tort eating a lot of cuttlefish

[min7586]

Just got a red foot. Previous owner said he ate a lot of cuttlefish bone, she had him for 2 years and hes always been like that. He is 3 now. Ive been a tortoise keeper in zoos in the past and i have never heard of seen a tort like cuttle bone this much! He will eat 1/3 of a bone at once before i get nervous and take it away. He has good diet and care from me and previous owner so he shouldnt be lacking in anything...shell is awesome and overall in great health. Im concerned that if he eats too much it will cause digestive problems or a blockage. Obviously contacting previous owner but also wanted to see if anyone here had advice or thoughts.

 

[Tom]

Try offering a mineral supplement like MinerAll. Often when there is some slight mineral or trace element deficiency they will go nuts eating cuttle bone or small rocks in their outdoor enclosure. Eating excess calcium actually interferes with the absorption of some other elements like zinc, and certain fatty acids. These imbalances cannot be self-corrected in a captive environment and so they attempt to balance it with the only "minerals" on hand, the cuttle bone.

 

[min7586]

Thanks tom. Since i have had him i have switched him to TNT supplement...would you reccomend the minerals as opposed to that? In addition to? Or will TNT provide this over time?