Eating Rocks

[Squirtle the Turtle]

My ornate box turtle has just recently picked up the habit of eating rocks. She has never done this before till these last few days and I'm worried about impactment. I know some animals eat them to help the digestive process but do box turtles? Or is something wrong?

 

[Angi]

I am having the same problem with my CDTs, so hope to learn from your post. Good luck!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi squirtle the turtle:

Welcome to the Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

...and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

Sometimes turtles and tortoises eat rocks and dirt because they are lacking something in their systems. You can sprinkle a mineral supplement over their food and see if that doesn't help. I like a product mfg'd by Stickey Tongues Farms called Miner-All. It contains calcium, but other minerals too.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Sometimes turtles and tortoises eat rocks and dirt because they are lacking something in their systems. You can sprinkle a mineral supplement over their food and see if that doesn't help. I like a product mfg'd by Stickey Tongues Farms called Miner-All. It contains calcium, but other minerals too.

Agreed.

Crocodilians and birds actually need to eat rocks because they have a gizzard, which uses rocks to grind up food. Also, rocks help weigh crocodilians down in the water and help them dive.

However, turtles have no gizzard (they have a simple stomach, like ours), and their shells provide aquatic turtles with all the negative buoyancy they need. Therefore, when turtles eat rocks, it's usually a sign of needing more minerals in their diet.

This is why keepers of box turtles and tortoises sprinkle calcium powder on their pets' food (which may include vitamin D3 for those animals kept indoors without much sunshine).

Another important item to provide is a cuttle bone, which is basically just a calcium block that used to come from cuttlefish, but is now produced artificially. You can buy them at any pet store in the bird section, because people give them to parrots and parakeets. A turtle will gnaw on this to get the calcium, and it serves to wear down the beak (just like in birds).

A pebble here and there is not going to kill your turtle, but if it doesn't get a good, stable source of minerals in its diet, then eventually eating a lot of pebbles could lead to gut compaction. It would be best to provide supplement powder and cuttle bone soon.

 

[Squirtle the Turtle]

Agreed.

Crocodilians and birds actually need to eat rocks because they have a gizzard, which uses rocks to grind up food. Also, rocks help weigh crocodilians down in the water and help them dive.

However, turtles have no gizzard (they have a simple stomach, like ours), and their shells provide aquatic turtles with all the negative buoyancy they need. Therefore, when turtles eat rocks, it's usually a sign of needing more minerals in their diet.

This is why keepers of box turtles and tortoises sprinkle calcium powder on their pets' food (which may include vitamin D3 for those animals kept indoors without much sunshine).

Another important item to provide is a cuttle bone, which is basically just a calcium block that used to come from cuttlefish, but is now produced artificially. You can buy them at any pet store in the bird section, because people give them to parrots and parakeets. A turtle will gnaw on this to get the calcium, and it serves to wear down the beak (just like in birds).

A pebble here and there is not going to kill your turtle, but if it doesn't get a good, stable source of minerals in its diet, then eventually eating a lot of pebbles could lead to gut compaction. It would be best to provide supplement powder and cuttle bone soon.

Thank you I'll be sure to get those things for her I want her to have the best care possible

 

[Squirtle the Turtle]

Hi squirtle the turtle:

Welcome to the Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

...and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

Sometimes turtles and tortoises eat rocks and dirt because they are lacking something in their systems. You can sprinkle a mineral supplement over their food and see if that doesn't help. I like a product mfg'd by Stickey Tongues Farms called Miner-All. It contains calcium, but other minerals too.

We live in southern Oklahoma but she gets plenty of sun and goes outside a lot and I do have a mineral supplement and I'll be sure to give her more of it.

 

[blackbird]

I've had this happen with my CDT as well, though since I started supplementing her with more calcium it doesn't seem to happen much anymore.
I believe it's definitely related to something she was missing in her diet, especially since she has some MBD issues from her previous owner.

 

[Jacob]

Welcome to the forum!
My sulcata does this as well, but he managed to stop