Calcium?

[Ray--Opo]

The last time I gave Opo a cuttle bone. It came out his backside in the same chunks it went in. I figured there must have been to much of what ever bonding agent they use. That couldn't have been pleasant for Opo.
I am going back to calcium powder. Opo is almost 5 years old and 60lbs. How much and how often should I give him powder calcium?

 

[Sarah2020]

I use end of teaspoon handle to take a small amount and dust on fresh veg and weeds and then shake them to spread 2 or 3 times a week. As your sulcata grows you can increase but do not OD the calcium really important addition. You can also try crushed empty hens egg shell as that is another option.

 

[Ray--Opo]

I use end of teaspoon handle to take a small amount and dust on fresh veg and weeds and then shake them to spread 2 or 3 times a week. As your sulcata grows you can increase but do not OD the calcium really important addition. You can also try crushed empty hens egg shell as that is another option.

Thank you

 

[Lyn W]

A small pinch a couple of times a week is usually what's recommended but of course the size of the pinch may be relative to the size of the tort. Perhaps Mark will know @Maro2Bear

 

[dd33]

There shouldn't be a bonding agent of any kind in cuttlebone. Cuttlebones are the internal shell of a cuttlefish. They are naturally shaped like that.

 

[Sarah2020]

There shouldn't be a bonding agent of any kind in cuttlebone. Cuttlebones are the internal shell of a cuttlefish. They are naturally shaped like that.

I get mine from the beach so agree natural.

 

[Ray--Opo]

There shouldn't be a bonding agent of any kind in cuttlebone. Cuttlebones are the internal shell of a cuttlefish. They are naturally shaped like that.

Thanks, I was surprised when the calcium didn't dissolve in Opo digestive system. I investigated to make sure it was calcium. It got me spooked. So the hard coating on the back of the cuttle bone must be a natural part of the bone?

 

[Ray--Opo]

I get mine from the beach so agree natural.

That's great you can find them on the beach. I have never seen them here on the beach. Maybe we don't have cuttlefish here in Florida.
I just googled it, looks like you can find them in the FL Keys.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Ray, whenever you eat eggs, just throw the cracked shells out in the yard from time to time for Opo. That's what I do.

 

[dd33]

Thanks, I was surprised when the calcium didn't dissolve in Opo digestive system. I investigated to make sure it was calcium. It got me spooked. So the hard coating on the back of the cuttle bone must be a natural part of the bone?

The hard brownish coating is natural. I wonder if the ones that have that, or a skin type coating on them are harvested from whole cuttlefish instead of washing up on the beach.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Ray, whenever you eat eggs, just throw the cracked shells out in the yard from time to time for Opo. That's what I do.

I was grinding up egg shells before. But I read one time on TFO. That the hard shell doesn't absorb as well. So I quit using it. So you think it is fine and also no need to grind up?

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I was grinding up egg shells before. But I read one time on TFO. That the hard shell doesn't absorb as well. So I quit using it. So you think it is fine and also no need to grind up?

I just toss them in my Redfoot pens whole. I've never had a problem.

 

[Tom]

The last time I gave Opo a cuttle bone. It came out his backside in the same chunks it went in. I figured there must have been to much of what ever bonding agent they use. That couldn't have been pleasant for Opo.
I am going back to calcium powder. Opo is almost 5 years old and 60lbs. How much and how often should I give him powder calcium?

There really hasn't been much study done on this and a wide variety of strategies all seem to work just fine. I have read, but never tested myself, that areas of the country with higher rainfall tend to have lower calcium concentrations in their soil, which leads to weeds and plants with less calcium in their leaves. So in theory, if this is correct, someone in south FL, would need to supplement with more calcium than someone in the Southern CA desert. I rarely supplement my adult sulcatas, but I feed them a diet heavy in calcium. Their main diet for most of the year is orchard grass hay and opuntia pads. I supplement that with mulberry leaves, grape leaves, and assorted other good stuff. When our winter rains come, they get lots of fresh green weeds and grasses.

