posted 7 May 03

in response to the valid Vit A concern ----
forwarded with permission from the doctor herself---

This is one main reason that we have a dust specific for fruit flies. Our research found that the amount of dust sticking to fruit flies is 2- to 5-fold higher than the levels sticking to crickets (there is a range because of differences in cricket sizes/ages). The difference between prey is due to two factors: (1) differences in surface-to-volume ratios, and (2) differences in surface structures which changes the surface areas. If one uses a dust designed for crickets, there will be toxic intakes of not only vitamin A, but also several trace minerals and D3 too.

High vitamin A is a fairly common problem in all sorts of reptiles and amphibians, because of high levels of vitamin A in certain commercial dusts.

You'll see in the literature I sent that our vitamin A (and all other essential nutrients) is balanced on a calorie (energy) basis. So, no matter if the calorie intake is high or low, the vitamin A intake adjusts automatically.

Our Fruit Fly Dust is fed at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and by commercial frog breeders (such as Bob Mailloux at Sandfire Dragon Ranch). It's been used over multiple generations. We first got onto the need for specific dusts on fruit flies during trials with large numbers of tincs being bred by Philippe de Vosjoli. Out of that work evolved the fruit fly dust.

Hope that helps,
Sue
Susan Donoghue, VMD, DACVN
Owner, Nutrition Support Services, Inc.
HerpNutrition at Walkabout Farm
www.HerpNutrition.com


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Lisa Lowell