Feeding and Nutrition :: help cuttlebone

[karbay]

do we just stick the whole thing in there or do we break i or what please help


newbie

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Let him have the soft parts NOT the sharp parts.Peel at it with a butter knife or your hands.

[Kallistos]

The cuttlebone for birds have a hard backing. Somehow get that entire hard layer off, it looks like a layer of plastic. I break them into little pieces so it keeps the tank cleaner and they can eat it easier.

[karbay]

oh gosh yall i am confuss we bought this one in turtle section box said to put it in there what you mean hard backing ?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Oh is the product named "turtle bone" because it is fine.The hard backing like if you start to peel off the cuttlebone you can feel hard wooden like sharp pieces THATS the hard backing.I am not sure if the cuttlebone specifically made for turtles that you got has the hard backing or not,ill let someone smarter answer this....I do not think i made sense lol

[karbay]

so think i am safe because i cant see anything on it but sad part he is SITTING ON IT he is in his new tank but think he is bit shock he didnt like swiming in water he has a dock in there and a cuttle bone and he is sittig on it looks like he is surfing lol

[SpotsMama]

That's really funny - surfing on his cuttlebone!

The cuttlebones for birds and the ones for turtles are really exactly the same thing except that the ones for birds are cheaper. You can get the bird kind next time.

Cuttlebones aren't really "made" - they are actually the internal "skeletons" of cuttlefish, which is a type of squid. Amazing, huh!

That hard backing is pretty hard to see. One side of the cuttlebone is soft enough that you can dig into it with your fingernail pretty easily. On the other side, though, you can dig just a little bit but then you hit that plastic-like layer. It's about the same color as the softer parts which is why it's so hard to see. The turtles shouldn't eat it because they can't digest it.

You can pry the softer chalk-like parts off the hard backing with a knife. You're going to break the bone all to pieces in the process, so just break it down some more and you'll be ready to go. You can do a whole cuttlebone or several cuttlebones all at once then keep the pieces in a bag or jar to give to your turtle over time.

Don't worry about the turtle, he'll figure out what to do with the cuttlebone. I put a piece of cuttlebone in a vegetable clip for my turtle because I think it makes it easier for him to get a good bite. You might think about doing the same.