Zoo Med’s Reptivite no D3 is a complete multi-vitamin for your box turtle (and other reptiles!). It provides needed calcium and other vitamins & minerals without D3 (which your pet does not need if he gets enough sunshine or time under a UVB lamp). If you need a supplement with D3, check out our Reptivite with D3 Review.
The formula was originally designed to treat soft shells in San Diego Zoo turtles, according to Zoo Med, and is still a favorite of many zoos around the world.
It’s all natural, without artificial fillers. It’s simple to use and the ultra-fine formula sticks to food, so your turtle can actually eat and benefit from it.
Keep reading for more about Zoo Med’s Reptivite no D3:
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Sizes & Ingredients Ease of Use Will Your Pet Eat it?
Pros & Cons Check Prices Pros & Cons
Sizes and Ingredients
Reptivite no D3 comes in 5 sizes, so you can get just what you need:
- 2 oz
- 8 oz
- 16 oz
- 2-1/2 lb
- 5 lb
Unless you have a lot of reptiles, the 2-1/2 and 5 pound sizes are probably way too big for you.
But if you have several and will be using it regularly, you might want to consider the 16 oz size. It costs more up front, but the per-oz price is usually lower than the smaller sizes. So it saves you money in the long run. Plus you’ll order it less often, saving time and even more money on shipping costs (unless you get free shipping, of course!).
Many places only sell the 2oz or 8 oz sizes, so you may have to look for the larger size if you want it.
This formulation contains all the vitamins and minerals your box turtle need to stay healthy, except Vitamin D3. But as long as she’s getting time outside or you’re using a UVB lamp, she can make that vitamin on her own.
For a complete list of the ingredients, see the Reptivite page at Zoo Med. A few of the more important ones include:
- Vitamin A to protect mucous membranes (including those around the eyes, so they don’t get swollen)
- Vitamin C to keep the immune system working well
- Vitamin K to prevent liver problems and bleeding
- Calcium for strong bones and shell (the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is also optimal at 2:1).
Ease of Use/How to Feed Reptivite without D3
Zoo Med recommends dusting lightly on food 2-3 times a week. It’s an ultrafine powder so it’ll stick to just about anything, including berries, vegetables and insects (both live and canned).
That’s about it. Since it doesn’t contain D3, you don’t have to worry about overdosing that. Although some of the other vitamins are also fat soluble (it’s easier to overdose fat soluble vitamins), so you don’t want to pile it on.
A light dusting up to 3 times each week should be plenty.
Do Box Turtles Like It?
Well, they seem to eat it without issue. Does that mean they like it? Not necessarily. But as long as they’ll happily eat food dusted with it just as happily as food without it, then it’s a win.
Pros and Cons Summary
We couldn’t find any cons with this product. And the pros pretty much speak for themselves, but here’s a summary anyway:
Pros:
- Give your box turtle (and other reptiles) all the vitamins and minerals they need
- Contains the right ratio of calcium to phosphorus
- No artificial fillers
- No worries about overdosing (as long as you don’t go crazy with it!)
Cons:
- None that we could find
Does the fact that we don’t list any cons mean we recommend this product? Not necessarily. We do believe it’s a high-quality product for reptiles that need it. But we also believe it’s best for your pet to get his vitamins and minerals from his food (the same is true for us humans).
So if your pet needs the supplementation, this looks like a good choice. If not, save your money and buy him a log for his habitat or something 🙂
Check Prices and Availability
If you’re sure your pet needs extra vitamins (or your vet has told you so), we found the 2-oz Zoo Med Reptivite (no D3) at Amazon.