Tortoise won't eat calcium

[tortoiselover2158]

When I sprinkle calcium on my tortoises food he won't eat it. I am worried he's not getting enough calcium. Does anyone have any suggestions or alternative methods of giving him calcium?

 

[Killerrookie]

Could just put a cuttlebone into his enclosure and he will nibble on it.

 

[tortoiselover2158]

I have a cuttlebone in his enclosure but he doesn't nibble it.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Have you tryed egg shells grown up ?

 

[keepergale]

Feed calcium rich foods and supplements are unnessicarry. Try an even smaller pinch of calcium on the tortoises favorite food.

 

[JoesMum]

Feed calcium rich foods and supplements are unnessicarry. Try an even smaller pinch of calcium on the tortoises favorite food.

I agree. A really, really tiny pinch of calcium three times a week is all that's needed.

 

[JoesMum]

Have you tryed egg shells grown up ?

Or ground up

It is a good suggestion though

 

[Mr Buster]

Make certain your calcium powder has D3, too.

 

[JoesMum]

Make certain your calcium powder has D3, too.

There is no need for added D3. The tortoise makes it own with exposure to UVB light. Some species don't take up D3 from diet as well as others either. There's been a thread about it recently which I can't find.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Or ground up

It is a good suggestion though

I wanted to see if you where awake !

 

[tortoiselover2158]

Have you tryed egg shells grown up ?

What kind of egg shells do you mean? Should I just grind up the kind of egg shells you get at the grocery store?

 

[tortoiselover2158]

Feed calcium rich foods and supplements are unnessicarry. Try an even smaller pinch of calcium on the tortoises favorite food.

I've tried very small amounts on even his most favorite foods, yet he won't have any of it. I will try giving him foods high in calcium. What foods would you suggest?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

What kind of egg shells do you mean? Should I just grind up the kind of egg shells you get at the grocery store?

I take the egg shells turn them up side down and let them drain on a paper plate for 2-3 days at room temp . Then I run the shells through a coffee grinder til they are powder. Cause I feel in the wild torts find wild bird egg shells laying on the ground . But I don't want my torts to get cut by a sharp egg shell or to get stuck in the throat .

 

[Markw84]

I've tried very small amounts on even his most favorite foods, yet he won't have any of it. I will try giving him foods high in calcium. What foods would you suggest?

Opuntia Cactus. (prickly pear pads)

 

[MPRC]

If I need to get a powder into an animal I take a leaf of greens, put a dab of babyfood on it and then mix in the powder. Roll it up and tah-dah, supplement burrito. (Or if you feed a commercial food like Mazuri I think it has the nutrients that you need that aren't provided by grocery store greens.

 

[tortoiselover2158]

Thanks for the ideas I will try the eggshells ground up and the "supplement burrito". Hopefully one will work.

 

[Killerrookie]

There is no need for added D3. The tortoise makes it own with exposure to UVB light. Some species don't take up D3 from diet as well as others either. There's been a thread about it recently which I can't find.

Does it hurt to even give them D3 calcium?

 

[JoesMum]

Does it hurt to even give them D3 calcium?

As a fraction of a really tiny pinch of calcium powder given three times a week (the recommended dose for torts), I suspect not.

However, I am not a herpetologist and I don't know for certain.

 

[Mr Buster]

My vet told me D3. I really do not think the artificial sun light is enough. I don't think the D# in the powder is probably enough, but together is your best bet. Sunlight is the best.

 

[JoesMum]

My vet told me D3. I really do not think the artificial sun light is enough. I don't think the D# in the powder is probably enough, but together is your best bet. Sunlight is the best.

Sunlight only gives UVB. No added D3 in sunlight.

If your UVB bulb is working properly then your tort is able to make the D3 it needs.

Some of the more omnivorous species, particularly the forest species, take up dietary D3 (I found a scientific paper on it) but the grassland species seem to use entirely sunlight as there is little D3 in their diet and they have not evolved the means to process it that way.