Calcium dusting

Calcium dusting means lightly coating feeder insects in a calcium powder supplement right before offering them, so an insect-eating reptile gets extra calcium with every meal rather than relying on the insect's own calcium content alone, which is usually far too low on its own to meet a reptile's needs.

Most keepers dust feeders by shaking them gently in a small container with a pinch of calcium powder just before feeding, and dusting frequency depends on the species and its life stage, since young, growing animals and egg-laying females typically need calcium more often than adult males. Many calcium supplements also include vitamin D3, which matters most for reptiles that get little or no UVB exposure, while D3-free versions are used alongside a UVB source.

Skipping calcium dusting, or dusting too infrequently for a fast-growing juvenile, is one of the more direct paths to metabolic bone disease, since a calcium deficit compounds over weeks before visible symptoms like soft jaw bones or difficulty moving appear. Using the wrong supplement, such as a D3-heavy powder for a species already getting strong UVB exposure, can also cause problems, so the dusting routine should match both the species and its actual lighting setup.