The 8-day cycle: how to properly use reptile supplements
Why do we need reptile supplements?
Our exotic pets have spent millions of years on planet Earth, constantly adapting and evolving to their native environments, including the nutrients that are available to them in said environments. Many reptiles are opportunistic feeders, and whilst they may fit into one specific feeding group, this does not necessarily mean that they would solely feed on such food items.
For example, most would agree that Chameleons are insectivorous, however, in the wild, they have been observed eating vegetation, small mammals, birds, amphibians and even other reptiles. This means that when fed a purely insectivorous diet in captivity, they are likely to be missing out on a number of nutrients that they would receive in the wild.
When taking care of captive reptiles, you are unlikely to be able to recreate this perfectly balanced diet with commercially available livefoods, vegetation or 'complete' diets. To combat this, we must dust the food items offered to our reptiles and amphibians with reptile supplements.
The use of high-quality reptile supplements in the correct amounts at the correct frequencies will help to ensure optimum bone health and skin health for your reptile, and help to avoid a plethora of nutrition-related illnesses such as metabolic bone disease.
The 8-Day Cycle
Arcadia has revolutionised the way we look at reptile supplements with their EarthPro range, made from natural ingredients using a science-based approach to produce some of the best reptile supplements on the market at this moment in time.
Along with this, they have formulated a supplementation programme which looks at the type of diet your reptile has, assumes that everything else within the set-up (heat, UVB, humidity) is at the optimum for that specific species and provides a set 'cycle' that you should follow with your supplementation for optimum nutrition.
This cycle is essentially the same for insectivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous reptiles, and advises you to feed a high-grade calcium-rich multi-vitamin powder, such as Arcadia EarthPro-A on feed 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7, a calcium plus magnesium powder such as Arcadia CalciumProMg on every fourth feed and a full-spectrum vitamin D3 powder on every eighth feed.
Sticking to this cycle will help to ensure that your pets thrive in your care - the ultimate goal for any exotic pet keeper.