can i feed my tortoise egg shells?

Joshnup2

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Welcome.
I've never heard of or seen any egg shell get soft because it was wet.o_O
But I feed my adult Redfoot tortoises smashed, whole boiled eggs.
I believe @Grandpa Turtle 144 puts shells in a coffee grinder and pulverizes them.
Most of the forum uses supplemental powder or cuttlebone or both.
My Hermann will not touch the cuddle fish bone I tried egg shells and a bunch was gone the next day. I still add calcium to her food can you tell if your giving to much?
 

ZEROPILOT

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My Hermann will not touch the cuddle fish bone I tried egg shells and a bunch was gone the next day. I still add calcium to her food can you tell if your giving to much?
This is an old post. But still very relevant.
And unfortunately GRANDPA TURTLE is no longer posting here.
I do offer my tortoises cuttlebone on occasion. I find that it's cheaper to buy broken peices of them from a local exotic bird store.
Sometimes my tortoises eat them and sometimes they don't.
My group lives outside so supplemental calcium isn't really critical. Especially since none of my group are currently laying eggs and they eat a giant, varied diet.
As for how much do they need?
That'd come down to the age of the tort. The type of UVB and how long they're exposed to it, diet and a few other variables.
Certainly if your tort eats eggshells, I'd think that a little of it once a week would be great in most cases.
 

Canadian Mojo

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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
I get that this is a thread necro, but since it has risen for people to see, a Redfoot can actually process the sugars in fruits so they can and should be a regular part of their diet. They can also consume sizable amounts of animal protein and will do so with great gusto. Edible mushrooms are also a greatly appreciated food.

To step into the cuttle bone/egg shell debate, a point in their favour is the hardness helps with keeping the beak trimmed. I also strongly suspect that in the wild these little walking garburators gnaw on any bones they find so munching on a cuttle bone would come naturally to them.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I get that this is a thread necro, but since it has risen for people to see, a Redfoot can actually process the sugars in fruits so they can and should be a regular part of their diet. They can also consume sizable amounts of animal protein and will do so with great gusto. Edible mushrooms are also a greatly appreciated food.

To step into the cuttle bone/egg shell debate, a point in their favour is the hardness helps with keeping the beak trimmed. I also strongly suspect that in the wild these little walking garburators gnaw on any bones they find so munching on a cuttle bone would come naturally to them.
Oh, yes.
Members of my group have eaten some small rodents and birds. Much to my disgust.
They have evolved into opportunistic vacuum cleaners.
 

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