Too much calcium?

[ChiKat]

Today I put a small dish of calcium powder in Nelson's enclosure because I like the idea of letting them regulate their own calcium intake when they feel they need it. I have a cuttlebone in his enclosure but he only munches on it if I hold it because it's too big for his tiny mouth!

But he is going to town on this calcium powder! His face is covered
I assume they're smart enough to know when they need calcium powder- but he won't "OD" on it, will he??

 

[tortoisenerd]

No amount of calcium he would chose to consume on his own could be harmful. It is water soluble, not fat soluble like vitamin D3, so if he does eat too much he will pee it out. What a great idea and that is great he likes it!

 

[terryo]

Katie..you just put it in dry, in a dish? Pio must need a lot of calcium, because he munches on those cuttlebones all the time. I put a new one in once a month.

 

[ChiKat]

Yeah I just put it dry in a dish. It was something new I tried today!
I do the same thing for my leopard geckos and they just lick it when they need calcium.

I actually put it in one of those small medicine cups and buried it in the substrate, but Nelson kept trying to pull it out and knock it over So I guess I can't leave it in there all the time!

---

 

[Madkins007]

It is possible to take in too much calcium if there is not enough phosphorous, water, heat, and vitamin D to either process it or to eliminate it safely.

I do not know for sure that the will self-regulate when it is offered in that form- but I don't know they can't either. The question would be is your diet so low in calcium it needs to chow down like that?

 

[ChiKat]

Thanks for the input Mark!
That was my question- I wasn't sure if they would self-regulate. I got the idea from someone on here (maybe from EJ or Redfoot Nerd?)
I'm not leaving the calcium in there anyways so I guess it's not really an issue.

 

[terryo]

OMG!! That is so cute! I can't believe he is actually eating that powder. That's a calendar picture for sure.

 

[sammi]

OMG thats hilarious! Ernie NEVER touches his cuttlebone. Its been in there for 3 months now. Maybe he would try this..

Good idea though!

 

[vickyb]

where would I get calcium without D3? The one I bought from the store here has D3 and I suspect she doesnt need D3 in the powder because she has two very bright UV light bulbs on top of her encl.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Go to your local health food store and buy some human calcium tablets without D3. It's inexpensive and has fewer additives than calcium made for reptiles. I took the tablets and put them in a plastic bag and then crushed them with the flat of a hammer. I used a nail to pound holes in the lid of a plastic container and now I use it like a salt shaker to sprinkle the calcium on Taco's food.

I got these ideas here on the forum...I think it was from terryo...good luck!

And I also did not think Nelson could possibly get any cuter! He looks like he's ready for a rehab program.

 

[Jacqui]

Nelson goes from adorable to even more adorable with each set of pictures I see of him!

It's my belief, that tortoise just like all other animals don't always have or use their "common" cents. For whatever reason be it some instinctual lack or whatever, some will over indulge in this or that type of food or do kamikaze type stunts that can and do endanger their health. Some of it may be they are just not facing things they would naturally in their own native wild habitat and so don't really have a reason to know not to do something.

Often tortoises seem to have a desire or need to eat anything and everything that is white, perhaps in part some what to needing calcium which they find in eggs which are most often white in color. I wonder if the powder was another color, like brown, if he would still be pigging out on it.

If may also be the newness of it that is offering him such appeal. He may also be going thru a high growth rate period? Some females have increased needs before and/or after producing eggs.

I do agree with Madkins about double checking that his normal average diet contains a fairly good level of calcium. I wouldn't get concerned unless this became a daily thing and it happened many days without any major time elapsing.

 

[-EJ]

Calcium carbonate is water soluable to a minute extent. Mix some in water and it will settle out.

You can OD Calcium but it would be very difficult to do this feeding calcium carbonate. Do a web search and you can find a source.

What calcium carbonate it does not use it will pass as a solid... aka... feces.

 

[ChiKat]

He looks like he's ready for a rehab program.

hahaha that is exactly what I thought

Calcium carbonate is water soluable to a minute extent. Mix some in water and it will settle out.

You can OD Calcium but it would be very difficult to do this feeding calcium carbonate. Do a web search and you can find a source.

What calcium carbonate it does not use it will pass as a solid... aka... feces.

Thanks for the info Ed!

 

[sammi]

Funny I should find this right after I read this thread, but I was on Carolina Pet Supply and Joe just added a Rep Cal Calcium without D3 for only $5.99 Here: http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=495

Hope that helps too =]

 

[Nay]

What about Calcium Magnesium and zinc Chelated tablets?The calcium is from Calcium Carbonate and Gluconate 1000 mg. They are just vitimans I take.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Health food stores sell calcium carbonate powder. I would not buy the tablets and crush them because the coating has additives. It is cheaper than the stuff sold at pet stores (which is hard to find without D3 anyways), and regulated by the FDA.

 

[ChiKat]

I had trouble finding calcium carbonate powder at first. I even went to a vitamin store and they only had tablets. I finally found some at a health food store, like Kate suggested.
I had to ask someone who worked at the store though and she seemed a little thrown off- it didn't seem like a common question
This is what I have though: