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Old 20-06-2017, 11:41 PM   #16
tortydat
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wiltshire
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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.
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