buying cuttlefish bone from chinese medicine stores

[mools]

For the past week, I was browsing places to purchase cuttlefish bone and I wanted to share what I found. I felt that the amount for the price I would be getting at a pet store, a Walmart, eBay, or etsy was not worth it so I did a little digging and I found this 16 oz bag of cuttlefish bone from this store called Khan Hing Tong. The store is located in Sacramento but my dad was able to find the exact same bag of this at TS Emporium in Monterey Park so I think there's a possibility that any Chinese medicine store could also carry it. You would be looking or asking for 海螵蛸 (hǎi piāo shāo).

I'm not sure how safe it is as I tend to be wary about products from China but it should be safe enough, right? Anyways, I thought this was a really good find and I may look into seeing if I can find them in Korean or Japanese stores.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

No matter where you buy your cuttlebone from or how much you pay for it. It will still probably come from outside the U.S. And most likely China anyway.
Thank you for your research.
I'd also strongly assume that it is tortoise safe.
I used to buy broken ones and peices for cheap at a local bird boutique. It seems as though bird people want their cuttlebones whole and pristine. And they're not at all interested in the misfits at the bottom of the box.

 

[Cathie G]

I agree with ZEROPILOT about the Chinese cuttlefish bone. From what I've seen they are very protective of their wildlife. We've even had pandas in our zoos thanks to agreements with them. I doubt if they would send us poisonous animal food on purpose. But it is what it is.

 

[mools]

No matter where you buy your cuttlebone from or how much you pay for it. It will still probably come from outside the U.S. And most likely China anyway.
Thank you for your research.
I'd also strongly assume that it is tortoise safe.
I used to buy broken ones and peices for cheap at a local bird boutique. It seems as though bird people want their cuttlebones whole and pristine. And they're not at all interested in the misfits at the bottom of the box.

Well, I guess if they are mostly imported from China, then my nerves are more at ease with using my purchase.