Cuttlebone?

[DAC8671]

I've been reading it's okay to give sulcatas cuttlebone. Is this true? Would I just give him a cuttlebone (from the bird section in the pet store)? How much to I give? How often?

I've never given Ralph any supplements and the vet says he's pretty healthy. I'm in San Diego and he only comes inside at night for heat. He is roaming the backyard or his pen during the day.

Also, I recently changed his bedding from calci-sand to bermuda grass (in the bunny section of the pet store). I mixed it with rabbit pellets. Is this okay? Since changing, he LOVES going to bed and burying himself in the grass. I would love for him to eat it, but so far, nothing. He has just recently began munching on the grass in the backyard. He never wanted it before.

Ralph is almost 4yrs.

 

[bacaraj]

With my RFs I just leave a couple of cuttlebones in the enclosure all the time. My girls really seem to enjoy them and can be seen nibbling on them at least 3-4 times a week. Hope thios helps.

 

[DAC8671]

So I don't need to cut it up, I can throw the whole bone in for him? And we are talking about the cuttlebone I gave my parakeets )when I had birds), right?

With my RFs I just leave a couple of cuttlebones in the enclosure all the time. My girls really seem to enjoy them and can be seen nibbling on them at least 3-4 times a week. Hope thios helps.

 

[Laura]

Yep, same stuff. Some feeds tores sell it in bulk and its cheaper then a packaged one. Also.. Grass hay at a feed store will be cheaper in the long run in a large bale 100 Lbs,, for about 16 bucks.. if you have a dry place to store it.. Some feed stores will let you sweep up the loose stuff and not charge you anything or not much. Be sure its clean tho, and not moldy or full or dusty dirty floor...
Carefull using rabbit pellets, when they get wet, they mold.

 

[aka2tal]

My Sulcatas sleep on Bermuda and bury themselves in it. They prefer to eat Orchard grass. Cuttlebone is great.

2tal

 

[evin]

i cut it up and pull off the hard side with a butterknife (my torts are yearlings) and just leaven it in there

 

[DAC8671]

I put one in the other day, just my luck, he wants nothing to do with it. So I'll give it some time to see if he was just being picky or if he doesn't really like it.

Thanks

 

[dcoolguy68]

Yeah I'm kind of skeptical about the cuttlebone for sulcata. I try giving him powder but he doesnt eat it at all, i tried giving it to him with pumpkin, still nothing. So now I'm wondering if he'll even nibble at the cuttlebone, I'm thinking he doesn't like eating calcium at all. Anyone have that problem before?

 

[Meg90]

My greek wont eat it...he likes to turn his nose up at calcium....
I moved his water dish to the other side so he doesn't try to wash
it off anymore...

Can I cut up the cuttlebone and put it on his greens?

Is that too crunchy for him?

 

[stells]

Grate it over the greens

 

[Maggie Cummings]

They will ignore it for months, then their instinct tells them they need it and then they'll eat it...just leave it in there and ignore it...

 

[Crazy1]

I have cuttlebone in with all my Torts. Some eat it some do not. But if their calcium intake is down, for whatever reason, as Maggie said, their instincts take over and they will eat it. When I first placed it in with my hatchlings they began nibbling on it right away and nothing since. I was even able to get a pic of an 11 gram Hatchling Greek eating cuttlebone . I look at it as a preventative measure. If it is in there and they are not eating it they are getting enough calcium if it is not in there I would never know.

 

[Meg90]

Good to know...I see some pics on here where the tortoises just LOVE
to nibble on it, and Nigel does not.

He walks on it to make noise and get attention!

When he wants something he will make sure to walk on rocks,
or his cuttle bone, or his empty plate (if its in there) so that we pay
attention!

The cuttlebone is in there all the time....I'm glad to know that he will
know when he needs it.

 

[dcoolguy68]

Is it possible that they'll ignore that instinct?

 

[Crazy1]

I have not had a Greek that has as yet. As far as rabbit pellets. I would ditch them. If you want pellets there is one called Critter Country that is pelleted Timathy Hay. Which is much better for him than Alfalfa which is what Rabbit pellets usually are. Oh and if your sully is fairly small pelleted substrate is difficult for them to walk in and may not give them the proper use of their muscles. Large Torts don't seem to have any problems walking on the pellets.

 

[krissy2288]

i actually just tried feeding my sulcata one the other day and she whent rite for it, i didnt want her so eat the whole thing so i took it out, she loves it

 

[Maggie Cummings]

There's nothing wrong with her eating the whole thing. That's her instinct telling her she needs the calcium. And it helps keep her beak in shape...

 

[krissy2288]

well she was munching it for about 30min and i read that its bad to give them to much calcium, shes young so i dont think she really knows when to stop.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

They are talking about giving too much calcium over a period of time. Even if she ate a whole cuttlebone it wouldn't be too much. Might be if she ate a whole one everyday. But her instincts are all there young or not...So let her munch on it, it's all cool...

 

[DAC8671]

Does cuttlebone go bad? What about when it gets wet?