Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is cattle Bone a good source of calcium for tortoises ?

Yes, my Box Turtles love it.

Some would argue it is way too high in Phosphorus. Perhaps you would do better to offer other sources of Calcium (with less/no Phosphorus) such as cuttle bone, Calcium carbonate ground limestone, oyster "flour" or even oyster shell, grit like birds use, clean egg shells, etc. I am sure tortoise do ingest bone in the wild, but I do not offer it to my herd as I offer lots of cuttle bone and oyster shell/flour. Good luck

Vic,
Where do you buy oyster shell/flour?

I also use a lot of cuttle bone but some of my torts don't seem to like it. During the winter a us RepCal with D3 but right now, during the summer, I could use something cheap without D3.

jbly

I find oyster flour or finely ground oyster shell at most any feed & grain store in California. It is refreshingly cheap, about $5-7.oo for a huge (40lb.?) bag. The bags look like cement bags, and weigh the same. I apply it liberally in my tortoise garden on the theory that it might boost the Calcium in the plants I grow. I put piles of it in the enclosures, which are eaten up every few weeks, and I add more. Gravid females seem to really crave it. Precaution-many of us are paranoid and opinionated, and sometimes we do things dogmatically. Someone told me (who was in the supplement business and selling Calcium products...) that oyster shell may contain heavy metals in excessive amounts. This of course will vary depending on the source of the oysters...Tomales Bay, north of San Francisco is relatively clean so I feed it with confidence. Depending on where you live, the oysters might have some undesireable features. I like products from the Sea, as they contain trace elements of almost anything imaginable, including Iodine. But sadly, some parts of the sea are polluted and you may get more than you bargained for. I have had no problems, but my stock is only a decade old. I also sprinkle it on tortoise salad for the little guys. Good luck, Vic BTW,does anyone know a good source of ground Calcium carbonate, suitable to feed tortoises? Is dolomite a safe tortoise supplement?

I've never heard of oyster flour. How fine is the consistancy of the powder? Will it stick to crickets?

Dolomite is the same thing. The only difference is that it has been subjected to extreme heat. (were talking 'earth' heat.

I've been using Hubercarb for about 6 years now and I'm impressed with their quality control. I get 60 lbs at a time which last me aout 3 years.

>>I find oyster flour or finely ground oyster shell at most any feed & grain store in California. It is refreshingly cheap, about $5-7.oo for a huge (40lb.?) bag. The bags look like cement bags, and weigh the same. I apply it liberally in my tortoise garden on the theory that it might boost the Calcium in the plants I grow. I put piles of it in the enclosures, which are eaten up every few weeks, and I add more. Gravid females seem to really crave it. Precaution-many of us are paranoid and opinionated, and sometimes we do things dogmatically. Someone told me (who was in the supplement business and selling Calcium products...) that oyster shell may contain heavy metals in excessive amounts. This of course will vary depending on the source of the oysters...Tomales Bay, north of San Francisco is relatively clean so I feed it with confidence. Depending on where you live, the oysters might have some undesireable features. I like products from the Sea, as they contain trace elements of almost anything imaginable, including Iodine. But sadly, some parts of the sea are polluted and you may get more than you bargained for. I have had no problems, but my stock is only a decade old. I also sprinkle it on tortoise salad for the little guys. Good luck, Vic BTW,does anyone know a good source of ground Calcium carbonate, suitable to feed tortoises? Is dolomite a safe tortoise supplement?
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Hi Ed, I find oyster flour to be a rather inconsistent product as far as the screening of "fines" and grains go. That is, there is a lot of both, some very fine flakes, that are as small as flour, and also larger ones, resembling fine gravel. Yes, it sticks to wet vegetation well, also to bugs, but not as well as Rep-cal or Minerall etc. However, it is so cheap, you could shake your bugs and then toss the larger particulates into the tortoises... I think I am confusing people with the term oyster "flour"...it's just finely ground oyster shell, to the consistency of powder and/or very fine gravel. The brand I get is called: Pacific Pearl oyster shell. If you order it, be sure to specify the finely ground stuff, not the gravel size which people give to chickens.

how did you get your torts to start eating the cuttle bone? nime have had it in their pen sence spring, nor my russians or box turtles seem to care for it.
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1.1.3 Common Mud Turtles
0.0.2 R.E.S.
0.0.1 Map Turtle
1.2 Russian Tortoises
0.1.1 Gulfcost/Three Toed Boxturtles
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle
1.0 Hamsters
3.0 Dogs
2.3 Family

Take the cuttle bone and cautiously scrape away the hard "smooth" side, using a knife. The "soft" part remains, and put it in the pens. It will weather in the Sun and rain, and eventully they will go eat it, but it may take many weeks. You will see little chips or divots from the edge when they have fed on it. You might try as I did, grating some cuttle bone on a common kitchen type grater, and sprinkle the powder on the tortoises salad. Cuttle bone is of the Sea, and is a good source of Calcium and minerals, but may have a mollusk odor, and your tortoise may be suspicious of it at first. My herd eats a lot of it, but they started slow. Also I provide cleaned egg shells, which are eaten with gusto. Be patient, they will eat it when ready. BTW, my box turtle seems to ignore it, but I provide just in case. Good luck, Vic

Where do you get hubercarb???