Cuttlefish Bone

[bikerchicspain]

As most of you know i work in a pet store as head of reptiles, When i advise people on supplements i steer them clear of the typical of the shelf stuff and towards the cuttle bone (if only my boss knew ),alot alot cheaper,for those of you that have torts that will not eat the bone itself as my Pumpkin will not.
So i grate it on a Nutmeg grater, then through a siff on to clean newspaper, then into a small airtight tub.
Just thought i would share this to others esp newcomers.
xxx

 

[Yvonne G]

I buy cuttlebone in bulk...super cheap!! Every one of my habitats has at least one cuttlebone in it. Most of the animals ignore it until it has weathered in the pen for quite a while.

I put a small piece in the the baby box turtles, baby desert tortoises and Baby Emmie, the Manouria. This was about two months ago. All the pieces look exactly like they did when I first put them in there except for Baby Emmie's piece. There are teeny, tiny bite marks all over the cuttlebone!!! What a clever girl!!

 

[Annieski]

My Mortimer loves her "bone". Is it possible that she could have TOO much? Some days she doesn't even look at it but other days I would think she was going to eat the whole thing. I was given liquid calcium from the vet, which I put on her food every other day[1 ml ]. Never thought about all the extra calcium from the bone.

 

[bettinge]

I buy cuttlebone in bulk...super cheap!! Every one of my habitats has at least one cuttlebone in it. Most of the animals ignore it until it has weathered in the pen for quite a while.

I put a small piece in the the baby box turtles, baby desert tortoises and Baby Emmie, the Manouria. This was about two months ago. All the pieces look exactly like they did when I first put them in there except for Baby Emmie's piece. There are teeny, tiny bite marks all over the cuttlebone!!! What a clever girl!!

Yvonne, Where do you buy in bulk? Local or shipped?

 

[ChiKat]

That's a great idea to grate the cuttlebone using a nutmeg grinder! I tend to break Nelson's cuttlebone into smaller pieces as he prefers it that way (yes, he has trained me well!)

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Never buy it marketed for torts, just get the same stuff for about 1/2 the price listed as being for birds.

 

[sammi]

Ernie never touches it! Maybe i'll try the nutmeg grinder method..

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

I've never seen mine eat it, but it always disappears slowly in a gnawed looking fashion.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

These are all so funny, and they PROVE that tortoises have distinct, individual personalities. You moderators should move these posts to that thread...in your ample spare time of course.

Taco rarely shows any interest in cuttlebone, except for the dessicated remnants of the portion that met its fate under my shoe on her flagstone outside. Those little wafers are mashed into the rock with her beak, and presumably then consumed...she comes away with a white mustache that would make young Nelson jealous.

 

[GBtortoises]

I buy cuttlebone in bulk also. You can occasionally find some of the bird equipment suppliers that are selling broken cuttlebone in bulk. I've found that to be the least expensive source. They so far have always been the large size of cuttlebone most just broke in half. I prefer that size because I can then break them down to pieces sized accordingly for adults, medium size or very small tortoises.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yvonne, Where do you buy in bulk? Local or shipped?

Once a year there is a Bird Mart here in our town at the fair grounds. Its a real big event, with a hundred or so vendors. There are usually a couple vendors selling nice, big cuttle bone in bulk. I get them for about a nickle apiece.

Maybe you can GOOGLE "bird mart" and see if there is ever one in your area.

 

[bikerchicspain]

I usually go down the beach there are always loads washed up then i take them home and boil them for about 15/20 mins then leave in the sun to dry...

 

[vickyb]

My Redfoot will not touch her cuttlebone... yet