Nutrabol Everyday

i have always used nutrobal every day, over the last 4 years ive had phoebe.

Very sensible Paul. What is her growth like?

[piglet]

Nutrabol Daily for babies and growing animals plus breeding females that are housed indoors till they spend time out doors ,
For adults that are housed outdoors i use a combination of limestone flour and vionate as D3 is drived through the sun so nutabol is not important then, this will usually be through the months of May through to end of August when the UK sun is at its best.
Calcium is left for easy access in the form of cuttle- fish or limestone blocks in all enclosures

Tortoises and reptiles can't utilise calcium without the correct amount of vitamin D3 in there daily diet, so if denied access to D3 either through natural sunlight of nutrabol the calcium taken in via Limestone flour etc is actually useless and will pass through the digestive tract almost un-utilised, calcium combines with D3 making it absorbent to the tortoise which will then be used for growth adding it to its bone structure/carapace etc.
D3 is derived from natural sunlight and some fresh diet (weeds freshly picked do contain small amounts) whilst basking but the UK sun for most of the season is poor quality so a extra form needs to be added in the form of Nutrabol , Nutrabol is specially formulated and is pure calcium carbonated based so added daily to animals diets that require extra calcium for bone growth or egg production is important for good steady growth and is usually enough, extra calcium added is generally passed out the system undigested and the D3 in the nutrabol is lessoned by the adding of calcium carbonate so making the nutrabol weak and basically turning it into a weaker cheap vit/min powder, its probably better to use calcium substitutes separately rather than on the feed better to leave it around the enclosure in dishes etc tortoises will help them selves when they feel its necessary
.
Darren

Thanks for taking the time to give that info Darren. I always wonder where all these ideas of changing things come from. It is wrong for people to assume that they know better than the manufacturers or scientists. Anyone getting info from various sites (ebay included) please be aware that these people have no scientific knowledge to back up their wild claims. Always follow the advice of either tortoise trust or someone who has spent genuine research study periods on chelonia. Thanks again Darren

Darren.. a great explanation thank you.

Originally Posted by wizzasmum

Very sensible Paul. What is her growth like?

hi sue,
his growth is very good.
he was practically fully grown when i got him, but is still growing slowly.. his new growth rings are very good!
paul

[fourtorts]

I use nutrobal one day and Limestone flour the next and also have cuttlefish available. I used to grate the cuttlefish onto their food but i now use Limestone flour. Can anyone tell me how much nutrobal i should be giving a 2.3kg redfoot?

The instruction on the container are quite clear. It's a pinch per kilo

[fourtorts]

Whoops.... thanx for that... At least i'm giving them the right amount . I probably read the instructions on the container when i got them three years ago and forgot...

[nina]

Originally Posted by wizzasmum

The instruction on the container are quite clear. It's a pinch per kilo

I know, Sue, but I find that so difficult - and not very scientific. How much is a pinch (people's fingers are different sizes), and how to you calculate just over one-tenth of a pinch (for a tort that weights 140g). I was happier when we happily mixed the limestone flour and the Nutrobal at a 7:2 ratio and just sprinkled it (but I know that the latest advice is not to mix, so I don't any more) <g>.