General Care Discussion :: I think my turtle is depressed.

[steve]

There was a small topic about this. Its the same as cuttlebone (Including the hard backing!) and it costs extra. Go figure.

[Hoooneylynn]

hmm... that one I got had two big ones, and it only cost $3... Im not sure what the hard backing is .. it seems like the piece is the same on both sides..

[SpotsMama]

Hi Jessica, I had the same question about the "hard backing" on a cuttlebone. I couldn't see that there was one. However, I found that while one side was soft and chalky throughout, the other side had a thin layer of chalk but a thin, clear plastic-like layer underneath. That transparant layer is the part that should be removed before you feed it to your turtle.

I haven't seen the "turtle bones" that people talk about - it's possible that the hard backing has already been removed from them. If they're just plain garden variety cuttlebones, then the clear layer is there.

[Hoooneylynn]

yeah I think your right... the hard backing was removed already.. i'll check again.. she hasnt eaten any of it, and I took it out of the tank.. I would think that if they package it just for turts, they would have it removed? I don't know, I've never seen the one for the birds..

[JELslider]

Ok Great I will go buy one at Pet Smart today!

Oh and about turtles walking around, I figure there are all types of germs on the floor, I don't have any children or other pets, its just me.... and I don't plan on eating off the floor or anything like that. I know that was gross but I don't see it as a problem.

If you let him walk around your tub I could see why you may want to clean that out though.

[marisa]

I wonder if some of those pieces or Zoo-Med cuttlebone have the backs removed and some don't---I've heard of some people getting them either way (I guess one has to check before buying). If the pieces in the box are nice, big and white (and if the backing is removed), $3 for two doesn't really sound that bad.

[Muirner]

i just picked up a large piece of cuttle bone for 1.53$, i coulda picked up a 4 pack for like 3$ but i want to make sure my babys like it... speaking of which, if they'd ever look at me, i'd see if they wanted some... i'll leave it in the water for now.

[cam722]

Muriner.. it's best just to put a piece in the tank and let it float there and they will nibble on it as they want. It's not like food .. where you give them a bit every day.. just let it there

[marisa]

Your babies might not like it right away, especially if they're really small. Making the pieces small and thinnish so they're easy to crunch will help (but they won't float as long). Keep some in there for a while and see what they do with it.

[Muirner]

Ok, will do... I knew it wasnt like food, i just was unsure of how to put it in... Now i have some ideas, and i'll try them out..