General Care Discussion :: Turtles biting shells!

[echopulse]

I removed the rock from my turtles tank, and replaced it with a dock, so I could add more water. The tank is now 2/3 full, but I didn't have a hiding place for the turtles. So I added a seashell. But the turtles try to bite the edges of it. They aren't sharp, but they are a little rough. I'm wondering if this could hurt the turtles. Should I take the shells out, or will they eventually learn that it's not food?

[cam722]

Do you give your turtles cuttle bone to chew on? My turtles will try to bite the rocks etc while searching for food on the bottom, so maybe this is what they are doing?

[steve]

I don't know what nutritional impact the shells could have on them, but I'd get rid of them. Once they get a bit bigger, they will get strong enough to break it. I'd also try some cuttlebone (remove and discard the hard backing).

[fishandcandy]

It's a real seashell? Seashells are going to effect your water quality (PH I think) and add some calcium to the water as they dissolve. It's good for some animals, but I'd be worried about sharp edges when they bite a chunk off. I'd take it out.
Definitely get some cuttlebone.
You could try using plants for hiding places.

[sarah]

My turts didn't have a hiding place either so I took a fake shell shell....(soap holder) and they never tried to eat it, plus, they couldn't eat it even if they wanted.
My turtles don't have MUCH of a hiding place now either...and they seem to be fine.

[echopulse]

They have stopped trying to bite the shell from what I can tell. At least when I have been watching they haven't done it since the day after I put it in. I also asked for some cuttlebone at the pet store, but it looks like a long, narrow peice of soap. And I couldn't see any "backing" to peel off, but the whole thing was hard. Am I looking in the wrong section? Is the cuttlebone you guys speak of sold in a bottle, or a bag?

[TNTurtles]

yes thats it, its in the bird section. the hard backing is inside the package, you cant see it yet...its hard to peel off...but yes that is it

[cam722]

You'd only be able to see it after you took it out of the package like TNTurtles said.

[marisa]

You can dig your nail easily into one side of the cuttlebone--it's soft like chalk. The other side (it looks like the outer covering) is hard, and that's the side you have to peel off. If you break the cuttlebone in half or into smaller pieces, the backing is sometimes easier to remove. I use a sharp paring knife to pry the backing off, but any sharp knife should do the trick.

[echopulse]

It's not inside a package at all. It's just a chalky looking thing in the shape of a closed clam shell, the long ones. If I got a Dr. Turtle, would that be the same thing?

[fishandcandy]

No, Dr. Turtle is not the same thing. Dr. Turtle is a type of sulfa block. And a waste of money.
What you have sounds like cuttlebone. It's like chalk, right? Break a chunk off and drop it in the water.

[steve]

it might come in packing like this:


They often include a metal clip which you can discard. They may also come in flavors, which you can avoid and some people said there are ones without the hard backing (but I've never came across any of those).

And that Dr. Turtle is potentially harmful, so avoid it.

[Pugness]

whats wrong with those little fake white turtles, i thought they were a good thing because the pet store recommended it to me.

[fishandcandy]

Pet stores think they're a good thing because the packaging recommends them for turtles.
At the very least, they are a waste of money.