Feeding and Nutrition :: not eating cuttle bone

[pixiedust]

DavidY, what's MBD?

[DavidY]

Metabolic Bone Disease ... http://www.redearslider.com/index_health_1.html

[pumpkinsherbet]

when i was a new mommy to my son i learned a couple of interesting things...

1. when you crave a certain food, e.g. orange juice, tomatoes, stuff that's high in vitamin c, it's your body telling you that you need that particular nutrient. if you don't feel like eating it, you tend to not desire that type of food.

2. kids will eat what they want, when they want and in the portions they want. his pediatrician told me that was because they have kindof an inbuilt nutrition calculator. when their body tells them that's enough calcium/vita c/starch/calories/etc then they'll stop eating (or stop eating that particular food) for that sitting.

animals are the same way. a cat will flat out refuse to eat particular kinds of food if they don't like it. they'll take their food in portions, instead of scarfing it down until they feel full (which is actually NOT what you're supposed to do and does contribute to obesity). turtles will stop eating food if they get bored with the same portions (e.g. feeding them certain foods every single day) and will leave it alone for awhile. but when they need that nutrient they will go for it.

i'm quite verbose and i'm not sure i made my thoughts clear. if there's any misunderstanding i'll try to clarify it for you. or something. sorry muddled thoughts.

[marisa]

Not muddled to me, pumpkinsherbert. My turts will sometimes chomp away at cuttlebone and sometimes just let it sit (and sink). Turtles are programmed to seek out calcium, but I think it's as needed. If calcium is lacking, they'll look for it, and if cuttlebone is available, they'll be more apt to nibble on it (not that they know it's got calcium, but just because it's something that's there in their search for it). This would apply to generally healthy turtles, though.

[adam85491]

I don't know if all that is true or not, but I do know that my turtles will immediatley eat the new cuttlebone when I put it in there. They will not eat the old stuff or stuff that has been re-dried so it will float again. I don't know why, but that's just the way it is.

[kornygerm]

yea but i dont have a reptisun yet..so i dont know how could they absorb the calcium.

edit: i do take them outside so they can bask from the sunlight, but they have to be under supervision as they hide and i have two weiner dogs who just stalks them lol.

[DavidY]

adam85491, that's interesting to know. Thanks for the info.

[adam85491]

Yeah, it is wierd. When I put fresh cuttle bone in there they will eat most of it in one night. I tried feeding the sunken piece and the fresh piece out of my hand but they would only take the fresh one, soooo strange..anyone else have this "situation."

[DavidY]

Well, any acidity in the water will disintegrate the calcium in the cuttlebone. Maybe if the pH of the tank water is slightly acidic it could be making the cuttlebone unuseable or just unappealing to the turtle.

[pixiedust]

kornygerm, just make sure they also have a shaded area to hide under when it gets too hot. you wouldn't want them to overheat. i learned that the hard way.

[kornygerm]

they scare the hell outa of me, when i put them outside. then i went inside for a bit, and when i go back i cant find them where i left them..when im with them, they go kind of slow...but its like they flee when im away lol..last time this happened..i couldnt find it and it i think she buried herself.So i have to come up with something.
I mean they cant leave the house cause we have fencing and all that, so eventually i could find them, but my dogs and birds might hurt them.So when i think the have enough outside, i put them back inside in their tank.

[SpotsMama]

My turtle won't eat cuttlebone that's been in the water very long either. He only likes them fresh. Our water tends to be very alkaline.

[DavidY]

The time they spend outside will definitely help them produce the vitamin D3 they need to metabolize the calcium. Nothing better than the real thing! Just watch out for overheating as pixiedust mentioned.