Feeding and Nutrition :: Cuttlebones

[MyVeryOwnRES]

I went to the pet shop today and i got some cuttle bone, are they suppose to eat it!?!?!?. Its pretty hard to chew even for me . Do i need to do anything with it before i put it in?

[N4784N R4613]

There is a hard backing that needs to be picked off before you put it in the tank. It kinda has a plasticy feel to it, the side that you can't push your finger nail into. Then you can throw it right in the tank, or brake it up into tiny pieces, and throw it in. It may sink after time, but thats ok, no need to take it out.

[pumpkinsherbet]

what i do is kinda whittle off a bit of the backing (you'll recognise it, it feels different and it's a little less whitish) and break off a few little pieces. i break them off small enough so they don't have to work for it.

i'm also very skilled with a knife, though. i don't know how old you are or how well you handle a knife, i've been proficient with them since i was about 6 yrs old (grew up in a family of hunters). if you are concerned about using one just get help or wrap it up in something and bang it a little bit to get off some small pieces, then work from there

[industrial_girl_2000]

Turtles will nip at it (you will see little turtle-mouth shaped bites being taken out). They don't necessarily chomp it down all at once, they just nip nip nip & shave at it until it is gone.

TN4784N R4613 was right about the hard backing. Peel it off with a sharp knife. Don't worry if the cuttle breaks when you peel off the backing.

[MyVeryOwnRES]

Mine doesnt come with the hard backing, its just white all the way through, i broke it in half to see the difference but there wasn't any. So far he hasnt touched the cuttlebone

[pumpkinsherbet]

try breaking it up more. i notice that if i make the pieces too big, my turtles will try to grab it. if they can't get a good grip on it they just go on their way and ignore it.

[SpotsMama]

I put small pieces of cuttlebone (maybe the size of a quarter) in a veggie clip. That way Spot cat get a good bite without it slipping away.

That hard backing is there, it's just hard to see. It's thin and clear like brittle plastic. One side of the cuttlebone is softer than the other - you can cut into it with a fingernail. You won't be able to do this on the other side because the hard backing is there just under the surface.

[MyVeryOwnRES]

Where do u find the veggie clips, i tried looking at them at petsmart but thye didnt have any, i tried it at the aquatic pet store and they didn't have it, i even tried walmart.

[SpotsMama]

I got mine at Petco. I don't know why Petsmart isn't carrying them. They weren't listed on the on-line site either. Here's the listing from Petco on-line:

http://www.petco.com/Shop/SearchResults ... table+clip

[MyVeryOwnRES]

My bad, i guess i should put in my profile that i live in canada, thanks for trying to help

[ploskinj]

hi guys, i just want to ask if there's a "right" dosage for the cuttlebone... the more, the merrier? My turtle likes to eat it. I dont want to overdose him with too much calcium... or is it just alright?

thanks...

[industrial_girl_2000]

hi guys, i just want to ask if there's a "right" dosage for the cuttlebone... the more, the merrier? My turtle likes to eat it. I dont want to overdose him with too much calcium... or is it just alright?

thanks...

Just let them eat as much as they want (they won't eat it all at once). They will stop after a while.

[ploskinj]

My turtle is a little pig. I threw four pieces of cuttlebone there, each one bigger than his head and it's gone after 10 minutes. After a few hours, i threw two more and he ate it right away. Im just worried too much calcium will harm him. Well, he's not starving, he just ate one leaf of romaine lettuce in the morning

[grey goose]

They go after the cuttle bone for the calcium...give him as much as he wants. I try to maintain 5-6 bite sized pieces in the tank. Sometimes they eat it all right away, sometimes not. I suspect it also keeps them from trying to nibble on things they are not supposed to, like tubing, wires, suction cups, rocks, etc.

[ploskinj]

cool thanks