Food supplements are not really required if your water dragon receives a well balanced diet, but giving a balanced diet to your pet is practically not possible on all occasions. You don’t need to worry. There are a number of multi-vitamin and calcium supplements that can be dusted over the meal you offer your pet. These supplements make sure your pet receives all the nutrients it requires to stay happy and healthy.
If your Chinese water dragon does not get enough calcium in the diet, it can suffer from calcium deficiency which is seen as metabolic bone disease. Calcium is not only required for strong bones, but your dragon uses calcium for a number of important body functions such as muscle contraction and clotting of blood.
Too little calcium in blood causes the bones to get weak. Moreover, calcium deficiency is a lot more severe if you feed your pet with food that contains a high amount of phosphorus and low calcium. Metabolic bone disease is more prominent in the tail and vertebral column of your water dragon. Your pet may become weak and lethargic. In order to avoid this condition, you should add required amounts of calcium supplement to your pet’s diet.
You can buy commercial reptile calcium and vitamin D supplement for dusting on your dragon’s favorite snack. If this is not available, you can also use human calcium and vitamin D supplements. All you need to do is powder the tablets in a grinder or crush them to a fine powder. This powder can be dusted the same way you use commercial supplements. You can also use calcium and vitamin D supplement at the stage you gut load insects.
Chinese water dragons can be given a calcium supplement on every alternate feed. This will ensure that your pet receives adequate quantities of calcium to prevent bone disease. Food supplements especially those that contain calcium are not really effective if your pet enclosure does not have proper light. Water dragons need a fair amount of UVB lighting to use or metabolize dietary calcium.
Adding a great deal of calcium or vitamin supplements to your dragon’s meal is also not recommended. If low levels of calcium and vitamin D are harmful for your pet, similarly, high amounts of these nutrients can also prove to be toxic for the Chinese water dragon.
