how does your tort get calcium?

[preston897]

im planning on getting a sulcata within the next few months. right now i am learning about the diet. i know alot of people use cuttlebones. but i have heard alot of stories of peoples torts not eating them. i am wanting to feed mazuri twice a week. i will also dust it. if he is not eating his cuttlebone. would twice a week be enough calcium? how do you guys make sure you tort gets all the calcium he needs? im new to torts im used to lizards. i just have to dust the insects. its simple.

 

[DeanS]

cactus is an excellent source of calcium too...

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The thinking is that the tort will eat the cuttlebone when his instinct tells him he needs calcium. I have seen mine leave the cuttlebone alone for months, then it's gone in a day. I also dust all my tortoises' food everyday lightly with powdered calcium w/D3...

 

[tortoisenerd]

How old of a tort? I believe in pure calcium powder sprinkling daily for hatchlings and yearlings, every other day once they are 3 or so, and then 3-4 times a week as adults. You really can't overdo the pure calcium too easily (unlike D3 which is fat soluble instead of water soluble). I also offer a cuttlebone.

 

[preston897]

so cactus cuttlebone and daily dusting is good for a tort up to a few years old...i was also wanting to take a bottom of a pot and plant bremuda in it to keep inside the cage. what do you guys think about keeping that in his cage at all times to graze?

 

[TortoisesRock!]

My Russian avoids his cuttlebone, I sprinkle calcium on his food, but he usually avoids that too!

 

[chadk]

Depending on what you are able to feed him and the region you live in, you may be able to provide the calcium needed just by the normal diet of healthy greens and grasses. Leave cuttlebone around just in case.

But if you are not sure about your diet, then dusting helps. Also, don't forget the sunshine and\or UVB bulb needed to make use of that calcium...


Here is some good reading from Joe and RussianTortoise.org.

http://russiantortoise.org/calcium.htm


SUPPLEMENTS

One of the most important supplements is calcium. If there is a good source of UVB as with tortoises kept outdoors, a light dusting of the food with calcium daily is sufficient. Indoors use phosphorous free calcium with D3. Many prefer RepCal calcium without D3.

However, Dusting with calcium is not without its own problems. While superficially it does seem to have benefit, it has its own problems. Too much calcium results in secondary deficiencies of zinc, copper and iodine, mal-absorption of essential fatty acids, and formation of calcium-containing bladder stones.

Instead I prefer to feed high calcium greens and keep cuttlebone available at all times. This way the tortoise can regulate its own calcium intake. Cuttlebone is often ignored for long periods, but when extra calcium is needed such as with gravid females or a young tort experiencing a growth spurt, it will almost disappear overnight. Click here for the nutritional analysis of cuttlebone.

Another supplement I use is TNT (Total Nutrition for Tortoises™) Nutritional Supplement from Carolina Pet Supply. This is a nutritionally balanced formula which provides the vitamins and minerals (very high in bio-available calcium) that are often lacking in the captive diet. It’s formulated from a variety of dehydrated and powdered flowers and weeds.

Also of use are probiotics. Most of our animals come to us with abundance of parasites and disturbed gut flora (the good bacteria that live in the intestines). Supplementing with probiotics goes a long way to restoring normal gut function. iFlora from Sedona Labs is one of the best probiotics used for reptiles.



By far the best way to ensure a healthy tortoise is to feed a wide variety of high calcium foods. And if you must rely on grocery store greens pick the ones with the most bio-available calcium such as turnip greens and kale. Also supplement with powders such as plantain and dandelion. By relying on whole foods ((such as those found here) to supply the minerals, its very hard to have mineral imbalances and deficiencies. It is also virtually impossible to over supplement.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Good post, Chad! No problem keeping the bermuda grass to graze on. Its tough to grow stuff in the enclosure though, due to slow growth and the tort eating it. Some people also have a few trays or cat litter pans, and keep one in the enclosure sunk into the other substrate, and the others under real sun or grow lights, so you can rotate them out. Is this Sulcata going to be too small to live outside full time? If at all possible, I would get one closer to a year old than a hatchling because they have a better chance of survival. Even experienced keepers have tough times with hatchlings as they are fragile. If you have a secure enclosure (dug in fence and wire over the top like hardware cloth) and heat if required, the tort should really live outside once it is past the fragile stage, grazing full time. Start your chemical-free graze going now so its ready. Even if the tort was too young to live outside, it can graze under your watch when weather permits.

 

[preston897]

well it is still going to be a bit untill i get it. probably about the end of the year. i will be getting a house around that time. and i am waiting till then to get it. so i am learning what i need to know now. and i plan on getting one that is around a year or two old.

 

[preston897]

so do they get a decent amount of calcium from all of the grasses and hays?

 

[chadk]

The tortoise is very volatile kind of the animal. Your tort will get too large if you feed extras not easy I know, but far better for the tortoise. When they eat from the garden they get most nutrients they need. Put out cuttlebone out for calcium. It could be better for them. You can even put tortoise in an area where he can only eat what you feed him, he wont starve if he is healthy.

Volatile?? What do you mean by that?

What is "too large"?

What do you mean "feed extras"?


My adult torts get all the food they want. My indoor \ younger torts and hatchlings get as much as they can eat in about 20 mins, 1 to 2 times a day.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The tortoise is very volatile kind of the animal. Your tort will get too large if you feed extras not easy I know, but far better for the tortoise. When they eat from the garden they get most nutrients they need. Put out cuttlebone out for calcium. It could be better for them. You can even put tortoise in an area where he can only eat what you feed him, he wont starve if he is healthy.

Volatile?? What do you mean by that?

What is "too large"?

What do you mean "feed extras"?


My adult torts get all the food they want. My indoor \ younger torts and hatchlings get as much as they can eat in about 20 mins, 1 to 2 times a day.

He was a spammer Chad, he's already banned...

 

[preston897]

yea i didnt quite understand it either. i figured somone would explain