General Care Discussion :: Eating the dock

[rexandflower]

Okay, so at PetsMart I bought this really cool floaty dock (I think it's made out of foam). It is excellent! The only problem is that Rex and Flower nibble on it, and now a portion is gone. I feed them everyday!! are they hungry? could they get clogged bowels!?? AAAAA!

[jenaero]

Mine were doing the same thing. What solved the problem for me was cuttlebone. Seriously. I think they were looking for calcium and instinct told them that it comes from anything crunchy I make sure there is always cuttlebone floating in the tank and that did the trick!

[marisa]

If the dock is made out of or contains styrofoam/foam, I'd seriously consider getting a dock made out of a different material, just to be on the safe side.

[rexandflower]

Thanks so much for the info. I'll have to try cuttle bone, and look for a sturdier dock.

[jenaero]

I'm assuming you've got the Zoo Med turtle dock? If so, it's just fine. It's what I've always used. As long as the cuttlebone keeps him from chewing on it, there's no reason to replace it.

[rexandflower]

Yes, I do have the Zoo Med turtle dock! Whew. I bought a cuttlebone and there are already some bite marks on it. (The cuttlebone is just floating in the water--is that okay?)

[jenaero]

yep, as long as you removed the hard backing.

[daredevilgirl013]

Some turtles like to have the cuttlebone cut up into smaller pieces so it's easier to eat, just depends on the size of the turtle.

[rexandflower]

They seem to enjoy nibbling off of a large piece of the cuttlebone, but I will try cutting a bit up for them, just to see. Rex and Flow are still a little small, about 4" on the carapace. (I think they're small...)

[jenaero]

Mine also like chewing off a large piece. I usually throw half a bone in at a time.