Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know were to find a product that is a gell type oral calcium.What do you other breeders use to bump up calcium pre egg laying season.Vic

Hi Vic,

Ever since it has been available, I have always used Rep-Cal (with Vit. D3) as the calcium supplement for all my tortoises. In the old days, I used to use bone meal. Both Rep-Cal and bone meal are made from organic (animal) sources of calcium which I always figured were better for my tortoises because having been converted from elemental to animal calcium once before, they were probably easier for the tortoises to utilize then to begin with elemental calcium such as crushed calcium pills or calcium phosphate powder. Because of being animal calcium, the CA to Phosphate ratio in them is already correct.

Another friend of mine who was very successful in the old days, cooked whole chickens in a pressure cooker and then picked most of the meat off (maybe to make chicken salad for himself) and gave all the bones to his tortoises. They loved them, and after cooking in the pressure cooker, they were soft enough for adult radiateds, leopards, and desert tortoises to chomp them up. This gave the tortoises calcium plus wore down their beaks. He never had any problems from doing this and he hatched plenty of babies from all three species I mentioned.

If I am able to come up with the name of a calcium gel, I will let you know, but nothing is coming to mind immediately.

Bill Z

I have also used softened chicken bones (especially the smaller ones and the 'knuckles' of the larger bones)as a supplement for my tortoises. They really seem to relish them.

You could probably make a gel using non-flavored gelatin and calcium powder. I've never done it but I would imagine it would work.
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Michael
http://turtletracker.com