Powdered calcium or cuttlebone? hatchling?

[betturbutter]

Should I give a hatchling sulcata the powdered calcium with D3 or cuttlebone? Should I give both to a hatchling? Will cuttlebone be too hard for a hatchling?

 

[Jacqui]

RE: Pondered calcium or cuttlebone? hatchling?

I give both the powdered and the cuttlebone. That way, if he decides he needs more, he has the cuttlebone always there. Might be good for his beak, if he chooses to use it. What made you decide to use the powder with D3?

 

[betturbutter]

RE: Pondered calcium or cuttlebone? hatchling?

I give both the powdered and the cuttlebone. That way, if he decides he needs more, he has the cuttlebone always there. Might be good for his beak, if he chooses to use it. What made you decide to use the powder with D3?

I just thought that all calcium powders come with D3. Is there a better calcium powder to give?

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

The calcium with d3 is for situations where the animal has no access to the sun or artificial uv lights. An animal produces, naturally, d3 with the exposure to the uv. I think the company, zoomed, sells 2 types of calcium powder. One type is called I and has d3 present, the I meaning indoor. The other type is called O and does not contain d3, the O meaning outdoor. But, if you supply uv with lighting, the O type would be what you are after. There are side effects to too much d3.

 

[mike taylor]

I'm with Ken on this . Its simple if you let out no d3 . If you keep in then d3 . To much d3 is as bad as no d3.

 

[betturbutter]

The calcium with d3 is for situations where the animal has no access to the sun or artificial uv lights. An animal produces, naturally, d3 with the exposure to the uv. I think the company, zoomed, sells 2 types of calcium powder. One type is called I and has d3 present, the I meaning indoor. The other type is called O and does not contain d3, the O meaning outdoor. But, if you supply uv with lighting, the O type would be what you are after. There are side effects to too much d3.

Thank you so much for telling mr this. I'm glad i know now.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Cowboy Ken explained it perfectly.
Strive for a few days a week, even if it's just 15 minutes, always supervised, of real free sunshine. That is the best way to get the D3, with real free sun rays! I believe that if you get D3 from the sun, there is no overdose problems, too. Yay! : )

 

[TiyahLove]

I use calcium powder (with d3, that was all that was available at my local pet shop at the time) and a cuttle bone. I ordered the exoterra sepia bones (same thing) but I ordered the ones that are 2x larger on accident so I break off chunks at a time and they use the cuttle bone occasionally, but it is a little to hard for them so they sit and gnaw for a couple minutes at a time. I supplement with calcium powder once a week and leave the cuttle bone in 24/7. I also supplement with a vitamin and mineral powder once a week but I never use calcium powder and mineral powder in the same week. They have ingredients that cancel each other out so I alternate each week.
For additional supplementing I add a little moistened mazuri and zoo med gtassland diet each day before I offer greens and hay, just to ensure that they get adequate nutrition.

 

[Moozillion]

My tort won't touch her cuttlebone, so I wet her greens, hold a cuttlebone over them and scrape the edge of the cuttlebone with a knife. This makes Instant Cuttlebone Powder which falls down and sticks to the damp greens! She eats it all up!

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Moozillion has a most excellent suggestion. That is what I do too, for the same reason, my little leopards don't touch it either and because someone posted a thread recently about a piece of cuttlebone getting stuck in their Russian tortoises throat. Ewww. : 0

 

[cemmons12]

Here is a question since this thread is about cuttle bones also, what do you do when your bigger Sulcata's bite off to big of pieces? Cooper did this once and sort of started choking on it and I reached in his mouth and pulled it out! Now he can only have it if I am with him since that scared the **** out of me! Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Here is a question since this thread is about cuttle bones also, what do you do when your bigger Sulcata's bite off to big of pieces? Cooper did this once and sort of started choking on it and I reached in his mouth and pulled it out! Now he can only have it if I am with him since that scared the **** out of me! Thanks!

I've never had this happen.

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To the OP,

Don't worry too much about this. The amount of D3 in any of these calcium supplements won't hurt anything, even if they don't need it. For all of my years of tortoise keeping, I have just used whatever calcium supplement I have had on hand, whether it had D3 in it or not. One way or another, all of our tortoises should be getting adequate UV, so a supplement with D3 should not be necessary. HOWEVER, if your supplement has D3, it won't hurt anything.

 

[betturbutter]

Will it be safe to give a hatchling cuttlebone?