Bearded and Uromastyx

Question
Hi Diane,
I am looking for a suggestion for a liquid calcium supplement.  In the (way) past I had found a product that was a sweet tasting supplement that was recommended by a vet (it was made for people with osteoporosis).

At the time my lizard had trembling rear leg and this sweet tasting product was taken readily.

I have not been able to find such a product at the local drugstore...

suggestions appreciated

Greg

Answer
Hi Greg,
I believe the product you are referring to is calcium glubionate or calcium gluconate.  Both should be available through a vet or on line at www.calvetsupply.com ( know they carry the gluconate in a very concentrated form.)  Here is a link to using the products. http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html
If you aren't using a proper source of uvb, all the calcium in the world won't do anything as that they need the uvb to be able to use the calcium in their foods.  There is much new info on good and bad uvb sources..Here is a brief paragraph I wrote on it...
LIGHTING and UVB
Supplying uvb can be done in a few ways. By special lights
that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs
(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat.
The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the reptile to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat.
With out the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease.
With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and
uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 10.0 and the Repti Glo 8.0's are a great source for uvb. The old "favorites" are the repti sun 5.0 or the Iguana light..which are the same tube, just different package.
There are tubes that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.
These need to be positioned 6-8 inches over the reptile for the 5% and 8% and 8-10 inches for the 10% so
that they get the uvb that is needed. The tubes need to be replaced every 6-9 months as that they stop producing UVB long before they stop producing light.Using a fixture that holds two uvb tubes of at least 3 feet in length will provide adequate uvb for your reptile. There has been new studies that have proven that compact uvb lights, both the spiral/coil type and the ones that look like long "U's" laying on their side and a few other brands are causing what basically amounts to snow blindness in reptiles.  To read more on this, you can go to http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm
On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also
produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the
Mega Rays.(http://www.reptileuv.com) The distance from these are greater than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that
are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor
lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for
heat. The Mercury vapor lights provide both.
For daytime heat, if using the tube uvb, regular household
incandescent light bulbs produce heat. The wattage will
depend on the size of your reptiles enclosure. and the room temperature.Of course, the best uvb is from the
sun and if you are in an area that you are able to take your reptile outside in a proper enclosure, (Never a tank or enclosed, solid cage)