Shelled Warriors Forums
 

Go Back   Shelled Warriors Forums > Tortoise Information > Edible Weeds, Diet & Suppliments

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 19-06-2017, 02:10 PM   #11
sandy
Senior Member
Adult
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Kent UK
Posts: 12,144
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tortydat View Post
I sprinkle it on their favourite food and they have no choice but to eat it especially when the weather is like this and they are very very hungry!
Same here Mary:0)
__________________
< > 60+, keeping ibera, graeca and box turtles
\0/
/_\

http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tortoisefriends
sandy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2017, 12:07 PM   #12
Alan1
Super Moderator
Adult
 
Alan1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Sunny Scotland
Posts: 21,512
Default

But how would you know if you are giving them too much?
B&Q have 20mm limestone but I don't think that's big enough as my torts could swallow a whole one maybe. I will have to email Scott's or whoever is the manufacturer of the product in my original post. I can't have them eating my paving slabs
Alan1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2017, 02:33 PM   #13
tortydat
Senior Member
Sub Adult
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 1,162
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan1 View Post
But how would you know if you are giving them too much?
B&Q have 20mm limestone but I don't think that's big enough as my torts could swallow a whole one maybe. I will have to email Scott's or whoever is the manufacturer of the product in my original post. I can't have them eating my paving slabs
I always understood that you can't give them too much calcium as any excess they just excrete it. Haven't you got any farming outlets near you that sell it by the kg my current pot is 3kg and I just put it on the food and they eat everything? I have bought chalk pieces for them before and they have just ignored them.
tortydat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2017, 03:02 PM   #14
sandy
Senior Member
Adult
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Kent UK
Posts: 12,144
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tortydat View Post
I always understood that you can't give them too much calcium as any excess they just excrete it. Haven't you got any farming outlets near you that sell it by the kg my current pot is 3kg and I just put it on the food and they eat everything? I have bought chalk pieces for them before and they have just ignored them.
Same here Mary they can not over dose on calcium:0)
__________________
< > 60+, keeping ibera, graeca and box turtles
\0/
/_\

http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tortoisefriends
sandy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2017, 11:17 PM   #15
Alan1
Super Moderator
Adult
 
Alan1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Sunny Scotland
Posts: 21,512
Default

I've never been convinced about the not overdosing thing. Do they all excrete the excess or just some of them or even none of them or do some of them do it while it causes stones in others? Do females require more than males? How would anyone know that as I doubt there has been any scientific tests done given the fact very little is still known about torts. Lots of information out there regarding all aspects of keeping them that nobody knows whether it's right or wrong. You have for example the tortoise table, a very informative site but they will tell you do not feed this or that yet torts in the wild are known to eat plants that are highly toxic to everything but them. I would rather that they decided themselves whether they need extra calcium rather than me give them it on their food (which isn't practical anyway since they are eating growing plants), after all nobody scoops it on for them in the wild and what they get from plants in the wild is only minute traces. They don't really need limestone chips as they have their cuttlefish bones which they chomp into at times when they want, maybe the paving eating is just to keep their beaks in trim who knows
Alan1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2017, 11:41 PM   #16
tortydat
Senior Member
Sub Adult
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 1,162
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan1 View Post
I've never been convinced about the not overdosing thing. Do they all excrete the excess or just some of them or even none of them or do some of them do it while it causes stones in others? Do females require more than males? How would anyone know that as I doubt there has been any scientific tests done given the fact very little is still known about torts. Lots of information out there regarding all aspects of keeping them that nobody knows whether it's right or wrong. You have for example the tortoise table, a very informative site but they will tell you do not feed this or that yet torts in the wild are known to eat plants that are highly toxic to everything but them. I would rather that they decided themselves whether they need extra calcium rather than me give them it on their food (which isn't practical anyway since they are eating growing plants), after all nobody scoops it on for them in the wild and what they get from plants in the wild is only minute traces. They don't really need limestone chips as they have their cuttlefish bones which they chomp into at times when they want, maybe the paving eating is just to keep their beaks in trim who knows
I certainly give more calcium to my females as producing eggs takes a great deal out of their systems and I give calcium to my tortoises as although they graze a lot my soil is very light and nothing like they would experience in the wild. I don't believe it's additional calcium that produces bladder stones but dehydration and uric acid and have never had a problem with additional calcium. At the end of the day it is what suits each individual in the way they decide to keep their tortoises. My tortoises get very limited supplies of Russian Vine which according to the TTT is a no feed but they have eaten it for a very long time with no ill effects and as you say tortoises don't stop and think I shouldn't eat that. Some people sprinkle calcium on the ground where their weeds grow so that would be a good idea maybe.
tortydat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2017, 11:51 PM   #17
Alan1
Super Moderator
Adult
 
Alan1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Sunny Scotland
Posts: 21,512
Default

The product I'm on about in my first post is exactly for that, to add lime/calcium to the soil but limestone flour should do exactly the same although it might go into clumps maybe. The stuff I have is about the size of grains of barley but round. You are right, people get to know what suits their own needs and different setups and even living in different parts of the country will mean there are varying degrees of requirements
Alan1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-06-2017, 07:36 PM   #18
Jan W
Senior Member
Sub Adult
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 1,400
Default

Alan - your grapes may be bitter whatever you do. It depends on the type.

Not that I know that much, just that my husband bought one from a vineyard that we discovered can only be used for making red wine - so the birds are now well fed in late summer!
__________________
Jan
Horsfields - Bertie & Beatrice
Jan W is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-07-2017, 12:35 AM   #19
Alan1
Super Moderator
Adult
 
Alan1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Sunny Scotland
Posts: 21,512
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan W View Post
Alan - your grapes may be bitter whatever you do. It depends on the type.

Not that I know that much, just that my husband bought one from a vineyard that we discovered can only be used for making red wine - so the birds are now well fed in late summer!
aye, better just buying them out the shop I think
Alan1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.