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cod liver oil?

Posted:
Sun Jan 22, 2006 12:13 am
by Nana_baby
i am trying to give my baby RES some variety of foods.. and i have cod liveroil..so if i mix a little bit of it with his turtle food, will it be okay since he isnt sick and doesnt really need it? and also... the cod liver oil is orange flavour

and im not sure thats good for her..

Posted:
Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:08 am
by steve
If you wanted to offer it as a supplement, I would do it rarely. As you mentioned, it is probably unnecessary and I would skip any artificially flavored kind.

Posted:
Sun Jan 22, 2006 5:28 am
by reptilegrrl
I would definitely skip the artificial flavors. And there is no need to offer it unless your turtle is sick, and in fact it could be harmful to a healthy turtle.
Cod liver oil is a rich source of Vitamin A. VitA is fat-soluble, not water-soluble, so excess does not flush out of the body with urine; instead, it stays in the tissues and can build up, causing Vitamin A Toxicity. Unless your turtle has a Vitamin A deficiency, supplementing it in such large doses is not necessary and can actually be hamrful.

Posted:
Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:24 pm
by marisa
If you want your turtle, especially when s/he's bigger, to get Vitamin A safely, offer foods that are high in beta carotene (pumpkin, dandelions, carrots, squash, foods of that nature), which your turtle can convert to Vit A as needed. Hatchlings might not be interested in these foods at first, but it never hurts to offer them (in pieces that can be easily eaten). A reputable pellet will also have Vit. A added.