supplemental calcium

[Talking Hands]

Hello,
New here. Have 2 baby sulcata. Need know what use for calcium besides food. What powder or other best use?

 

[Reptiking94]

Its always a goood idea to keep a cuttlebone in you tortoises enclosure for calcium as its a pretty good source, not exactly a tortoise expert so Im not sure if babies would be able to eat it though.

 

[Talking Hands]

Its always a goood idea to keep a cuttlebone in you tortoises enclosure for calcium as its a pretty good source, not exactly a tortoise expert so Im not sure if babies would be able to eat it though.

ok, thx. my box turtles have powder use for on food sprinkle but not sure for these babies. past have russian tortoise and love eat cuttlebone but these so small.

 

[rustynail777]

[split] calcium1

theres a company called rep-cal. comes in a small container costs about 10 bucks. should have it at pets mart other pet stores

 

[tortoisenerd]

Is this a double post? I swear I just wrote a response to this somewhere else....

Yes babies can eat cuttlebones if it is thin enough they can bite the edge. For a hatchling you should supplement calcium daily in small amounts as they are growing.

 

[Seiryu]

To not make another post. Is the Rep-Cal Calcium supplement with D3 ok? No Phosphorous either in it.

http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm (it's the pink container, 3rd one down).

My Leopard will have a UVB light, I don't want to overdo the d3, but I would only be adding a pinch.

OR

I also have the Herptivite stuff (blue container- first one). It has NO d3. But also has calcium (22,000 Mg per Kg). But it has Phorphorus (11,000 Mg per Kg). So this one would not work correct?

 

[tortoisenerd]

In my opinion you should never supplement D3 when the tort gets UVB. They synthesize it themselves from the UVB in the amount they need. You can overdose the D3 which is fat soluble, and toxic in too large of amounts. The typical owner, including myself, does not know what may be toxic. You can't overdo calcium too easily as it is water soluble, and you'd need to give huge amounts to cause other problems (haven't heard of this; a pinch a day plus whatever cuttlebone they want is great).

I think you need pure calcium without D3 (no ingredients except calcium carbonate). You can buy human calcium carbonate powder for cheaper than the reptile supplement and it has more regulation than reptile supplements.

Do your own research about water vs. fat soluble vitamins and form your own opinion. This is just mine from my research.

Some people think a calcium and phosphorus supplement in a 2:1 or more ratio is good, but it is my opinion not to supplement the phosphorus. I just do calcium as that is what torts need for shell growth. I think the phosphorus is unnecessary. Opinions vary though!

Here's a good statement about the phosphorus form Sulcata Station:

"Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P) are both necessary to build healthy bone tissue. However, the phosphorus available in most food items is used much more readily by the tortoise's body than calcium, so you really don't need to supply any additional phosphorus to your tortoise."

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/calcium.htm
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/webdiet.htm

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Kate has given you awesome advice...

 

[tortoisenerd]

Thanks Maggie! This is one of the subjects like the pine enclosure I did a lot of research on.

 

[spring pace]

RE: calcium

soaking the cuttlebone in hot water for a few minutes will soften it making it easier for little mouths. theres also a tough skin on one side of the cuttle bone that can be scraped off to make it easier to bite into. i never used a calcium supplement for galileo and since everything ive read so far suggests that it isnt known what the daily quantity a tort needs is, using a cuttlebone would be the safest way not to give too much. gali (sulcata) will ignore his cuttlebone for weeks, then one day chow it down into pieces. apparently they know when they need it and i always see white growth lines afterwards w/a growth spurt/weight gain. its all very exciting to me. galileo is now 26+ lbs at 6 years old. smiles,spring

 

[Crazy1]

And Kate what good research you have done. Hats off to you, wish more people would do what you do. Keep up the Great work. Awsome Advise as Maggie said.

---

Is this a double post? I swear I just wrote a response to this somewhere else....

Yes babies can eat cuttlebones if it is thin enough they can bite the edge. For a hatchling you should supplement calcium daily in small amounts as they are growing.

You were correct Kate I have moved the two responses here and deleted the other post. Thanks.

 

[Talking Hands]

Is this a double post? I swear I just wrote a response to this somewhere else....

