# Calcium in the wild



## Laura (May 30, 2008)

Besides bones from Dead animals.. where do tortoise get calcium in the wild? Especially the ones who are only vegetarians. 
Just a thought...


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## Coldliz (May 30, 2008)

Some plants such as the Prickly Pear cactus are high in calcium.


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 13, 2008)

Do aloes have high calcium content like prickley pear cactus?


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## Itort (Jun 14, 2008)

I could not find anything on the calcium content in aloe besides the fact there is some. Keep in mind aloe is not a cactus but related to lilies and onions. In the wild I think torts may visit mineral licks such as limestone outcroppings and the associated water pools and sand/gravel like other herbivores. Has this behaviour been observed in any field studies is good question.


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## janiedough (Jun 14, 2008)

yeah i think percy would eat rocks.


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## moe (Jun 16, 2008)

they obtain thier calcium from discarded snail shells


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## Crazy1 (Jun 16, 2008)

My understanding is that they get most of their calcium requirements by their grazing and the plants they select in the wild. I would think if they have the opportunity to visit mineral licks such as limestone outcroppings and the associated water pools and sand/gravel like other herbivores they would take the opportunity. I have read that some are opportunistic and occasionally even a herbivore will eat carrion. But I personally know of no study regarding this.
Great Question Laura. Love things that make me think.


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 18, 2008)

Coldliz said:


> Some plants such as the Prickly Pear cactus are high in calcium.



Which is more concentrated, the plant or the fruits?


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## SIXTY_TOO (Jun 18, 2008)

Grand Pappy ate an egg shell that a bird tossed out of her nest. Maybe that happens more often than not, I would think it would be a great natural resource for them.


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 18, 2008)

My torts would rather chew on the white paper towel that I use for their enclosure floor than the cuttlebone I placed with their food...


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## Itort (Jun 19, 2008)

Lil' Tortie said:


> Coldliz said:
> 
> 
> > Some plants such as the Prickly Pear cactus are high in calcium.
> ...


 The pads are higher in calcium but the fruit is sweeter, so if your won't eat pads give the fruit with pads. Both pads and fruit are very high in calcium.


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## Crazy1 (Jun 19, 2008)

Lil' tortie try shaving the cuttle bone over its food to add calcium. Could be that your tort already is getting enough and that is why they are not using the cuttlebone.


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## drgnfly2265 (Jun 19, 2008)

Does the prickley pear have any thorns? I want to buy some but I can't find any.

_____________________________________________________

1 Sulcata (Bowser)

www.myspace.com/bowsertortoise


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 19, 2008)

Itort said:


> Lil' Tortie said:
> 
> 
> > Coldliz said:
> ...



Okay, I got them some prickley pear fruits all sliced up and mixed with lettuce today. They only ate the lettuce. Does that mean they really don't need calcium or is it something they are not yet use to?

LT


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## Itort (Jun 19, 2008)

Try giving fruit alone. Torts seem to get "addicted" to lettuce. Place the fruit with red showing as torts seem attracted to red in many cases.


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 19, 2008)

Itort said:


> Try giving fruit alone. Torts seem to get "addicted" to lettuce. Place the fruit with red showing as torts seem attracted to red in many cases.



Actually the ones I got are green. Thanks. I hope they'll eat it so I don't need to use the powder.

LT


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## timothymac (Jun 19, 2008)

The pads of the prickly pear, I've always heard have more calcium. My tort's all love prickly pear (opuntia) pads.Living in New Mexico I'm lucky to have a supply of spineless Opuntia so I break off a few and let let dry out a week or so, then rub them with a towel to remove the few tiny spines they do have. You can feed them whole which will keep your tort busy, or cut up. BE CAREFUL in the amount you feed unless you want a nasty fecal mess to clean up. The longer you dry them out the better in that regard, but the tort's really don't like them too dried out.


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## Crazy1 (Jun 19, 2008)

You can also burn the spines off over an open flame or the BBQ. The spineless are the better ones they don't have many spines. My Greeks don't seem to care for the Green Fruit of the cactus. They love it red sweet and ripe. And yep a mess if fed too much. Some stores in the West sell the pads some even come already cut up. Growing your own is easy and better, no pestisides etc.


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 21, 2008)

Ok, they ate some but mostly the Sulcatas, leopards sniffed and ignored. I might have saw some growing in the wild at a wildlife park somewhere. I'll see if I can pick some there, hope it's not a violation or something.


