cuttlebone needed if using miner-all?

[marcy4hope]

i'm using miner-all and tnt with probiotics for my sulcata and my leopard. if i'm using those regularly, do i need a cuttlebone available for them?

my sulcata used to eat cuttlebone a lot, but he also has 4 bladder stones, so i stopped giving it to him. i don't know if it would be better for him to have it or not. he's already getting supplemented with the miner-all.

 

[wellington]

Probably not needed. Most give it though even with the spplements so the tort can help himself when he feels he needs more. I wouldn't give it to your sulcata though.

 

[arotester]

You don't need cuttlebone as Miner-all contains 30-35 % Cal carbonate which is enough from supplements.Whereas minerall contain good amount of other trace elements which also are needed by the tort and if you look at the cuttlebone there is 80-85% cal carbonate and very little other elements so keep going with minerall.(i still believe the diet should be the primary source of the nutrition)
Hope you are treating the stones in your tort

 

[lynnedit]

FYI, calcium intake does not cause bladder stones, especially if the tort is allowed to pick and choose when he nibbles on it, and gets a good variety of weeds to balance calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc. And stays hydrated.
TNT is fine any old time, as it is ground up weeds. Miner-all is OK a couple of times per week, but you may not need it with the TNT unless there is a specific reason you are using it.
Certainly won't hurt to have a cuttle bone in there, along with a good diet variety. I think it is great to let a healthy tort make that choice. (now if the tort ate it constantly, then I would re evaluate the overall diet and probably remove it).

There will be a million opinions on this, I think the key is sun and diet variety and hydration.

 

[argus333]

my sulcata loves the cuttle bone but leopards never touch it.

 

[marcy4hope]

thanks for the suggestions guys. i have my torts on miner-all because they were both eating their substrate. i also changed the water i use in their water bowl, as i was using distilled water and it was suggested to just use my well water, as there would be more minerals in there. they have stopped eating their substrate now. they also love the tnt with probiotics. they eat good regardless, but when that tnt is on their food, the plate is clean and they want more. my sulcata was eating a lot of cuttlebone before i discovered the bladder stones, and that's why i took it out and also cut back on the amount of protein he was getting (mazuri). since then, i've offered a more varied diet than i was in the past and he is eating great and growing even faster than he did on the mazuri. thanks a lot for the advice, i just wanted to make sure i was getting enough calcium with the miner-all.