Check where your supplements live right now. If on a sunlit shelf or near the cage, move them to a cool, dark cabinet today.
How you store supplements matters as much as which you buy.
Vitamins degrade when exposed to heat, light, or moisture. Most keepers store supplements on a shelf above the cage — exactly the wrong spot.
Calcium and multivitamin powders lose potency over time, and the rate of loss depends almost entirely on storage. Heat (above 75°F), light (window-lit shelf), and moisture (anywhere near a misting system) all accelerate degradation. A 'good' multivitamin stored on a shelf above the cage may be down 40% in potency by month four.
We store supplements in their original containers, in a dark cabinet, in a temperature-controlled room (under 70°F), with desiccant packs added. Containers go in a sealed plastic bin to keep humidity out. Replace every six months regardless of how much remains in the container — the math says it is no longer the supplement you bought.
DSQUARED Reptiles — Living Art. Curated Genetics.
From the field notes archive.
The morning baseline photograph.
A single weekly photo, taken at the same hour and angle, will tell you more about your care than any forum thread ever could.
Tightening screen tension on a year-old cage.
After twelve months of misting cycles and live plant weight, screen panels sag in ways that quietly compromise climbing surfaces.
A 72-hour gutload window for dubia roaches.
Dubia gutloads peak somewhere between 48 and 72 hours after the colony moves onto a fresh diet. Here's the schedule we run.