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## sorciere (Jun 21, 2008)

Hi you guys, 
I'm brand new member from Vietnam.
In our country, we often supply cancium for our tortoise by green salad, small fish, tiny shrimps, boiled egg of Quail birds and cuttle bone. 
Esp. for the cuttle bone, it does not taste good but I just leave it in the enclosure and my tortoise will eat when it needs cancium.





Quail eggs.





Cuttlebone


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 22, 2008)

Looks like you're given them more protein than calcium; potential for heavy pyramiding??? 



sorciere said:


> Hi you guys,
> I'm brand new member from Vietnam.
> In our country, we often supply cancium for our tortoise by green salad, small fish, tiny shrimps, boiled egg of Quail birds and cuttle bone.
> Esp. for the cuttle bone, it does not taste good but I just leave it in the enclosure and my tortoise will eat when it needs cancium.
> ...


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## Lil' Tortie (Jun 22, 2008)

For the last 2 days I've tried feeding them prickley pear fruits before lettuce, and yes they ate it, not too much but they did. Yes!!!


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## Madkins007 (Jul 7, 2008)

Calcium levels in milligrams per 100 grams of food (see note below!!!!)
FRUITS:
Cactus fruit- 426
Navel orange- 43
All other fruits run at 35 or lower

GREENS:
200mg+= lambsquarters
150-200mg.= dandelions, kelp, turnip greens
125-150mg.= collards, kale, parsley, Timothy grass
100-120mg.= alfalfa, beet greens, chicory greens, mustard greens, watercress
50-100mg.= endive, escarole, grape leaves, spinach, Swiss chard
Under 50mg.= greenleaf lettuce, Hibiscus leaves, iceberg lettuce, redleaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, yard grass on average

VEGGIES:
200mg.+= Hibiscus fruit (1300mg!)
150-200mg.= snap peas, cactus pads
125-150mg.= nothing commonly available
100-125mg.= Chrysanthemum flowers
50-100mg.= okra, soybean sprouts
Under 50mg.= Lima beans, carrot, cauliflower, celery, corn (2mg.), cucumber, Hibiscus flower (4mg.), mushrooms (3mg.), peas, peppers, radishes, sprouts, squash, tomato

PROTEINS:
300+= sardines, tofu
200-300mg.= salmon,
100-200mg.= canned cat food (average), dry dog food (average), primate chow
50-100mg.= boiled egg- no shell, dry cat food (average), canned feline diet, 'fuzzy' rats, 
Under 50mg.= chicken (canned), beef heart, ground beef, tuna in water, canned dog food (average), day old chick, mice, pinkies rats, and all invertebrates as far as I can find.


Note!!! This list DOES NOT mean these are good food items. The Calcium/phosphorous ratio, oxalytic acids, and general appropriatness of the foods is not factored in!

Most of the info comes from www.elook.org- a great nutritional database of human foods. Other parts come from laces like articles on-line from the AZA.

If someone has a place they can post it for everyone's benefit, I have some tables of nutritional values of common Red-foot food items I would be happy to share.


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## Crazy1 (Jul 7, 2008)

Please take note : there are two types of Protein Animal and Plant. The above list could be somewhat misleading to newbies.


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## Madkins007 (Jul 14, 2008)

Crazy1 said:


> Please take note : there are two types of Protein Animal and Plant. The above list could be somewhat misleading to newbies.



The list is about calcium levels in common foods... I seem to be missing where the protein levels come in? The 'proteins' heading is just a list of calcium levels in common meats. I apologize if it is not labeled adequately.

In editing it, I lost the original first paragraph- the list was just designed to show the original poster where animals can get calcium in the wild if they don't eat bones. It also was supposed to help show the calcium levels of some of the foods that have been mentioned so far.


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## Crazy1 (Jul 14, 2008)

Madkins007, thank you for the clarification. Just didn't want to confuse anyone.


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## Redfoot NERD (Jul 15, 2008)

Lil' Tortie said:


> Looks like you're given them more protein than calcium; potential for heavy pyramiding???
> 
> There are a number of noted nutritionist's [ Jon Coote - Chairman and past president, International Herpetological Society, etc., etc. - pg. 28 Sept. '06 Reptiles magazine ], zoo's and private keeper's [ self included ] that have found the vital importance of a "MICRO-CLIMATE" in the form of a humid hide.. to prevent pyramiding in virtually every tortoise known to man.. on the planet.
> 
> ...


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