Feeding and Nutrition :: My RES is eating her basking platform

[branfarm]

Hi there,

One of my RES's is eating her basking platform. It's one of those floating hard-styrofoam models, and she's managed to completely wear off the corner on the ramp end. Is this something I should be worried about? Any ideas why she would be doing this? We feed her an "average" amount of reptomin sticks twice a day.

Thanks

[Lantic]

Usually thats a sign of her/he wanting calcium.. (Thats what i've read before). Do you give your turtle Cuttlebone

[SpotsMama]

Agree about them her probably craving calcium. Cuttlebone is simple, inexpensive and excellent way to provide it.

On the pellets, if your turtles are under 4" long they can have as many pellets every day as would fit in their heads if their heads (not including necks) were hollow. Over 4" you should cut back to a headfull of pellets every other day. You can divide up the feedings into as many small servings per day as you like just so you don't go overboard and feed them too much, which is bad for their health.

[branfarm]

Thanks for the replies.

I went out and got some cuttlebone, and I prepared it according to the sticky post. The very first time I dropped a chunk in the tank she devoured it almost immediately. I went back a couple days later to give her some more, and now she wont touch the stuff. And she's still eating the platform!

Any other ideas on what I can do to keep from devouring her basking spot?

[Simba]

Mine does the same. I put cuttlebone in there every day... make sure there is a piece in there at all hours. She gose through a whole bone every 2 days and still eats her dock. Caught her the other morning, there was a huge chunk she bit out floating about and she kept gonig for it. Didn't think I'd be up that early, I caught her :p

I'm waiting for your replies too. Tried plants, she eats them all. Tried rocks and shells, pushes them in the corners of the tank and thats it, still goes for the turtledock.

[NicoleBell]

Neptune did the same thing. No matter what I did she wanted to eat that yummy foam dock. I suggest to buy or make a basking dock. that is not made of foam. I don't know about your RES, but mine will try and eat anything that in her tank.