General Care Discussion :: How much cuttlefish bone to give?

[taijiangah]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and let me thank everyone in advance for any help they're able to provide. I have two RES ones about 8'' the other about 6'' and I wanted to start giving them cuttlefish bones for the calcium. I have a few questions:

Will the general cuttlefish bones I get in the bird section work?

Do I just leave the whole bone in the tank or break it into little chunks?

Will my turtles like them? Do i have to mix it with something to so they'll eat it?

How long should I leave the bone in the tank?

And most importantly how much and how often should I be giving them cuttlefish bones?

Thanks again, any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Kemul]

Cuttlebone from bird section is what we use.

I think most turtles prefer the cuttlebone broken into headsize pieces. You should experiment with your turtles.

I don't mix mine with anything, just the cuttlebone pieces.

I leave the pieces in the tank until they sink, if not eaten. You can throw them away or dry them. If you dry a sunk piece, it won't float long when you put it back into the water.

Some people leave a piece or two floating all the time. It should be alright to give more cuttlebone for your turtles. However, water might become hard because of the Calcium, leaving water lines on the tank sides.

[theartbook35]

I give mine head sized blocks once or twice a week, depending on how much they want it. Turtles typically "want" cuttlebone when they go around the tank biting tank decor or the basking dock. Remember though, too much of something is just as bad as not enough. You want to maintain a decent balance of nutrients and vitamins in your turtle's body, just like you would for your human body.

Also remember that, in order for your turtle to metabolize calcium, it needs Vitamin D3, which is found in most commercial pellets (Rep-Cal has a wonderful % of Vitamin D3), including a heat source which will be ten degrees warmer than the water temperature.

[sagoy]

Some people leave a piece or two floating all the time. It should be alright to give more cuttlebone for your turtles. However, water might become hard because of the Calcium, leaving water lines on the tank sides.

Oh so that's why I have white lines on the sides of the water level noticeable when the water starts to evaporate and decrease in level.

Thanks.

[taijiangah]

Thanks so much for the info everyone, really appreciate it!

[leopard167]

so turtles eat cuttle bone? is cuttle bone plus appropriate diet and exercise in real sun better than supplements? what is the ideal amount to give?
sry. 3 day old turtle owner. ever in life haha

[Kemul]

Theartbook35 brought a good point. Calcium needs Vitamin D to be absorbed. Vitamin D can only be formed with the help of UVB. So, providing a good basking environment or a few hours under direct sunlight weekly is necessary.

Cuttlebone is really a supplement, since pellets usually contain Calcium. I think a turtle just know when to eat cuttlebone. So, I think it knows how to regulate its Calcium intake.

[Jaysea]

also don't forget to remove the hard backing off of the cuttlebone before putting it into your tank. Turtles have a hard time digesting that and it can become impacted. I use an exacto knife to remove the backing off of mine.

[marisa]

They tend to eat cuttlebone as needed---if there is sufficient calcium in the diet, they will eat it less readily than if not. I keep a few head-sized pieces floating in the tank so they can nibble on it when they want to. I replace as needed. If they don't show much of an interest in it, I give less for a while.

[theartbook35]

Theartbook35 brought a good point. Calcium needs Vitamin D to be absorbed. Vitamin D can only be formed with the help of UVB. So, providing a good basking environment or a few hours under direct sunlight weekly is necessary.

Cuttlebone is really a supplement, since pellets usually contain Calcium. I think a turtle just know when to eat cuttlebone. So, I think it knows how to regulate its Calcium intake.

They kinda know... and kinda don't know... If I put cuttlebone in Ty and Cane's tank every day, I guarantee you, they will eat it all. Basically, they will eat anything that they think is food. So, I recommend always watching for the searching behaviors, because that is the best indication of when to put cuttlebone in their grasp, lol XD

Also, I typically buy "sepia bone" nowadays. It's a dollar more than cuttlebone depending on where you live, but, it comes with the hard backing already removed. I feel like a lot of calcium gets wasted because of the way we have to remove the backing and I find that I would rather pay an extra dollar for a whole piece of cuttlebone than cuttlebone that gets wasted slightly.