Yes babies can eat cuttlebones if it is thin enough they can bite the edge. For a hatchling you should supplement calcium daily in small amounts as they are growing.

yes, maybe double post by accident. sorry. but thx for info. really good.

---

theres a company called rep-cal. comes in a small container costs about 10 bucks. should have it at pets mart other pet stores

thx, I know which now and go pet store for buy. this one very easy.

 

[VaderWS6]

What about using ground (powdered) aragonite reef sand? Its pretty much pure calcium carbonate, along with major and minor trace elements.

---

Nevermind, looks like Caribsea has already created an aragonite based calcium supplement for reptiles ( waaaay overpriced though ).

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2531

You can buy this sand in huge quantities (I always buy from Caribsea for my reef aquariums), and grind it into fine powder with a high powered blender (my Kitchen Aid blender grinds aragonite sand into dust). It should contain all necessary vitamins and minerals.

 

[Madkins007]

What about using ground (powdered) aragonite reef sand? Its pretty much pure calcium carbonate, along with major and minor trace elements.

---

Nevermind, looks like Caribsea has already created an aragonite based calcium supplement for reptiles ( waaaay overpriced though ).

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2531

You can buy this sand in huge quantities (I always buy from Caribsea for my reef aquariums), and grind it into fine powder with a high powered blender (my Kitchen Aid blender grinds aragonite sand into dust). It should contain all necessary vitamins and minerals.

---

Calcium carbonate is calcium carbonate. There is no need to pay for coral calcium, etc.- most the the 'trace elements' are found in the diet, regular vitamins, or a pinch of table salt every so often.

I like the stuff at health food stores- NOW brand calcium powder- it costs about 1/2 of the pet shop stuff and is milled to human standards.

 

[VaderWS6]

What about using ground (powdered) aragonite reef sand? Its pretty much pure calcium carbonate, along with major and minor trace elements.

---

Nevermind, looks like Caribsea has already created an aragonite based calcium supplement for reptiles ( waaaay overpriced though ).

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2531

You can buy this sand in huge quantities (I always buy from Caribsea for my reef aquariums), and grind it into fine powder with a high powered blender (my Kitchen Aid blender grinds aragonite sand into dust). It should contain all necessary vitamins and minerals.

---

Calcium carbonate is calcium carbonate. There is no need to pay for coral calcium, etc.- most the the 'trace elements' are found in the diet, regular vitamins, or a pinch of table salt every so often.

I like the stuff at health food stores- NOW brand calcium powder- it costs about 1/2 of the pet shop stuff and is milled to human standards.

---

Yeah I wouldn't purchase the already powdered aragonite, but purchasing aragonite sand and pulverizing it yourself will be a lot cheaper than purchasing any calcium carbonate supplement at the health food store. You would end up with so much of it though, it would probably be a better idea for hobbyists with multiple torts. Table salt contains about 99% sodium chloride, no real useful vitamins there. Aragonite is composed of calcium carbonate, strontium, and magnesium.

 

[Talking Hands]

RE: calcium

soaking the cuttlebone in hot water for a few minutes will soften it making it easier for little mouths. theres also a tough skin on one side of the cuttle bone that can be scraped off to make it easier to bite into. i never used a calcium supplement for galileo and since everything ive read so far suggests that it isnt known what the daily quantity a tort needs is, using a cuttlebone would be the safest way not to give too much. gali (sulcata) will ignore his cuttlebone for weeks, then one day chow it down into pieces. apparently they know when they need it and i always see white growth lines afterwards w/a growth spurt/weight gain. its all very exciting to me. galileo is now 26+ lbs at 6 years old. smiles,spring

WOW, that great. will try cuttlebone. another idea thinking maybe work also, if take grate some cuttlebone so sprinkle on greens. difficult grate but maybe works. but for sure now will try soften cuttlebone and give them. if works good, lots cheaper than buy calcium powder. thanks again

 

[tortoisenerd]

If you grate the soft side I was able to scrape it off with a butter knife without any force. Put it in a shaker or container to take a pinch. I like the shaker as I don't have to wash my hand afterwards.