well I currently put calcium and reptivite on my russian tortoises food, but I am making an outside enclosure very soon and planned on keeping the torts out their for the summer and fall. The main food source will be plants I'll have planted in the enclosure. How am I supposed to get them their calcium then? I can't see going out everyday and dumping calcium all over my plants would be very effective.
i am not an expert but i have heard many people recommend cuttlebones.
cuttlebones is a good option.
you can also put some calcium powder inside a small container and put it in their enclosure. They'll feed on it as they need.
This is what I do with my hermanns and it works.
cuttlebones is a good option.
you can also put some calcium powder inside a small container and put it in their enclosure. They'll feed on it as they need.
This is what I do with my hermanns and it works.
I agree. I have a cuttlebone in each enclosure though mine rarely use it. Calcium powder also works if it is not damp. My hatchlings will have this placed in their outside enclosure and checked daily. (they will only be out during the daytime).
I supplement mine with extra weeds and greens so I put calcium on there greens, I also have cuttlebone in all of the enclosures.
All very good ideas, here is mine try to put some weeds in there that are loaded with calcium like white grape leaves, clover, or cactus pads. 99% of all torts love these plants and they are loaded with good stuff. Here the specks on cactus pads.
Nutrient Units Grams
Calcium mg 57.680
Iron mg 0.309
Magnesium mg 87.550
Phosphorus mg 24.720
Potassium mg 226.600
Sodium mg 5.150
Zinc mg 0.124
Copper mg 0.082
White grape leaves are the best. If this helps let me know we can give y'all specks for most plants.
I have a couple of large grape vines, white ones, but none of my torts will touch the leaves. This late fall/early winter my mare was housed in the area with the grapes vines and she loved them. They are now trimmed down to just the major stocks. They needed trimming, but not quite so much.
Any how my question has been if different grape's leaves taste differently. That was why I bought several more varieties last fall to try them out. (Hopefully they have made it thru winter). Has anybody besides Reptileeats found any difference in preference of grape variety among their animals?