Cuttle Bones

[Wewt]

Hey all!

I've always been recommended to give my tortoise cuttle bones to nibble on, I'm assuming for the calcium (?). He really seems to like them and will eat the whole thing in one sitting, so I'm assuming his body needs the calcium.

However, he is such a weirdo. He doesn't bite off small enough pieces and thus has super painful poops with sharp pieces of cuttle bone in it. I stopped giving him the cuttle bone once I realized this.

Does anyone else's tortoise have this problem? What can I do to supplement his diet in a way that he receives the right amount of calcium?

Thanks!

 

[ra94131]

If undigested organic/natural material makes it through a reptile's digestive track, it probably has to do with insufficient basking temperatures. I would review your ambient/basking/nighttime temperatures.

Also, are you sure he's not just eating cuttlebone and then, unrelated to the cuttlebone, passing significant urates? I would double-check the tortoises hydration as well.

Generally if something like that isn't being digested, it is indicative of a problem. I don't know your tortoise's specific situation, but the above items are the first things I'd look at. (If it doesn't appear to be either of those, I'd continue looking.)

Long story short: no, my animals do not exhibit similar behavior and I would be concerned if they did.

It may be a non-issue, but I'd definitely do my due diligence on this.

 

[wellington]

Grind it up and place it out on a plate for him to eat when needed. If he is getting a good varied diet then I would only give him one a week or half every week.

 

[LisaTurtle]

I grate it and sprinkle it on top of food

 

[Wewt]

If undigested organic/natural material makes it through a reptile's digestive track, it probably has to do with insufficient basking temperatures. I would review your ambient/basking/nighttime temperatures.

Also, are you sure he's not just eating cuttlebone and then, unrelated to the cuttlebone, passing significant urates? I would double-check the tortoises hydration as well.

Generally if something like that isn't being digested, it is indicative of a problem. I don't know your tortoise's specific situation, but the above items are the first things I'd look at. (If it doesn't appear to be either of those, I'd continue looking.)

Long story short: no, my animals do not exhibit similar behavior and I would be concerned if they did.

It may be a non-issue, but I'd definitely do my due diligence on this.

His basking area ranges from 25-30 degrees Celsius, depending on whether or not our windows are open. He has his soak once a week and gets a lot of fresh grass/weeds right now.

I don't know how it could be digested when he's eating it in such huge chunks like that.

@ Lisa & Wellington: Thanks! That's a good idea- I'll give it a try.

 

[ra94131]

His basking area ranges from 25-30 degrees Celsius, depending on whether or not our windows are open. He has his soak once a week and gets a lot of fresh grass/weeds right now.

I don't know how it could be digested when he's eating it in such huge chunks like that.

That may be the case but I just wanted to make sure all of the bases were sufficiently covered since this does appear to be "out of the ordinary" behavior to me.

Hopefully if someone else has seen this happen they'll drop in with some advice. I know when my tortoise was smaller I'd grind the cuttlebone up a bit, but that was more to aid ingestion than digestion.

 

[Wewt]

His basking area ranges from 25-30 degrees Celsius, depending on whether or not our windows are open. He has his soak once a week and gets a lot of fresh grass/weeds right now.

I don't know how it could be digested when he's eating it in such huge chunks like that.

That may be the case but I just wanted to make sure all of the bases were sufficiently covered since this does appear to be "out of the ordinary" behavior to me.

Hopefully if someone else has seen this happen they'll drop in with some advice. I know when my tortoise was smaller I'd grind the cuttlebone up a bit, but that was more to aid ingestion than digestion.

Oh yeah, no worries. I agree that at first glance it looks like a digestive problem. I think it's a "he's taking way too big of bites, what a weirdo" problem.

My tortoise is 8 years old and weighs about 25 lbs, so he isn't a little guy. I know the lady that had him before me gave him cuttle bones all the time without issue (well, she never told me about an issue if there was one).

Perhaps should I look into getting calcium powder? I have two different types of vitamin supplements and a spray that he gets once a week with his veg.

 

[Baoh]

Odd.

Some of my animals just eat it. Other will feast upon it like candy and ignore food in favor of it. None of them pass any visible form of it.

One animal that eats it like candy is a Gpp female that has extremely high density. The other is a fast-growing female hypo cherryhead.

 

[jjsull33]

I don't have a sulcata but isn't 25c too cold of a basking spot? or was that range the range for the the whole cage?

 

[Teodora'sDAD]

I grate it and sprinkle it on top of food

great idea..

 

[mike taylor]

Basking spot needs to be 95/100 f. 80f on cool side and at night

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[Wewt]

Basking spot needs to be 95/100 f. 80f on cool side and at night

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What? That's crazy! I have the biggest, baddest UV/Heat bulb I can buy and it gets to a max of 30 degrees. He does have a heating pad below it, though, which might increase his overall temp.

 

[Beck]

Can you adjust the height of the light fixture? Lower it down so it gets the basking spot warmer. Also you can use a rock to reflect the heat rather than the substrate soaking it up. Most torts love a good basking rock.

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[mike taylor]

This is how I got my little one set up .Then I put the top on it is a screen cover then I cover that with a towel to hold on humidity.

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[wellington]

They need to heat up to 85-90+ to properly digest their food.

 

[Wewt]

Wow, this is all news to me. 8( I had no idea they needed it so hot. I've had him for two years and his health has always been perfect.

I'll do what I can to help get the temp up-- I can lower the fixture a bit, but not much. I can get some sort of rock for him, too. I was thinking of getting a second basking light and placing it next to the first one so he would have two big lights side by side. He is a pretty big tort, anyways. Thanks for the help and advice, guys!

 

[Beck]

What are you using to measure temps? Maybe that's what's off...

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[Wewt]

What are you using to measure temps? Maybe that's what's off...

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Um...


*cough*

a meat thermometer. >.>

 

[Beck]

Is it at least a nice meat thermometer?

If not, they usually have a +/- 10F, so its quite possible your number is off. I suggest picking up a thermometer (or three). Are you in the US? $9 at my Walmart will get me a digital one with temp, humidity and 24hr high and lows. A wireless one that sits outside the enclosure costs a little more.

Now I'm off to stick a meat thermometer in my enclosure, just to see...

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[Wewt]

Is it at least a nice meat thermometer?

If not, they usually have a +/- 10F, so its quite possible your number is off. I suggest picking up a thermometer (or three). Are you in the US? $9 at my Walmart will get me a digital one with temp, humidity and 24hr high and lows. A wireless one that sits outside the enclosure costs a little more.

Now I'm off to stick a meat thermometer in my enclosure, just to see...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using TortForum mobile app

Haha, will do! I wouldn't mind knowing how humid it is in here, anyways. My tort situation, I hear, is pretty strange... I have a corner set up with his light and heat pad and then he wanders my house. So he has a range of temps. I'd like to get a second light to make his warm space bigger and warmer, but there isn't much I can really do to control the humidity levels.