Calcium Supplement?

Hi! So found out today that my sulcata has been biting huge pieces of his cuttlebone off and not digesting them. He's currently on treatment to help them move through as he's been having trouble pooping and now we realize it's because of these pieces in his GI tract. (I can provide an xray for anyone interested to see!)

So doctor says no more cuttlebone for him because he's obviously not good at taking small bites and we don't know how long this has been going on. I knew something else was wrong (he's currently be treated for an upper respiratory infection), but couldn't put my finger on it. A radiograph today revealed the cause.

So I need to find a new calcium supplement. What brand do you all recommend, and how often?

This guy is going to be the death of me.

A tiny pinch of calcium powder sprinkled on food three times a week.

Grinding the cuttlebone finely is just fine or you can buy a commercial supplement

We've been using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MYKRVC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 for many years, & have had no problems at all. It's inexpensive, too.

Ken

Speedy-1 said:

I crush up egg shells real fine for Speedy and sprinkle over his food , never had any problems !

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I put them through a coffee grinder so you have no sharp edges . I've been use ing them for 16 years . And they are free .

How ground up should they be? Should I be sprinkling this on his greens? Also is there an age you should start adding calcium? My new baby is about 6-8 weeks old.

Thank you
MK

Just curious how big your Sully is in pounds? Our guy takes large bites as well. It’s always something.

Runnergirl31 said:

How ground up should they be? Should I be sprinkling this on his greens? Also is there an age you should start adding calcium? My new baby is about 6-8 weeks old.

Thank you
MK

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I turn my eggshells in to a powder almost a dust . No sharp edges .

For calcium as a stand alone nutrient Calcium carbonate is best with as high as 60% assimilation. Cuttle bone has other minerals in it so that works well, and for your situation grinding it sounds like a best bet.

With or without D3 is good to pay attention to. If your tortoise is an outside animal, without D3 is better. You can use plain TUMS without the fruit flavor or other stuff in them. As your tortoise does not chew, these would have to be ground up too.