General Care Discussion :: cuttle bone question

[germanrican]

How do you encourage a turtle to start munching on the cuttle bone?
I've tried it by it's self...I've put a piece of it in a little container with shrimp and krill and shook it up (for that fishy scent).... my turtle still doesn't even bother with it.
Thanks!!

[Vtolds]

They dont actually need it to survive but they usually crave the calcium it provides. Once your RES gets a taste more than likely it will keep going back.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I think that the turtle will just munch on it if it feels it's needed, like in a calcium-deficient time, or out of boredom, but I don't think it's any cause for concern if it doesn't munch on it for awhile. I don't think soaking it would be much more helpful as it would just disintegrate. Are you worried that your turtle's diet is deficient in calcium? I'd just leave some to float at the top of the tank for a few days and see if it helps. I break my cuttlebone into pieces that are about a quarter the size of my turtle's head, he likes to crack it with his mouth, and I found that much smaller than that sinks, which he doesn't notice as much as the floating pieces.

[SpotsMama]

Sometimes my turtle eats a lot of cuttlebone, sometimes he's not interested for a week or more. I think he eats it when his body craves calcium.

My turtle doesn't like a soggy cuttlebone that won't float, but I've heard other turtles prefer it soggy (go figure). He does like it clamped to the wall of his tank in a veggie clip - which keeps it from slipping away when he bites it.

[industrial_girl_2000]

My turtle won't touch cuttlebone either. Maybe it is because she is already so old & fully grown. I know she gets enough calcium though because she gets nutritionally-balanced pellet (Reptomin) every 2 days, plus, I feed her green lettuce (romaine, green lettuce, or collards) daily. 15-18 yrs ago when she was still growing, Sheba would literally eat an entire water neutralizer block (calcium block that you put in fishtanks) in a day or two (!). I went thru so many of these calcium blocks that I bought them in bulk for $0.79/piece. She just ate & ate them.

The younger turts who are still growing need more calcium than a turtle as old as mine.

[amsude]

Our turtle has times with the cuddle bone. In the beginning we were concerned he didn't like it or understand it so we would put him on top of it. There are times he doesn't eat it but there are time we see him biting on it and it is gone. He picks his time. We acutally just took it out because i noticed white spots on his shell. I am thinking it is because of too much calcium not sure but we are trying it and see what happens.

[octpusgirl8]

White spots on the shell could be fungus or shell rot, it's not a calcium issue. Try to get some pictures to post so we can help determine the problem.

[marisa]

Are the spots actually in the scutes? Cuttlebone shouldn't in itself put white spots on your turtle's shell---it's only about 35-40% calcium and you don't know how much of that amount is getting into your turtle's system.

Can you post a picture of your turtle's shell dry?

[sezzyb2k7]

Should you just cut a peice off and leave it in the tank?

will it go off and affect the water in any way ?

help

[octpusgirl8]

You have to chip off the hard backing that's on one side, then you can just drop a chunk in the tank, or put it in a veggie clip if you prefer. It won't affect water quality at all.

[Brown13Whiskey]

Just to clarify, one has a piece of it in the water all the time? It's basically a 24/7 all you can eat calcium buffet? I have hatchlings, should I do anything special for them?

[steve]

My turtles eat them fairly quickly, so I only drop in a few pieces at a time.

Brown13Whiskey - I would use a good pellet like Baby Reptomin and you can drop in very small pieces of cuttlebone for them.

[TheComputerGremlin]

It depends on the turtle, some eat the cuttlebone very quickly, others pick at it and are able to leave it with them as a "24/7 all you can eat calcium buffet". You'll have to gauge your turtle's appetite. My turtle will eat anything put in there like immediately, so I don't trust him with a whole one.

[marisa]

I keep a few pieces floating in the tanks and replace them when they're going. Small hatchlings often take a while to catch on to cuttlebone. I make the pieces small and thin so they will break into smaller pieces easily if they're nibbled on. The small, thin pieces will become water logged and sink more quickly than larger pieces, though.

Once submerged, the cuttlebone will eventally dissolve. It won't affect the water negatively, just a more calcium to it.

[Sgt. Pepper]

My turtle won't touch the cuttlebone until it gets really soggy and sinks to the bottom. Then she goes crazy for it. They all have different preferences, like people.