Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How often and how much is good to give a 6 month old western hermann? I have been giving her a small amount every day, but I just wanted to know exactly what was correct for them.
Thanks
Kirby

I think it'll be hard to give you exact requirements.

I use RepCal Calcium wit D3.

The instructions say approximately one-half tablespoon of the powder with one pound of food.

I'm guessing that your little tort would need a very long time to consume one pound of food. And that it would be very hard to accurately measure the amount of powder necessary to properly dose the few grams of food that your tortoise eats at one time.

I do this: I keep a pair of very small leopards indoors year-round, except for a few hours of sun and grazing per week in warm weather. I give them a varied diet of weeds, greens, veggies, hay, and Pretty Pets pellets. The Pretty Pets have calcium, d3 and other vitamins, but not enough for the whole diet. I lightly dust their other foods with the RepCal. And by this I make the food items look like something that had been covered in fine layer of dust. Not like something that had been battered up for frying :->. I don't do this at every meal, and I use a little less when they are getting sunshine. I may substitute the RepCal with plain calcium for some meals when they are getting sunshine.

I also use low-UVB fluorescent lights on the enclosure.

Excess D3 can be a problem (from what I've read). I think the tortoise's body can eliminate excess calcium unless it is also getting excess D3. So go lightly with the calcium/d3 powder, give him good foods, and pay attention to the condition of his shell. Give him sunshine when possible. Also follow the general rules for proper tortoise keeping: proper temps, hydration, moist hide, etc.

For Eli (my 8 month old western hermann's) I sprinkle calcium powder on every meal a week except 1 or 2. Right now he is not getting fed daily as it is winter. Once a week I sprinkle a multivitamin on his food, and usually I also give him one meal a week with nothing on it, but some weeks I don't (those weeks I put calcium powder). The reasoning behind not always using calcium is that I have read that calcium will bind with certain things (sorry forgot what) and make those along with the calcium that binds with unable to be absorbed, thus making the become defiecent in certain things. This was more concerning mammals, but was in an article about tortoises, saying that this could apply to them as well. Wether any of this does or does not apply or happen I don't know, I am just trying to absorb lots of info and make my best judgements.

Anyway, as I said with my guy its calcium powder sprinkled onto the food every meal except for one or two meals a week, one of which a multivitamin is sprinkle, the the other nothing is on it.

n/p