- Joined
- Mar 29, 2009
- Messages
- 118
Can anyone tell me What is the best calcium and vitamin supplement to use for my torts?.
thanks.
thanks.
sendie said:I use Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free with D3 daily and the TNT a few times a week. I have cuttlebone with all of mine but so far none of them have even taken a nibble of one.
tortoisenerd said:I'll give it a shot: D3 is fat soluble, so if the animal is getting too much, they cannot expel it in urine such as for water soluble vitamins if they have too much. That is why something like calcium is hard to over-do for a growing animal while D3 can be overdone, especially if you give a supplement in addition to what they make on their own from the UVB. Most of us that have the tort outside regularly or use a UVB bulb would have to be careful not to give too much D3. If they have a reliable UVB source, it's recommended not to even supplement it because of the dangers. Those that keep their torts awake for winter inside without UVB tend to supplement D3, and then stop when the torts are back outside for warmer months.
The cuttlebones will be used when needed by the tort. Sometimes they sit for months, and then the tort will get the urge to eat the whole thing! Also, the torts tend to let them sit at least until the fishy smell goes away. Mine ignored it for months and now takes little nibbles, especially when hungry and there is not food out, lol. They don't go bad, so as long as it isn't soiled you don't need to replace it.