Zoomed Tortoise Block
- Thread starter jaizei
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yagyujubei said:
What a great idea!! Do you add anything else? I so want to try and make that!
I'd like to point out that cuttlebone comes from cuttlefish, which are awesome, and there's really no need for an intelligent animal to die for your tortoise.
Think of the cuttlefish. Use alternative supplements, your tortoise won't know the difference.
Think of the cuttlefish. Use alternative supplements, your tortoise won't know the difference.
I am going to give this a try. I have tried cuttle bone and my tort didn't touch it much. She gets a good sized pinch of calcium powder w/o D3 daily. I'm thinking of this tort block as more of a healthy treat and beak cleaner...
Ivyna J. Spyder said:
Even if we stop theyres still going to carryon killing them so may aswell get our use out of them! ?
I'd like to try this product. Has anyone had any luck?
I've been using them a lot lately, and I like them. The bigger tortoises have been going through them too fast, so I'm mostly using it with smaller ones. A big sulcata could probably swallow one of these whole if it really wanted to (they're only about 4" x 2" x 2"), but on the Testudo, redfoots/cherries and leopards the idea works. Some torts use them more than others, but they've all got little wear and tear bite marks in them after a few days of being in the enclosures.
My only gripe is that some of the pieces (cactus?) inside are big, so it weakens the block's shape. I was throwing a bunch of them out and a few of them broke in half (with interior cactus being the weak point) from a small underhand toss onto dirt or grass. If the cactus and veggies were smaller or ground into part of the powder, I think the block would last a lot longer. They are cheap (few dollars) and the light green color is more pleasant than white cuttlebone that is usually brown within a few days being in an outdoor pen.
The surface of them is much "harder" than a traditional cuttlebone, so if beak trimming or wear is the goal, I think these would work much better than cuttlebone.
For the record, I've seen photos of cuttlebone washing up on the beach by the thousands (I believe it was in some Asian countries), and I'm pretty sure that is how it's harvested. I don't think they go catch and kill the fish to sell their bone for $.25 retail after shipping it to the U.S.
My only gripe is that some of the pieces (cactus?) inside are big, so it weakens the block's shape. I was throwing a bunch of them out and a few of them broke in half (with interior cactus being the weak point) from a small underhand toss onto dirt or grass. If the cactus and veggies were smaller or ground into part of the powder, I think the block would last a lot longer. They are cheap (few dollars) and the light green color is more pleasant than white cuttlebone that is usually brown within a few days being in an outdoor pen.
The surface of them is much "harder" than a traditional cuttlebone, so if beak trimming or wear is the goal, I think these would work much better than cuttlebone.
For the record, I've seen photos of cuttlebone washing up on the beach by the thousands (I believe it was in some Asian countries), and I'm pretty sure that is how it's harvested. I don't think they go catch and kill the fish to sell their bone for $.25 retail after shipping it to the U.S.
TylerStewart said:
Thanks! I have had cuddle bones, but my tort doesn't pay it any mind. So I was looking for an alternative. I have two russians.
Do you order them online or purchase them somewhere else?
Grigor.Love. said:
Well, I bought a bunch wholesale (to sell on my site), but you can probably find them locally for a lower price than if you found a cheap one online and paid shipping on it. I don't know if they've made it to Petco/Petsmart yet, but they'll probably be there eventually.
TylerStewart said:
You sell them?
I haven't seen them around PetSmart or PetCo yet.
Is there any other alternative that you (or anyone else) knows of? Besides the cuddle bone.
Grigor.Love. said:
No but I posted this about acouple of days ago and found out that they had already had a thread on Tortoise Block..lol. But I think its a great idea that ZooMed made one though. It's a Calcium and vitamin block. Not sure if Spike will chew on it but it wont hurt tryin.
I can not find it at any of my local petshops but there is afew places online that you can buy them.
I just placed an order for two, on Amazon.com
oscar said:
Tortoise Block and cuttlebones are 2 totally different things. Pretty much does the same thing with suppling calcium but Tortoise Block is more of a calcium and vitamin block rather that pure bone like a cuttlebone. ZooMed Turtle Bone are cuttlebones like you buy for birds. They wanted to put their name on it for the use for reptiles. There is ZooMed's Tortoise Block and then there is ZooMed's Turtle Bone.
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I've used it my tort wouldn't eat it so I broke it up coz I thought she might eat it in small chunks mixed with her other food and she didn't
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Im gonna try to find it at the next reptile show. No stores around me sell it.
I'm here at the TTPG conference and the owner of ZooMed is here along with several ZooMed employees. The are a sponsor of the conference and have given out some goody bags. The new tortoise blocks are one of the goodies. I'll be trying them when I get home. We actually discussed them with the ZooMed folks during the course of the discussion yesterday, and it seems like another well thought out and researched product from these guys.
... how come more of you don't come to these things? I have found no better source for learning about tortoises. No offense to TFO, but the room full of people here is awesome. Richard Fife showed us his trip to Ethiopia and the giant Leopards that live there, Jerry Fife showed us all the details of his recent Galopagos hatchlings, we've had two presentations on the four tortoises of Madagascar, plus and extra "Pyxis Summit". Did you know there are an estimated 6.5 million radiateds left in the wild? I didn't. Today we will here from Tomas Dlange from Senegal, who run a sulcata research center there. Apparently, sulcatas are near extinction in the wild. Hey, I know where they can find some replacements...
Anyhow there is a ton more too and its all good info. More later...
... how come more of you don't come to these things? I have found no better source for learning about tortoises. No offense to TFO, but the room full of people here is awesome. Richard Fife showed us his trip to Ethiopia and the giant Leopards that live there, Jerry Fife showed us all the details of his recent Galopagos hatchlings, we've had two presentations on the four tortoises of Madagascar, plus and extra "Pyxis Summit". Did you know there are an estimated 6.5 million radiateds left in the wild? I didn't. Today we will here from Tomas Dlange from Senegal, who run a sulcata research center there. Apparently, sulcatas are near extinction in the wild. Hey, I know where they can find some replacements...
Anyhow there is a ton more too and its all good info. More later...
I'd love to go. If they were any in my area.
WOW!! thanks for sharing that with us, Tom 
. I would love to go too if it was near me.
. I would love to go too if it was near me.
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