shows no interest in a cuddlebone

[PumpkinPie]

Is there any special thing I can do to get Patches to chew on a cuddlebone? He wants noting to do with it and never has, but I worry that he gets enough calcium in his diet. I give him a good diet though. I am planning on giving him a soak today, since I have to force soak him... he is a stubborn little guy! I read an old post that someone soaked a cuddlebone, but his tort already liked his cuddlebones.... has anyone tried that though? Thanks

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Is there any special thing I can do to get Patches to chew on a cuddlebone? He wants noting to do with it and never has, but I worry that he gets enough calcium in his diet. I give him a good diet though. I am planning on giving him a soak today, since I have to force soak him... he is a stubborn little guy! I read an old post that someone soaked a cuddlebone, but his tort already liked his cuddlebones.... has anyone tried that though? Thanks

Sometimes they just like their cuttlebone or calcium black to be aged for a while. Kind of like cheese or fine wine.

Do you sprinkle calcium supplement on your tortoise's food? If so, then maybe he doesn't particularly need to gnaw on cuttlebone. It's still good to keep it in there, though, so that when he does gnaw on it, it can help keep his beak trim.

 

[Lunartwist]

Hi there! Like you, my Viola didn't like cuttlebone either. I was told to wait it out but....1 year later, she still hadn't touched it! It was quite "aged" by then, and she still hadn't taken so much as a nibble.

But then, in a chance discovery at a Reptile Expo, I found Zoo Med's "Tortoise Block". Its a green, rectangular calcium block, just like a cuttlebone. However it has bits of dried alfalfa hay, sun-dried nopales cactus, and sun-dried carrot in it to entice picky tortoises. Needles to say..Viola goes CRAZY over it! She regularly gnaws on it, and I have to replace the block about every 6 months. Its a great alternative to try, if your tortoise is super picky like mine.

This is what the block looks like:

http://www.reptiledirect.com/tortoise-banquet-block.aspx?gclid=CP3qi7zu97YCFcqDQgodEWcA2A

I haven't been able to find it in regular pet stores (Petco, Petsmart) or even a close-by local one. I've only found them at reptile expos, online, or a local pet store in a city 45 minutes away! I don't get why such a great thing is so rare, but you can try looking for one, or ordering it online. They're pretty inexpensive, like $3 or so.

 

[munchkin2983]

My Austin has that block was a couple of pound from my local pet shop he has had a little go but we have only had him 1 week But he seems to like that and apparently it's better then the cuttlefish xxxxxx

 

[lkwagner]

If it feels like it already has enough calcium it won't eat it

 

[Tom]

Its pretty common for them to ignore it. Especially if the diet is good or if there is already calcium supplementation. You can try rubbing two cuttlebones (or two halves of one) over the food pile to get them used to the taste a bit. This will shower the food pile with cuttlebone "crumbs". Or you can just use some powdered calcium on the food if you think your tortoise needs it.

 

[TommyZ]

At what age/size should i provide a cuddlebone for my little one? She is currently 2.4 inches and weigh about 44g. Ive read so much in past month i confuse myself a bit still, but if im not mistaken, it should be a year old before i provide a supplement like that?