Between TNT of Carolina Pet Supply and Rep-Cal Herptivite and Calcium combo,whichsupplement is better to give to tortoises,specially Sulcatas?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Madkins007 said:I would not do a poll, I would suggest people check the nutritional values of their diet and supplements.
For example, a tortoise that is 11cm/4.25" long...
... should weigh 250gr/8oz
... get about 20 calories a day
... split between fat, protein, and carbs. An herbivorous tort should get about 75% from carbs (15gr), 20% from proteins (4gr), and 5% from fats (1 gr). A omnivorous tortoise should get 50% carbs (10gr), and 25% each fat and protein (5gr @)
... with 36-60mg of calcium
... 500-5,000 IU's of Vitamin A
... 50-500 IUs of Vitamin D, and
... 5-50 IUs of Vitamin E.
They also need lots of fiber and other vitamins and minerals certainly, but these are the key. (The information is from the chart on http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/nutguide.html and shows where the numbers come from.)
So... the best source of fiber is from plants. As a dietary supplement, it generally works best from a rather coarse 'chopped' plant rather than a power- points to TNT.
Calcium should be as fine and soluble as possible. The best is calcium citrate but it is more expensive and takes more grams of it to help than calcium carbonate does. I would suspect that the plant-based sources in TNT would win in this category.
Vitamin D should be from sunlight ideally, otherwise we just want to follow the dosing guidelines. I do not know how much is in TNT but the amount in most calcium/d mixes is too low. I use a liquid drop version as a supplement.
Other vitamins- studies have shown that pet vitamins do not always meet the label specifications, and are not as regulated as human vitamins are, even in some name brands.
What I personally do is...
... nothing if I am using Mazuri that day
... add a pinch of a mix I made up that I have the recipe for at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/omni-diet.html that is similar to TNT, and add some liquid D vitamins.
If i may ask,does this mean that by feeding your tortoise Mazuri,it doesn't need supplements anymore?
Thanks.
Nobody said:If i may ask,does this mean that by feeding your tortoise Mazuri,it doesn't need supplements anymore?
Thanks.
coreyc said:The only reason I mentioned a poll was to see what other member's are using for supplement's if any at all not to see what I should use thank's for your info