Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok ive got the cuttle bone now do i peel it off from the hard back side and put little chunks in the water for them to eat and how often should i give it to them ,and how many here give it to all there water turles,like painteds and res both musks turtles to? ....thank you very much

bosc1973

The hard backing on cuttle bone is obnoxious for herp people who like using for calcium but can't use the backing. As for it "peeling" off, I would pay serious money to learn how to get it actual peel. I end up getting a sharp knife just under the backing and chip it off. It's a pain in the butt, but comes off.

If any one else has a good trick for the backing, please share! I could use it myself!!

i also wish i could find an easier way of removing the backing of the cuttle bone. chipping it off with a knife is such a pain... it takes forever and seems to be messy (of course everything i do seems to be messy)! but to answer the first persons post... i think that the cuttle bone would be safe for all the turtles, it just adds calcium to their diet. (i cant see why it wouldnt be good for the other turtles if it's ok for the RES)... also, i break mine into pieces, and i replace it whenever that piece disappears from the water. either it dissolves or they eat it. but dont worry, if it dissolves, they get the calcium through the water, so it's not wasted if they dont eat it. well i guess that's all, just wanted to add my 2 cents... hope it helps
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~ Evie

Pets:
German Shephard {Dusty}
German Shephard/Collie mix {Shadoe}
2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
Snail {Gary}

I have a painted but since they are so alike I thought I would share how I get him calcium. The cuttlebone was not a good idea for my turtle because he would never eat it. So I got powder calcium and I would put a little into a plastic bag and then put in some crickets and "shake and bake" them (shake the bag till the crickets got covered with calcium) and then threw them into the tank. He ate them so fast they hardly had a chance to wash the calcium off in the water.