How much calcium is too much?

[OctopusMagic]

Hey everyone. I've had Oscar for a few months now and he's gaining weight and growing about 1/4" SCL per month. I'm wondering how much calcium powder is too much. I give him the Calcium and D3 powder. No matter how much I offer he will always eat it all. I'm not sure if I'm giving him unhealthy amounts, but I've been offering a small amount for him daily. I use a MVB for his bulb, so is he maybe lacking D3, and I should get a tube UVB light in addition to his MVB? Thanks for any help! I can provide additional information and photos if needed.

 

[Tom]

All you need is a small amount twice a week. More than that can interfere with the absorption of other nutrients, minerals and trace elements. Maybe offer a cuttle bone for him to chew on when he feels the need.

Also, what are you feeding? If you are feeding a lot of spinach or other greens that are high in oxalates, it might be robbing his system of calcium.

Lastly, if your MVB is less than a year old, it should be sufficient to meet his UV needs. A long tube bulb might not be necessary, but it shouldn't hurt anything either. It always nice to brighten things up for winter, if you don't want them to hibernate.

 

[OctopusMagic]

All you need is a small amount twice a week. More than that can interfere with the absorption of other nutrients, minerals and trace elements. Maybe offer a cuttle bone for him to chew on when he feels the need.

Also, what are you feeding? If you are feeding a lot of spinach or other greens that are high in oxalates, it might be robbing his system of calcium.

Lastly, if your MVB is less than a year old, it should be sufficient to meet his UV needs. A long tube bulb might not be necessary, but it shouldn't hurt anything either. It always nice to brighten things up for winter, if you don't want them to hibernate.

Thanks Tom!

I'll reduce his dosage to twice weekly; I didn't realize too much calcium would stop absorption of other minerals, but that does make total sense.

I feed him everything in the Broadleaf Mix from Carolina Pet Supply as well as romaine lettuce, mazuri, and zoomed grassland tortoise diet. Should I start feeding spinach occasionally?

I don't want him to hibernate, so should I get him another light source then? His enclosure stays at or above 65 degrees F almost 100% of the time, with it only going that low for a few hours each night. His enclosure is a bit dark at the cool side now that I've upgraded him to a larger enclosure.