Is Limestone edible ?

Kriti

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Hi I have noticed my star tortoise trying to find white things in the soil since she had a taste of a bit of limestone powder scattered there a few days back . I am unable to find cuttlebone at the moment . I am a new tortoise owner living in india . I do feel like she has a calcium deficiency cuz she was fed only cucumbers for 5 yrs by her previous owner with no supplements. Can I put limestone powder in a bowl in her enclosure for the time being? If yes , is there any particular type or the regular commercial one is edible ?
 

Yvonne G

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That would be ok, however, the dolomitic limestone is pretty high in magnesium.
 

Kriti

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Sorry but I have no clue about the types . Can you please tell which one would be preferable ? Thanks for the help.
 

turtlesteve

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What can you get? Might be easier to show us what types you have access to.

Crushed egg shells are another good option if you can get them.
 

Kriti

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What can you get? Might be easier to show us what types you have access to.

Crushed egg shells are another good option if you can get them.
Okay sure . I will check out the shops tomorrow morning and then ask you because I have absolutely no clue of what I might or might not get here . Online delivery is closed right now as well . Its night here right now so I will get back to you tomorrow . Thanks a lot .
 

Tom

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Hi I have noticed my star tortoise trying to find white things in the soil since she had a taste of a bit of limestone powder scattered there a few days back . I am unable to find cuttlebone at the moment . I am a new tortoise owner living in india . I do feel like she has a calcium deficiency cuz she was fed only cucumbers for 5 yrs by her previous owner with no supplements. Can I put limestone powder in a bowl in her enclosure for the time being? If yes , is there any particular type or the regular commercial one is edible ?
White bits in soil is most likely perlite. Not lime stone. Tortoises will eat this and it will eventually kill them. I would remove that stuff immediately. Tortoises should not have access to bought-in-a-bg soil. It is made from composted yard waste an there is no way to know what it in it. It also usually has additives, like perlite, and its very messy too.

Did you use to live in Ohio? Is there a city or state in India called Ohio?
 

Kriti

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White bits in soil is most likely perlite. Not lime stone. Tortoises will eat this and it will eventually kill them. I would remove that stuff immediately. Tortoises should not have access to bought-in-a-bg soil. It is made from composted yard waste an there is no way to know what it in it. It also usually has additives, like perlite, and its very messy too.

Did you use to live in Ohio? Is there a city or state in India called Ohio?
No no , it's not brought in soil . It was when she was out In the garden , and I know it was limestone powder because I had put it there myself . And yes I did live in Ohio but now I am back to india with my parents . This is causing a lot of confusion . Yvonne did try to help me with changing the location in my avatar but i couldn't quite get how to do it and was too embarrassed to ask again and again . So i left it at that.
 

Tom

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No no , it's not brought in soil . It was when she was out In the garden , and I know it was limestone powder because I had put it there myself . And yes I did live in Ohio but now I am back to india with my parents . This is causing a lot of confusion . Yvonne did try to help me with changing the location in my avatar but i couldn't quite get how to do it and was too embarrassed to ask again and again . So i left it at that.
Thank you for correcting me. :)

In this case, you should probably look for a calcium source. The egg shells can work, but do they have pet shops where you could buy some calcium powder? Like RepCal?
 

Kriti

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White bits in soil is most likely perlite. Not lime stone. Tortoises will eat this and it will eventually kill them. I would remove that stuff immediately. Tortoises should not have access to bought-in-a-bg soil. It is made from composted yard waste an there is no way to know what it in it. It also usually has additives, like perlite, and its very messy too.

Did you use to live in Ohio? Is there a city or state in India
Yes Tom . The shops here have neither calcium powder like repcal nor cuttlebone . I will get it from a nearby city but that will take some time as the borders of that city are closed right now . That was why I was trying to find an alternative in the mean time .
I dont really want to use egg shells cuz I have been trying to keep my dad away from the cholesterol .Once they are in the house , they go in his plate . I went to the shop today and found a type of limestone that is meant for human consumption (it's called Chuna and is used in a dish called paan ) Should I use it ?
Also can anybody tell me if my tortoise has any obvious signs of mbd (from the attached pics ) Her shell does not feel soft (to me ).
Thanks a lot for always helping !
 

Tom

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Also can anybody tell me if my tortoise has any obvious signs of mbd (from the attached pics ) Her shell does not feel soft (to me ).

Even with zero calcium supplementation, it would take months of poor diet and no UV for MBD to develop. If your tortoise is eating weeds and other calcium rich foods, and getting some occasional sunshine, then you don't need any calcium supplementation at all. It doesn't hurt to offer some cuttle bone or put a pinch of RepCal in once in a while, but with a decent diet and correct housing, it isn't "necessary". For your tortoise, since it did previously have a poor diet, just be sure to use calcium rich foods. Can you get spineless opuntia there? Mulberry leaves? Grape vine leaves?

I don't know what Chuna is. Does it say on the label what it is? If its "calcium carbonate" you should be fine to use a little bit.

Do people there raise chickens? They often sell crushed oyster shell for chickens as a calcium supplement. You could also use that and just crush it up some more with a mortar and pestle, or with a hammer on some concrete.
 
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LasTortugasNinja

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crushed egg shells would probably be the best, easiest option. As for your father's cholesterol, eggs won't make a difference as long as the eggs he eats aren't fried in oil. The cholesterol found naturally in eggs isn't absorbed when eaten. That's just a myth/bad science. It goes right through.

I eat an egg every morning as part of my breakfast. I have do that for over 20 years. My cholesterol is extremely low.
 

Kriti

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@Tom Yes I am feeding her mulberry leaves and will soon get opuntia as well . Also chuna is infact calcium carbonate , so I guess it's fine. I think I can find people who raise chickens as well.All in all the problem is solved ,?
but I just saw I forgot to post her pic , sorry about that . Does she look okay ? I mean I should just go with what you previously suggested , right ?
 

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Kriti

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crushed egg shells would probably be the best, easiest option. As for your father's cholesterol, eggs won't make a difference as long as the eggs he eats aren't fried in oil. The cholesterol found naturally in eggs isn't absorbed when eaten. That's just a myth/bad science. It goes right through.

I eat an egg every morning as part of my breakfast. I have do that for over 20 years. My cholesterol is extremely low.
I do agree that it is the easiest .I will try it .Thankyou for your suggestion . ?
 

RickyGoldsmith

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@Tom Yes I am feeding her mulberry leaves and will soon get opuntia as well . Also chuna is infact calcium carbonate , so I guess it's fine. I think I can find people who raise chickens as well.All in all the problem is solved ,?
but I just saw I forgot to post her pic , sorry about that . Does she look okay ? I mean I should just go with what you previously suggested , right ?

That's an impressive round shell for a Star Tort. I like it.
 
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