Ordinary Blackboard Chalk?

[ditzyangeluk]

I have cuttlefish bone stuff in my enclosures, but my two Hermanns never really touch it. A friend has sticks of ordinary blackboard chalk tossed in and her torts happily munch on this .. Is it ok to give them, is there actually any calcium in this kind of chalk and will it be good for them or not? They seem to enjoy it better

 

[Abdulla6169]

I'd say no, since it may be contaminated with some metals or something bad... I'd prefer the commercial powder or cuttle bones...

 

[Tom]

Chalk isn't designed to be eaten and as such the maker does not need to be all that careful about what goes into it or how it is handled.

Would you feed it to your children? I wouldn't. You should advise your friend against that practice.

 

[ditzyangeluk]

I have personally ordered some Limestone Flour so will make some little 'cakes' and give them a try

 

[Moozillion]

My Hermann's won't KNOWINGLY eat cuttlebone, so I hold it over her damp greens and scrape the cuttlebone with a knife. That makes a fine white cuttlebone powder that sticks to her food, so she gets her cuttlebone without knowing it!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I have a cuttlebone, but my russian is so bad about eating it, I gave up and just powder his food... Not too much, though, because they won't eat if they smell/taste/see the stuff! Tricky little guys

 

[smarch]

I have a cuttlebone, but my russian is so bad about eating it, I gave up and just powder his food... Not too much, though, because they won't eat if they smell/taste/see the stuff! Tricky little guys

jeeze! Nank is so food oriented it could be completely coated and he'd eat it anyways... but only greens, cuttlebone itself is like an abomination to him!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

No, he avoids the stuff like the plague!