Most of my tortoises help themselves to cuttlefish bone, which I buy in bulk and offer freely throughout the tortoise garden. However, 2 of my females don't ever partake, and those 2 females happen to be nesting now. I've observed one of them eating soil, which leads me to think that she is seeking out calcium sources. I have tried all the usual 'getting-the-tortoise-to-eat-cuttlefish' tricks, and they do all get a healthy diet of widely varied weeds and greens and flowers. However, one of the females specifically has a history that leads me to believe that she MUST have more calcium. She will NOT touch weeds sprinkled with anything.
I am hoping to make some calcium blocks myself in the hopes that these might entice her. I have read through several threads such as THIS one and THIS one and several other threads on here, but couldn't find a clear answer as to whether I must use food grade CaCO3 (calcium carbonate), or is the agricultural lime safe to make calcium blocks out of? Cost is not an issue, I just happen to have a 50lb bag of agricultural lime flour handy that is going into my garden soil, the tortoise garden soil, and our lawn next week. Chemically the two are identical (CaCo3)- I'd imagine that the food grade stuff has fewer impurities. Thoughts?
@yagyujubei - your name came up in several of those threads. I would love your input.
I am hoping to make some calcium blocks myself in the hopes that these might entice her. I have read through several threads such as THIS one and THIS one and several other threads on here, but couldn't find a clear answer as to whether I must use food grade CaCO3 (calcium carbonate), or is the agricultural lime safe to make calcium blocks out of? Cost is not an issue, I just happen to have a 50lb bag of agricultural lime flour handy that is going into my garden soil, the tortoise garden soil, and our lawn next week. Chemically the two are identical (CaCo3)- I'd imagine that the food grade stuff has fewer impurities. Thoughts?
@yagyujubei - your name came up in several of those threads. I would love your input.