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No you can use cuddle bone if you want we just said I don't ! And do a lot of reading on here these people are great and know a lot ! We all know you are the collectors of the future ! Have a great day !
can i feed my tortoise egg shells?
- Thread starter frank rose
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frank rose
Member
well ill try if I can get some but for now egg shells will have to do
You can buy cuttlebone very cheaply in the bird aisle of any pet store. They're sold for budgies and the like. Don't expect to find them with the reptile products.
frank rose
Member
also is romaine lettuce non harmful?
frank rose
Member
ok good to know
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frank rose
Member
please tell me where I can find that list
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 10,876
Your welcome to down load it from here . I down load a lot from here !
frank rose
Member
Romaine lettuce isn't harmful, but it has relatively few nutrients and little fiber.
Your tort needs a variety for good health - not just the same thing all the time.
Make a list of the plants growing round you and those you can buy in the grocery store and check them for suitability on The Tortoise Table Plant Database (TTT)
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp
Your tort cannot process sugars properly - they cause digestive and kidney problems- so fruit, tomato, bell pepper and carrot should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally.
Here's another list of suitable plants.
Look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database if you're not sure what they look like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
Hi Frank and welcome.
To feed egg just scramble it, beat the raw egg, crush the shell into small pieces, add the shell to the beaten egg and nuke it in microwave for 1 minute. When it's cold feed to the tort. Only feed this once a week.
The egg yolk has a bit of vitamin D in it. Using this scrambled method assures that calcium and vitamins are consumed.
Leave a piece of cuttlebone in your enclosure 24/7. Your tort will eat it when it requires.
I also put egg shell in from our human consumed eggs. They bite piece off the shell, never had a problem yet.
frank rose
Member
which has a higher amount of calcium and vitamins in it? eggs or cuttlebone
No idea. Both egg shell and cuttlebone have high enough calcium content for tortoise dietary needs.
Cuttlebone bone is just calcium. No Vit D.
I agree with Grandpa how he prefers to feed eggshell over cuttlebone, it's more natural. But for me I think leaving cuttlebone in 24/7 and feeding eggshell when ever there is some available is more convenient, I would have to consume 2 dozen eggs or so a week to keep up with my torts(not practical).
Back to the D3, look at it as sunlight and UVB light as your main source, any in the diet is just an added bonus.
What would be the point of cutting an egg up and letting your tort eat mostly the white(albumen) and leaving the yolk(protein & D3) and the shell(calcium) behind.
All this talk is making me fancy fried egg on toast.
frank rose
Member
Cuttlebone bone is just calcium. No Vit D.
I agree with Grandpa how he prefers to feed eggshell over cuttlebone, it's more natural. But for me I think leaving cuttlebone in 24/7 and feeding eggshell when ever there is some available is more convenient, I would have to consume 2 dozen eggs or so a week to keep up with my torts(not practical).
Back to the D3, look at it as sunlight and UVB light as your main source, any in the diet is just an added bonus.
What would be the point of cutting an egg up and letting your tort eat mostly the white(albumen) and leaving the yolk(protein & D3) and the shell(calcium) behind.
All this talk is making me fancy fried egg on toast.
lol this whole time i thought cuttlebone looked like bone meal in minecraft I just looked up what it looks like never expected it to look like an oval also how much scrambled egg should I feed my baby rf?
I used to put a full chicken egg in for 3 juveniles, so maybe a 3rd of that. I also used to cut weeds up fine and mix them into the egg before I microwave it.
Be sure you keep him humid and between 80 and 88f. Are you soaking him at all in warm water?
Be sure you keep him humid and between 80 and 88f. Are you soaking him at all in warm water?
frank rose
Member
I try to soak him I'm not sure about humidity I haven't gotten a humidity gage yet and I plan on getting a spray bottle within the next day or so for the temp I'm also not sure on that either I think hes hibernating cause hes always asleep should I wake him up for his food or let him go to it himself?
frank rose
Member
is my cage to small?
The size of that enclosure is ok for now. You need to get your temps and humidity in order. This species does not hibernate. Is he eating at all?
You need to take that cyprus mulch out, put a 2" layer of moist coco coir in then put the Cyprus mulch back in on top of the coir.
Also black out the ends and back of your tank so it's a bit darker.
Put a terrocota saucer in there for its bath, big enough so your tort can sit in it. Feed on a slate or flat Rock.
Temps want to be 80 to 88f. Ideally 82/84f. And humidity at 80%.
What you got on there for a lid.
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I have 2 things to offer here.
1. Nothing is wrong with giving the tortoise the cuttlefish bone ("cuddle bone"). It is good for them!
2. Nothing is wrong with your water dish that a few rocks in the bottom and some raised substrate around the outside so the dish is sunk down into the substrate, won't cure. He just needs to not flip over and drown in too deep water, and he needs to be able to easily get in and out.
These things I have learned since being on this site.
1. Nothing is wrong with giving the tortoise the cuttlefish bone ("cuddle bone"). It is good for them!
2. Nothing is wrong with your water dish that a few rocks in the bottom and some raised substrate around the outside so the dish is sunk down into the substrate, won't cure. He just needs to not flip over and drown in too deep water, and he needs to be able to easily get in and out.
These things I have learned since being on this site.