I know a guy in FL who grows a half acre of opuntia and he put down crushed coral in the area before planting to make them calcium rich. I'd be curious to analyze his pads for calcium content vs. pads grown nearby without the bed of crushed coral.

The answer to your question depends on what you feed Opo. If he's eating a lot of opuntia, mulberry leaves, hibiscus leaves, Mazuri and things like that, then you might not need any additional calcium. A teaspoon a couple of times a week shaken over a big pile of food, won't hurt anything though. Excess will simply be excreted harmlessly.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Yes - what @Tom said 😀

We get our Sully cuttlefish bones from WalMart. I just toss the whole thing (5-6 inches x 2 inches wide) into our Sullys enclosure. It might sit there untouched for ages, might only be there a week. I never break up into “chunks” because i do recall someone here in TFO land who had a tort choke on a piece that got stuck in the tort‘s throat. I do have some Calcium powder that i will occasionally add a pinch over top fresh dandelion greens.

 

[Ray--Opo]

There really hasn't been much study done on this and a wide variety of strategies all seem to work just fine. I have read, but never tested myself, that areas of the country with higher rainfall tend to have lower calcium concentrations in their soil, which leads to weeds and plants with less calcium in their leaves. So in theory, if this is correct, someone in south FL, would need to supplement with more calcium than someone in the Southern CA desert. I rarely supplement my adult sulcatas, but I feed them a diet heavy in calcium. Their main diet for most of the year is orchard grass hay and opuntia pads. I supplement that with mulberry leaves, grape leaves, and assorted other good stuff. When our winter rains come, they get lots of fresh green weeds and grasses.

I know a guy in FL who grows a half acre of opuntia and he put down crushed coral in the area before planting to make them calcium rich. I'd be curious to analyze his pads for calcium content vs. pads grown nearby without the bed of crushed coral.

The answer to your question depends on what you feed Opo. If he's eating a lot of opuntia, mulberry leaves, hibiscus leaves, Mazuri and things like that, then you might not need any additional calcium. A teaspoon a couple of times a week shaken over a big pile of food, won't hurt anything though. Excess will simply be excreted harmlessly.

Thanks Tom, he definitely gets enough cactus pads. I just gave him a break from the pads because his bowels were getting loose. He also eats hibiscus and mazuri, I have a few more hibiscus plants I can start feeding. I bought them from Home Depot a year ago. So they should be safe to feed now. I guess I will check into mulberry and grape leaves.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Yes - what @Tom said 😀

We get our Sully cuttlefish bones from WalMart. I just toss the whole thing (5-6 inches x 2 inches wide) into our Sullys enclosure. It might sit there untouched for ages, might only be there a week. I never break up into “chunks” because i do recall someone here in TFO land who had a tort choke on a piece that got stuck in the tort‘s throat. I do have some Calcium powder that i will occasionally add a pinch over top fresh dandelion greens.

Thanks, that's another thing that bothers me. Is Opo choking on a chunk he bites off. Now that I know cuttle bone's are natural, it really baffles me why it didn't dissolve in his digestive system. Even if Opo had parasites in his digestive system. You would think the cuttle bone would still dissolve.

 

[Tom]

My tortoises will sometimes pass undigested pieces of cuttlebone too. Don't know why it happens, but its pretty normal.

 

[MJ008]

Rex, our 4yo 70lb guy, has passed pieces of cuddlebone in the past, too. It appears to be the outer coating or skin of the cuddlebone. We were alarmed the first couple times we found pieces in his poop, but through observation we realized it is a rare happening and doesn't seem to bother Rex at all.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Rex, our 4yo 70lb guy, has passed pieces of cuddlebone in the past, too. It appears to be the outer coating or skin of the cuddlebone. We were alarmed the first couple times we found pieces in his poop, but through observation we realized it is a rare happening and doesn't seem to bother Rex at all.

Thanks, Rex 70lbs at 4yrs. Wow you have a monster.

 

[MJ008]

Thanks, Rex 70lbs at 4yrs. Wow you have a monster.

Yes we do! He's a big, lovable handful of chaos!