecal material. 



zimmerj said:


> Never supplement with an individual nutrient.* It causes imbalances.*


Actually it doesn't have to cause an imbalance.. or that any imbalance is actually a problem.... Supplementing one to two feedings a month with the straight vitamin A does not cause imbalances... This appears to be a misunderstanding of how A, D3 and E compete for uptake when consumed together.... 



zimmerj said:


> Nutrients work synergistically.


Not necessarily.... 



zimmerj said:


> Also, if the nutrient is from a chemical and not natural source, you are risking toxicity.* This is especially relevant to vitamins A and D.


Pure and utter BS... As a simple example, there is no difference in how a water molecule behaves, is utilized, or can cause toxicity when consumed in excess regardless of its origin whether it be from the cellular breakdown of glucose, burning a petrochemical or reacting hydrogen with oxygen as part of an explosion. 

The person who gave you those comments has been reading a little too much voodoo regarding vitamins and minerals. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## DartSolo (Sep 7, 2014)

Thank you so much, I am going to switch to repashy now


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## zimmerj (Aug 20, 2014)

Ed;2099921.. said:


> Pure and utter BS... As a simple example, there is no difference in how a water molecule behaves, is utilized, or can cause toxicity when consumed in excess regardless of its origin whether it be from the cellular breakdown of glucose, burning a petrochemical or reacting hydrogen with oxygen as part of an explosion.


Ed, you call this complete & utter BS and your examples are true, however, your example is somewhat misleading. Yes, you are absolutely correct in that H2O is H2O regardless of how it's derived. But, for example, even distilled water is not absolutely pure. Impurities do remain after the distillation process. Whether it's too difficult or too expensive (maybe even impossible), I don't know of any purification process that is capable of achieving absolute purity. This isn't a perfect world we live in. That being said' without doing the appropriate research myself, I'd rather just take her word for it because I feel that is the safer bet. Not to mention that it seems unanimous that everyone agrees that Repashy is a superior product.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

zimmerj said:


> Ed, you call this complete & utter BS and your examples are true, however, your example is somewhat misleading.


Actually it's not misleading. Go back and look at the statement that I called pure and utter BS.. A water molecule is a water molecule regardless of origin just as a molecule of cholecalciferol (D3) is a molecule of cholcalciferol. A molecule of "naturally formed" D3 does not have a greater risk of toxicity than does a molecule of artificially created D3. Any statement to the opposite is either a product of ignorance of the metabolic processes or pure and utter BS. 



zimmerj said:


> . But, for example, even distilled water is not absolutely pure. Impurities do remain after the distillation process. Whether it's too difficult or too expensive (maybe even impossible), I don't know of any purification process that is capable of achieving absolute purity.


This doesn't address the claims of increased toxicity of materials that are formed through "artificial" means..which is pure BS.... However for the sake of clarity lets consider your point. Point me to a documented process using entirely natural means for refining vitamin A or D3. I want to see the process where the refinement did not use any form of artificial means or extraction processes that is shown to reduce toxic byproducts. I'm willing to bet that you cannot locate one that does not utilize some artificial methods.... 




zimmerj said:


> This isn't a perfect world we live in. That being said' without doing the appropriate research myself, I'd rather just take her word for it because I feel that is the safer bet. Not to mention that it seems unanimous that everyone agrees that Repashy is a superior product.


Contrary to your interpretation (and I suggest doing some searches on Repashy here) I'm not against Repashy vitamins.... I'm against bad information and claims of total BS that are a result of bad pseudoscience. So to accept some BS because they spin a good story is all it takes for research?

Some comments 

Ed


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