Feeding and Nutrition :: Cuttlebone backing?

[lilskip3125]

ok so i've went through and read on here that you suggest taking the back of the cuttlebone off (the hard part) so i bought Fiona (my RES) the turtle ones last night and she loved it! but its a pain to get the backing off? my questions:

1. why is it important to take the backing off? (it doesnt say it on the directions)

2. what will happen if she eats the hard backing?

3. how oftens should i give her cuttlebone? (she really really loves it!)

Any suggestions i would love, this is my first RES turtle and i dont want to hurt her in any way. by the way i LOVE this site! its sooooo helpful so thanks to all that reply back!

also.. she is "shedding" hehe sorry on the terms but her shell is pealing but isnt going fast (hasnt done much) and looks like not much but little silverish spots really small on her shell around and even under her shed about 8 or so spots. Is this ok? ive tried to take pics but doesnt even really show up. should i be worried? again THANKS!!! im just really worried...

[Jeff]

You have to remove the cuttlebone backing b/c it is very hard to digest for them. It has the possibility of cutting them open or blocking them off during the digestive stage.

It is very easy to remove. Try using a regular butter knife (so you don't cut yourself) and start on the very edge. Once you seperate a piece of hard backing from the bone the rest should come off fairly easily. I did three pretty big pieces the other night in about 10 min. The more you do it, the easier it will get.

The shedding is very normal. My little guy still hasn't had his first shed, so I'm not an expert on it. The members on here will definitely want pictures though to make sure it's okay.

My guess is, as long as you have your temps set right the shedding should be normal.

[BullDog]

Jeff hit the nail on the head; The cuttlebone backing is hard to digest and can potentially harm your turtle's digestive system.

For how often, I feed a head sized chunk every couple of days or so. Some people throw in the whole bone and let their turts snack on it when they feel like. It's really up to you.

[all3y3sonme]

how big are the pieces u putting in the tank??? i dropped two roughly the size of an ice cube...too big/small??

[marisa]

I really don't think the backing is digestable. I would worry about the turtle cutting his mouth biting it or it causing damage as/if it passed through the digestive track.

My turtles are much less interested in tackling big pieces. I try to keep a few head-sized or smaller pieces in the tank and add to it when they're gone.

[lilskip3125]

Thanks so much, i will take all the backing off. and for the temperature in the tank water is set at 78 and the basking is about a good 10 degress hotter than that. she does bask everyday off and on. And i do see that the shell is starting to peal a little more each day. i will try and get some good pictures of the spots. They also seem to be healing up, it kinda looks like trapped water of some sort... well thanks for the replys!!

[jordanwalker1531]

I just realized that I need to take the back off. Are they going to be ok? I took it out and I am now taking the backing off

[steve]

...I replied to your other post.