Feeding and Nutrition :: sweet potatoes and oxalates

[laurapa]

I recently read that sweet potatoes contain oxalates. Sweets are in the "moderate" category on the main site, so we've been feeding Oliver a sliver of sweet potato about once a week. I've been doing this because they contain a good deal of beta carotene AND vitamin E, both of which are good for him (especially since we are trying to treat a case of scute retention).

I am assuming that the amount of oxalates in sweet potatoes is low enough that feeding sweets once a week isn't bad for Oliver. But I just wanted to check.

[SpotsMama]

It's true sweet potato has moderate amounts of oxalates. It is also quite high in phosporus relative to calcium. It is also fattening. That's why it's on the "moderate" catagory for feeding to your turtle in spite of its benefits - shouldn't be a daily part of the diet or there will be calcium metabolism problems down the road as well as a fat turtle. When you're feeding Oliver sweet potatoes, be sure he always has good cuttlebone available to replace the calcium lost to oxalate and phosporus. I think he'll be ok as long as he can replace lost calcium and is able to absorb more when he needs it.

By the way, lots of good things have moderate amounts of oxalates - including blueberries, another turtle favorite.

[MoreBloodWine]

It's true sweet potato has moderate amounts of oxalates. It is also quite high in phosporus relative to calcium. It is also fattening. That's why it's on the "moderate" catagory for feeding to your turtle in spite of its benefits - shouldn't be a daily part of the diet or there will be calcium metabolism problems down the road as well as a fat turtle. When you're feeding Oliver sweet potatoes, be sure he always has good cuttlebone available to replace the calcium lost to oxalate and phosporus. I think he'll be ok as long as he can replace lost calcium and is able to absorb more when he needs it.

By the way, lots of good things have moderate amounts of oxalates - including blueberries, another turtle favorite.

So as long as you feed the fruits and stuff like sweet potatos in moderation and always have cuttlebone available then a person should be good to go right ?

[steve]

I wouldn't just use cuttlebone as a source of calcium. Look into other good veggies for variety.

[laurapa]

Here's Oliver's usual routine. Maybe you can take a look at this and see if you think the amount of sweet potato is OK given the other foods he eats:

Daily
-4 reptomin pellets (8 fit the size of his head, but instead of feeding him 8 every other day, we feed him 4 a day because he loves them so)
-Dandelion greens that total slightly more than the size of his shell OR a red lettuce leaf that is slightly bigger than his shell, depending on what's available at the store.

Weekly (this schedule is not set-in-stone by any means, but I'm trying to make it understandable here) :
-Monday: One blueberry
-Wednesday: One piece of green bean about half the size of his head
-Friday: One sliver of sweet potato (lightly cooked) about half the size of his head

He also gets kale and green pepper from time to time when we have them.

He has a cuttlebone in his tank but doesn't like it. When I roll his pellets in cuttlebone powder, it seems like most of the powder floats off in the water because he is such a messy eater. I should probably find another way to get him to eat calcium, other than what he's getting from the lettuce/dandelion and pellets.

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Well,it should be okay to feed him sweet potatoes once a week,but since they don't have alot of calcium,try to feed him some other veggies to get some calcium.