Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone else seen any of their BTs eating pea gravel or the like? One of my eastern juvies appears to be chomping down on pea gravel that's around the water bowl. Weird. It is really random and I see him do it maybe like once a week or so. At first I thought he was picking bugs out, but I actually saw him eat a piece of rock. So then I thought maybe he was craving calcium because I know young BTs can crave more calcium at times, so I got two cuttlebones and put them next to the water dish, but they haven't touched it.

Anyone have some insight? Also, if he continues to eat the pea gravel, will this hurt him? Weird, weird, weird.

My box turtles don't, but I have a 5 year old NA Wood Turtle that has eaten gravel since he was a hatchling, and not just a little bit. The wierd thing about it is that when he was little he was kept in a tank that was half water with pea gravel on the bottom and he would absolutely never eat gravel on the bottom of the tank, but if you put outdoors on dry land he picks up the individual pieces of gravel he finds on the ground and eats them one after the other. He poops them out in the water and then never touches them on the bottom, only on dry land. He's like a goat. He has eaten and passed bark, dirt, gravel, a cat's claw, and tries to eat whole acorns, but they won't go down his gullet. I have to watch him when I have him out in the yard because he tries to eat everything. He's also extremely aggressive with other turtles. He immediately bites them on the legs, and not just little nips. He hangs on like a pitbull. You do have to be careful with little guys that eat gravel because they can become impacted. I had a couple occasions that I had to use a pair of tweezers to help the Wood Turtle pass gravel when he was little.

I have seen my 3-toes eat pea gravel on purpose many times, and my diamondback terrapins eat gravel and crushed coral all the time, so I wonder if it isn't a natural way to aquire calcium and other minerals and salts? Both species are in no way possibly deficient in calcium in their diets either.
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Jeff Benfer

1.0 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.2 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 Okeetee Pantherophis guttatus

I may get some negative responses, but remember when I posted a little ways down that my father has his network of tanks set up at my house? Well, about 5 months ago, someone wanted me to watch two sulcatas, two Russians, and a redfoot tortoise for her. I put them in a 30 gallon fish tank set up with the gravel, lava rocks, ect still in it. They were in there for about two months, and never ate any of the gravel.
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Cliff

My Collection:
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles
0.1 Ornate Box Turtle
0.0.1 Desert Ornate Box Turtle
1.1.1 Redfoot Tortoises
2.1 Russian Tortoises
1.0.1 African Sulcata Tortoises
1.0 Burmese Python
0.1 Virginia Opossum
1.0 German Boxer
1.0 Pit Bull
1.1 Chihuahuas

Would they eat them to help break up food in their stomach? I think they're called gastroliths. Also, I didn't know they could obtain calcium from the substrate.
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2 Taricha granulosa
1 male Terrapane carolina carolina
10 gal. tropical fish tank.

I the wild many animals get salts and minerals from soil and rock sources. In the wild animals seek out salty and limestone soil and rocks. The crushed coral and crushed shells that my diamondbacks eat is almost pure calcium carbonate, a great source of calcium, which is partly why I put it in there, it also helps buffer the water for the slightly alkaline salty water (brackish) conditions that they live in.
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Jeff Benfer

1.0 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.2 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 Okeetee Pantherophis guttatus

Similarly many people use the cuttle bones, which are heavily marketed in the reptile industry to provide a constantly available source of calcium, which is basically the same thing and serves the same purpose as crushed shells and crushed coral, as well as small pieces of limestone, which is basically what the 3-toes are always eating, it's always the little whiteish pieces that they are eating, must be tasty.
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Jeff Benfer

1.0 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.2 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 Okeetee Pantherophis guttatus

Well I'm glad it seems to be normal. My first thought, like I said, was maybe they were seeking other minerals, but it's weird that I feed them such a varied diet and offered them cuttlebone and they still chomp at the gravel. Oh well, I'll check keep an eye on them.