Calcium

[kit-e-kat]

How often should calcium be sprinkled on food? I've read about calcium on the side, and cuttlebones. I have a cuttlebone in their pen, and they seem to ignore it. I have been sprinkling calcium on their food daily. I believe it is crushed oyster shells, I got it from a breeder who buys it bulk. Am I overdoing the calcium? Any suggestion will be appreciated.
John

 

[Meg90]

For animals under two years of age, I add Ca powder to every feeding. However, I have heard that the crushed oyster shells are useless. They are not absorbed enough to make a difference. I'd ditch that product and get some Calcium carbonate. I also have cuttle bone available 100% of the time.

For my older tort (11yrs) he gets Ca once a week.

 

[Tom]

Depends on your situation. Generally twice a week is about right for a normal, healthy tort getting a good diet and sunshine. Some people skip it entirely and their torts are fine. For a healthy grown male, with good diet and sun, I wouldn't use any. For growing babies or egg producing females I might use a little more.

 

[stells]

Mine have calcium available at all times in their enclosure... i don't sprinkle it onto food... and they do eat it at will.... some more than others but they have the option.... i use natural chalk and calcium carbonate... i do have oyster shell around my water bowls which is also picked at but its there more for decorative purposes and to stop dirt being dragged into the water....

If the tortoise is still growing you will find they will use the calcium more than an adult tortoise... but all of mine young and old have the option of extra calcium if they wish... including healthy adult males!!!

 

[GBtortoises]

I also do not sprinkle calcium on their food. It is available 24/7 seperately. For small tortoises it's in powder form in a small, shallow dish sunk in the substrate at ground level. For larger tortoises it's available as cuttlebone pieces. I have found over the years that different tortoises will consume calcium at different times and in different quantities, regardless of species. In general my younger tortoises and egg producing females consume more of it more frequently. Females especially just before and immediately after egg laying season.

If you are referring to your two cb'08 Ibera not eating cuttlebone, they probably aren't going to for a while yet. I also have some cb'08 Ibera and even though I do have cuttlebone pieces in their enclosure, they still prefer to consume the powder. They probably aren't quite big enough yet for the cuttlebone. I still keep in available to them so they can make the transition when they want to.

 

[stells]

Some tortoise also seem to like the cuttlebone more when it has been left outside to weather abit.... and my hatchlings really enjoy the pieces of natural chalk...

Outside i have caught one particular tortoise eating the odd snail shell i have got pics on the forum somewhere...

 

[Sudhira]

I have cuttlebone in the enclosure as well as powdered calcium in a small dish. So far, none of my 3 have touched it. For the 30 year old I sprinkle 2 times a week or so, and for the 5 year old 3 times, and for the yearling CDT every day.

 

[GBtortoises]

I have cuttlebone in the enclosure as well as powdered calcium in a small dish. So far, none of my 3 have touched it. For the 30 year old I sprinkle 2 times a week or so, and for the 5 year old 3 times, and for the yearling CDT every day.

So you're also sprinkling it on their food in addition to offering it seperately? How long have you been making it available seperately?

 

[kit-e-kat]

I'm going to try putting some calcium in a small bowl and see if the consume it, but I think that I will sprinkle it on their food three times a week, instead of daily. Do they get the natural urge for calcium? Meg 90 heard that crushed oyster shells may be ineffective. Any thoughts on that? Otherwise, they are eating well, getting sunshine, active, and gaining weight
Thanks All!
John

 

[terracolson]

I just scrape the cuttle bone over the food...that way they get used to the smell and taste....

 

[tortoisenerd]

For a growing tort they cannot get too much calcium. I agree with Meg that for a hatchling daily, and once they get to a few years you can cut back to a few times a week, and then 1-2 times a week, plus the cuttlebone available. I think pure calcium (no D3) should be used when you have UVB or sun. The calcium carbonate is a tad higher than calcium than cuttlebone and easier to deal with for me (I get the human supplement kind). You can't overdo the calcium as it is water soluble and they will pee out any excess.

 

[Annieski]

At first, Mortimer didn't bother with the cuttle bone. Then one day it got pushed into her water bowl. It softened up and she went after it with a vengence[I thought I threw it out with substrate]. Now she gets a new "bone" every week. Dry or wet, it's down to nothing before I know it.

 

[bettinge]

I'm going to try putting some calcium in a small bowl and see if the consume it, but I think that I will sprinkle it on their food three times a week, instead of daily. Do they get the natural urge for calcium? Meg 90 heard that crushed oyster shells may be ineffective. Any thoughts on that? Otherwise, they are eating well, getting sunshine, active, and gaining weight
Thanks All!
John

The breeder I bought my Greeks from has used crushed oyster shells for many years on Greeks, Russians, Hermanns, and Marginated. I trust my breeders many years of success and experience! He uses this stuff, but from a 50 lb bag.
http://groworganic.com/item_F018_Oyster_Shell_Lime_6_Lb_Box.html?welcome=T&theses=6627853

 

[stells]

I can't see why crushed oyster shell wouldn't work to be honest... but as said before i have several sources of calcium available at all times... in the wild they would munch on shell/bone they came across like mine did with the snail shell outside... so they must get some benefit from it... i can't see any other reason for munching on an old shell it can't taste to good...

 

[lito]

i'm reading all of this and i think that it's an interesting topic. i had always sprinkled the calcium on my torts food and he ended up getting a calcium compaction that almost killed him. my vet says that a calcium supply should be in the tank but not put on the food. he may eat it because he has no choice not because he needs it. i had given him a cuttlefish bone and when he didn't eat it i went back to sprinkling on the food. little did i know that was lito's way of telling me that he didn't need any more calcium! ~lilly

 

[bettinge]

i'm reading all of this and i think that it's an interesting topic. i had always sprinkled the calcium on my torts food and he ended up getting a calcium compaction that almost killed him. my vet says that a calcium supply should be in the tank but not put on the food. he may eat it because he has no choice not because he needs it. i had given him a cuttlefish bone and when he didn't eat it i went back to sprinkling on the food. little did i know that was lito's way of telling me that he didn't need any more calcium! ~lilly

There are some that feel a tortoise cannot get too much calcium, and there are some that just don't know! I for one don't know if too much calcium is a bad thing, so I let the tortoise decide what is the right amount. By the way, Wolfgang Wegehaupt and Holger Vetter feel same way. Wolfgang and Holger are authors of books on keeping Hermanns tortoises, and both feel the real effects of too much calcium are still unknown, and choose to error on the side of safety and let the tort choose how much is right. I also notice that some of the long time Breeders and keepers on this site DO NOT force feed calcium either, but some may. Your vet is yet another that feels the tort knows best!

Authors of books, vets, and long term breeders are enough for me to want to mimic their succuss/advice, and reduce the risk of the unknown!

 

[kit-e-kat]

It is great that we can exchange theories and experience together. Sometimes it seems that the more a topic is debated, the more confusing it becomes. I guess there is no real answer set in stone, but it does provide a basis to arrive at the best way to raise a healthy tort. It sends chills up and down my spine when I remember the not so good old days of the red eared slider and the plastic bowl with the plastic palm tree, the "turtle killer". Don't forget the "Hartz Mountain Turle Food" that consisted of "Dried Flys and Ant Eggs". It's amazing that the species survived!
John