calcium for tortoises

[Hainsy]

I've recently started using komodo tortoise eco terrain for my two hermanns and have noticed they seem to keep eating it. I've heard that tortoises will sometimes eat the soil if they aren't getting enough calcium.

I always dust their food with vitamin and calcium powder and have a little fish for them to nibble on. Please could someone suggest a better way of getting the calcium in their diet?

Also, is them eating their substrate a problem? It's a soil sand mix and the tortoises don't eat it all the time.

Hope someone can help.

 

[lismar79]

Sand can cause impactions so I would be concerned. When mine was eating rocks I was recommended miner-al by sticky tounges. I use this twice a day & now I break cuttlebone up into tiny bite size pc & the problem went away. Mine will eat substrate if I am not quick enough with the food, but she's a pig in tort disguise

 

[Hainsy]

Sorry. My post meant to say they have a cuttle fish not a little fish.

 

[Yvonne G]

My experience with substrate eating has been that they are looking for minerals lacking in the diet. Maybe a little calcium, but mostly other minerals. That's why a product caller Miner-all made by Sticky Tongue Farms sprinkled over the food occasionally is a good bet.

 

[Tom]

Calcium every day can interfere with absorption of other important minerals and trace elements. Only use calcium once or twice a week, and the MinerAll will help to balance out the imbalance and hopefully stop the substrate eating. In the mean time I would remove the sand and not use that again.

 

[Hainsy]

Unfortunately the sand comes premixed so I can't remove it. The substrate doesn't look too sandy so I've got a feeling it's more soil than sand.

I don't think the miner-all will be an option as shops here in the UK don't stock it and if I get it online from the USA, it's $39 postage.

As I said, I'm already using Repashy all in one dusting powder and will soon be using Nutrabal.

Thanks again for all the help.