Feeding and Nutrition :: Too much cuttlebone...Seriously.

[Chrisbarnett]

if i give squirt a piece of cuttlebone thats about the size of his head, plus about another half or quarter head, and he eats it in a few hours(seriously) should I just keep giving it too him? Because I have cut down his intake, If I went at the rate he eats it, I'd probably be going through a bone or more per week. He's gone Cuttle-Crazy!!

So what do you think? give him all he wants, or limit him to a few pieces a week?

Thanks!

[Raphulk]

is there even a price to be paid if there is too much calcium intake?
ive never heard such a thing.

i dont know much though haha

[untsmurf]

I would put the entire piece in there and see how much he eats. From what I've seen I'm under the understanding that they don't eat more than they need. He may be needing more calcium because he's growing.

[Chrisbarnett]

And ok, the piece i just put in probably 30 minutes ago, is already reduced to a little piece that'll probably be gone within another 20-30 minutes.

[Raphulk]

hmm, youre lucky!
my turtles dont really eat the cuttlebone like that.

does anyone know if the cuttlebone has taste?

[untsmurf]

How big was it to start with?

[Chrisbarnett]

About a head and 3/4, or 2 heads worth...

[TheComputerGremlin]

My turtle will eat ANYTHING I put in the tank, seriously. It's disturbing how much he'll eat. I mean, if I put a whole cuttlebone in, it'd be gone within an hour, easily. A whole leaf of lettuce takes less than an hour to eat. So, I don't put in more than a head-sized piece or so each day just to limit the consumption. I know too much calcium in humans can be dangerous, so I assume it'd be the same in turtles.

[Chrisbarnett]

My turtle will eat ANYTHING I put in the tank, seriously. It's disturbing how much he'll eat. I mean, if I put a whole cuttlebone in, it'd be gone within an hour, easily. A whole leaf of lettuce takes less than an hour to eat. So, I don't put in more than a head-sized piece or so each day just to limit the consumption. I know too much calcium in humans can be dangerous, so I assume it'd be the same in turtles.

Lol, squirts the same way. he turns into a savage over lettuce. a shell size piece is gone in about 10-15 minutes!

[untsmurf]

Mikey eats lettuce that quickly as well. I think to determine the answer to your question, we need to figure out what an excess of calcium will do to a turtle. I think either Marisa or Meg will be able to give you a good idea.

[ScrewZoo]

Steve said you CAN overfeed cuttlebone. But everyone else says you can't. So Idk.

[JimmyJam]

As far as I can remember back in my herp working days, I do recall this issue. I believe as Dr. Jax mentioned that indeed over feeding calcium can possibly do damage to herps in general. I personally would offer it as you would a treat, maybe once every other day or once a week. After all they do recieve some calcium intake with there pellets. But next time I go to my herp shop I'll ask the people there about herps taking in too much calcium.

[megcornell]

Is he eating it or just destroying it? Every once in a while my turtles just enjoy chomping at the cuttlebone, but I don't think they're actually eating it. It's just enticing to see something floating and they bite it to pieces.
If he were a gravid female, I'd say give all the cuttlebone you can... but males don't need as much calcium. I'd limit his intake, give him a chunk every few days to a week. I'd doubt he's really consuming as much calcium as it looks like.

How old is your UVB light? I'd also check that to make sure he is absorbing the calcium he does eat. Remember they are really only good about 6 months even though they produce light longer than that.

[PcBuilder14]

You are lucky your turtle will even touch cuttlebone our veggies!

[Chrisbarnett]

Yes, he is actually eating it. When he bites into it, all you see is a very minimal puff of white cloud, and he eats it.

And the UVB light is only about 3 weeks old. Repti glo 5.0 26 watt.

Alright, so i'll start limiting his cuttle intake. Thanks all!