Feeding and Nutrition :: How to get my RES eat cuttle bone?

[gaevwa]

Hello to all.

I'm a newbie here.
My problem is my RES don't eat cuttle bone. I never saw my RES took any interest of the bite size cuttle bone that I left floating in the water. After a week, I ground the cuttle bone and spread it on his floating sticks. That's the only way I can make him take the cuttle bone. But it's tiring. Do you have any suggestion on how to make him take the cuttle bone? Thanks in advance.

[Kemul]

This is just my guess: keep offering cuttlebone in varying sizes and the turtle will
eat cuttlebone when it feels the need to. Hatchling usually doesn't need cuttlebone
yet, only good pellets (like Reptomin) and a little taste of vegetables.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Continue offering cuttlebone, and he'll eventually take to it. Turtles are designed to go after cuttlebone when they really need it (for instance, a female about to lay eggs can go through several cuttlebones in a week's time).

You can supplement the diet by feeding veggies high in calcium, I don't remember which ones are, but check the forums.

If it gets really bad, to the point that it's be 6+ months with no calcium intake besides veggies and pellets, I would recommend the turtle shots, just don't add all of the other stuff in, just do some meat juice, gelatin, and calcium powder and feed a small chunk every so often.

[gaevwa]

Hi to all, thanks for the prompt reply. I guess I just have to maintain my present method of having the cuttle bone grounded and then spread it on the turtle food. I also left a bite size cuttle bone floating. Thanks again.

[bigG]

When I first introduced cuttlebone to my RES, she just avoided it. I left it in the tank for several days and she eventually took some bites. Just keep trying.

[gaevwa]

Thanks for all the infos. I handfed one of my turts with very small cuttlebone and he/she took it.