Feeding and Nutrition :: too much cuttlebone?

[hiddenpassions]

I searched the archives for this question and didn't find anything. I recently bought my turtle the first cuttlebone she's ever had. When i put in a pretty good sized piece she eats the whole thing until it's gone. I am under the impression that some of you have cuttlebone in your tanks all the time. Will my turtle eat too much of it if i try to give her a constant supply? Should i only offer it every couple of days, or will she stop eating it on her own?
Thanks in advance.

Peace,
Cherry

[BullDog]

I had the same question. Though the answer is not entirely clear, I think the general consensus is that they can not get too much cuttlebone.

Especially if it's the first cuttlebone she's ever gotten, she'll go nuts over it.

My female was the same. I'd put in a head-sized piece, and it'd be gone in a matter of minutes. So I thought I'd try putting in a third of a bone, and lo and behold it lasted for a couple of days! She ate some of it to start, then got tired of it.

I personally only offer cuttlebone every couple of days. If I offered it more, I'd easily go though a bone a week! Instead, one bone lasts about a month (my male doesn't go crazy on the cuttlebone, so I just give him small pieces).

[TheComputerGremlin]

My turtle goes crazy over cuttlebone. I've been giving about a head-sized piece every couple days now, and we can go through a lot of cuttlebone. I think they don't actually consume as much as it looks like, since you see these poofs of white when they chomp on it in the water, but I've heard on the board some females going through a cuttlebone each week easily, esp. during egg time. But I feel that I have to keep control of it, my turtle would eat anything put in front of her.

[SenorProgrammer]

I've just clamped half a cuttlebone to the side of Herc's tank all the time and leave it in there. He eats it when he wants it. I don't imagine there's any harm in too much of it. Metabolically they should just dump any excess calcium they might get.