Calcium question

kcarlile08

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I keep a cuttlebone in my baby's enclosure and she chews on it alot, since she does chew on it do I need to supply another source of calcium or is that ok by itself?
 

dmmj

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is she using it you don't need another source.
 

Tom

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I would still use a tiny pinch of calcium carbonate twice a week for a growing sulcata.

Also what are you feeding? Diet is a factor in deciding on a calcium supplementation routine.
 

kcarlile08

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Thanks for the replies. I am feeding mazuri, dandelions, grass and weeds from the yard. And have ordered some cactus, though it seems that is a feed sparingly item
 

Tom

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Thanks for the replies. I am feeding mazuri, dandelions, grass and weeds from the yard. And have ordered some cactus, though it seems that is a feed sparingly item

Sounds like a very good diet.

Not sure that cactus needs to be fed sparingly. @Will has been doing a good job of convincing me that its a pretty good food to feed with some regularity. Perhaps he will comment a bit...
 

Kapidolo Farms

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I put a small amount of cactus in the fed-daily tortoises three to five times a week. Once every few weeks it is a great deal more.

Going way back to that "grocery store greens good" thread where I talk about particle size. The chopped romaine or escarole are the large particles and you can add more stuff without changing the total volume of the food, but rather make it denser. Well, about 5% three to five times a week, then once every few weeks that goes up to 20% for one feeding with cactus pad.

Like that life metaphor about putting rocks, then gravel, sand, and some liquid in a jar until all the space is used. The total volume does not change if your large particles are escarole, romaine, fresh leaves Mulberry, grape, hibiscus, etc. Then add five percent of your packaged diet (layena, Mazuri, ZooMed) based on volume of those large particles, the total volume does not change, it gets denser. Then 5% chopped roughage, dried leaves, grasses. Five percent more of some sort of vegetable (melon, squash, cucumber, cactus pad. aloe, okra, etc.) I prefer seedy things they help out with gut transit.

Once a week they all just get the leaves, no stuff added, then all the other feedings are with lots of 5% portions while the other is the greens with all the other stuff just being the dried grass or dried leaves and calcium, sometime the cactus pad. The thing I have found is once they start liking the cactus pad they like it alot.

When we visited Bob Thomas's place his tortoises, several species, went at fresh cactus pad ferociously. Like piranha tearing into skinned chickens, it elicited that hair stand up on the back of your neck feeling, even though it was tortoises and cactus pad.
 

kcarlile08

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Thanks that have me alot more info. Though I do not know which grocery store greens thread you refer to?
 
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