What is the purpose of giving your turtle Cuttle bone?

Question

I heard youre suppose to give it to them...why?

Answer 1

As a reptile turtles cannot metabolize as much calcium as they need to grow their shell and bones properly. Cuttle bones are an extra way of giving them the calcium they need. But they also need UVB light to absorb the calcium properly as well. If they just get calcium with out absorbing it there is not point in having it there and they will grow up malformed. I have seen customers bring in calcium deprived turtles before...

Answer 2

It is a source of calcium, and not necessarily a good one. A well-designed diet usually works better, sometimes depending on the species.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, a great deal of information presented to tortoise keepers in the past has been grossly inaccurate and sometimes positively lethal. Into this category falls such advice as "never disturb a hibernating tortoise", "make sure you leave plenty of air-holes in the hibernating box", "give your tortoise one last meal to see it through hibernation" and " provide plenty of cat or dog food in the diet". The first is simply incorrect, the last three can kill. How many unnecessary deaths have resulted from owners following such dangerous and misleading nonsense?
Tortoises and turtles of all varieties are not 'easy' animals to care for properly. When the tortoise trade was at its height, more than 90% of all tortoises imported in any given year were dead within 2 years - most died during, or just after, hibernation.

Tortoises are now under threat worldwide, mainly from habitat loss and in some cases from collecting for the pet animal trade. Fortunately, some active steps to conserve these animals are at last being taken. Much more needs to be done. The endless destruction of natural habitats must be controlled, and conservation reserves created where these animals can continue to breed and survive without human predation. Land tortoises fresh water, and marine turtles all need our help and consideration if they are to survive as species. They must not be lost forever.



HIBERNATION & VARIETIES OF TORTOISE

Contrary to popular belief, most tortoises of the types most commonly kept as pets do actually hibernate in the wild. They do so, however, for much shorter periods than they are frequently subjected to in captive collections. It has been commonplace to attempt a hibernation of up to six or even seven months, whereas in the wild these same tortoises have been used to a hibernation rarely longer than ten to twelve weeks. We believe in replicating natural conditions as closely as possible in respect of hibernation periods, and so we do not recommend giving your tortoise an over-long hibernation. Most fatalities occur either near the beginning, or at the end of the hibernation period. Tortoises which are anything less than l00% fit, or are in any way underweight, will require a proportionally shorter period of hibernation under carefully controlled conditions; possibly they may even need to be kept awake and feeding over the entire winter season.
None of these creatures are in any way suitable as pets for children, and should not be purchased as such.
The following information applies to the most common species of 'pet' tortoise; Testudo graeca ,Testudo hermanni and Testudo marginata. In general, the requirements of T. hermanni, T. graeca, and T. marginata and T. horsfieldii are all very similar.
Many of these tortoises exported to the United States are from the Mediterranean. Some continue to be, due to differences in laws.
Many tortoise owners ask us to identify what species their particular tortoises belong to.

Answer 4

hi there
a cuddle bone is a way to give them a source of calcium...for their shell and bones....

Answer 5

It is a source of calcium that will help keep their shells hard.