Natural Cuttlefish Bone for Reptiles, Tortoises, Snails, Birds and Small Animals, 4-6 inch, Twin Pack

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Tortoises are unique reptiles with specific dietary requirements that need to be met for their overall health and well-being. One essential part of a tortoise's diet is cuttlefish, which provides a good source of calcium and other essential nutrients. However, it is important to understand how often tortoises should be fed cuttlefish to ensure they are receiving the right balance of nutrients. Sadly, the most common issue in captive bred and kept tortoises is a calcium deficiency. If not treated, it can cause a life of pain and suffering. Calcium deficiency in tortoises Because of the high percentage of calcium, cuttlebones are a favorite supplement for pets. But yes, you can not feed your tortoises the ocean-retrieved cuttlebones as they may contain germs or bacteria. You have to process them by proper sanitization. We provide as much help and advice as you need before purchasing your tortoise and are here to answer any questions you may have afterwards too. Cuttlefish bones can serve the same purpose because of their chalky texture. It means the bones will serve as a source of calcium and prevent beak overgrowth at the same time. No Cuttlebones In The Meal? Here Is The Danger

These are 100% natural and are relatively affordable. Even if you are having a hard time finding the natural thing, the synthetic ones also work well. Some signs of metabolic bone diseases are soft or bent bones, weakness, tremors, deformed lumps, limping, etc. Providing calcium and vitamin D3, along with a quality UV source, will cure this condition. How To Offer Cuttlebones To Your Tortoises? It is important that the gravid tortoises get sufficient calcium in their meals. See, the egg shells are made of keratin and calcium. Mineral deficiency of the mother tortoise can affect egg development. Hi Debi, I think we discussed that kale and spinich were not good for his diet. Tomatoe is a fruit which is a no no, the VERY odd end of one occasionally will do no harm but don't go out of your way to feed these, cucumber is ok if the weather is hot as it is a good way of hydrating a tortoise but is of very little nutritional value to him. The vitamin supplement I think you need to get tuff and stand your ground with this little chap! Remind me of what age? Mean while I will go and do a whip round to send you to the 'Get Tortoise Tuff' school. Your 4 kids are going to remind you of this later LOL.As mentioned, you can collect cuttlebones from your nearest beach for free. If you do so, you must go through an extensive process to prepare the cuttlebones ready-to-eat for the pets. The steps look like this, The temperature should be around 5 degrees C. As an alternative, the box can be stored in a refrigerator. For this method to be used, the fridge should be in regular day to day use, to permit air flow. Our top two recommendations are Sepia cuttle bones which are natural and the alternative Penn Plax E2 which is not 100% natural but is more durable. Tortoises can be kept outdoors approximately from April to the end of October. The tortoise house must be relatively large. It should be made of wood and have no floor to enable the tortoise to thermoregulate its own body temperature via burying itself. Additionally, cuttlebones usually wash up on beaches since it floats and is the last part of the cuttlefish to disintegrate after death. These shells are harvested and sold to pet shops all over the world.

Yes, while too much phosphorous in their diets is problematic for tortoises, not enough would be a problem too. Given that nearly all vegetation has plenty of phosphorous content – you’re unlikely to have any problems getting enough phosphorous into your tortoise. The real problem is too much phosphorous. OthersHatchlings and juveniles up to approximately 4 years of age need a good calcium, vitamin, and mineral supplement daily. A report claims that baby tortoises with metabolic bone disease may not make it to life. Even if they survive, the hatchlings grow up with a deformed body and experience premature death. When it comes to feeding cuttlefish to tortoises, the recommended portion size is based on the size and age of the tortoise. A general rule of thumb is to feed a portion that is roughly the size of the tortoise's shell. This ensures that the tortoise receives enough protein without being overwhelmed by a large portion. It is also important to note that cuttlefish should be offered as part of a varied diet and not as the sole source of food. Vegetables, leafy greens, and other protein sources should also be included to ensure a well-rounded and balanced diet. If you are not 100% comfortable using standard calcium carbonate, you can opt for a reptile specific kind found in most pet stores. It will cost more but removes any concerns or guess work. These are probably the best brand for turtles. The Sepia brand a trustworthy one, and it comes as no surprise that these are excellent cuttlebones.