The Best Calcium Sources for Red Eared Sliders & Similar Turtles

[findi]

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20
Red-Eared Sliders, Snapping Turtles, Red-Bellied Turtles, Soft-shelled Turtles, Reeve’s Turtles and the various Side-necks and Snake-necks are among the world’s most popular reptilian pets. While we know much about their care, the importance of calcium in the diet is, judging from the questions I receive on this blog, still not fully realized by all keepers. One feeding tip I received from an animal importer for whom I worked as a boy has served me well throughout my career as a zookeeper, and remains the simplest way to assure adequate calcium intake. Today I’ll review it and some other very useful calcium sources. Read the rest of this article here http://bit.ly/1tUgQkd
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My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: http://bitly.com/LC8Lbp

Best Regards, Frank

 

[The Snark]

Very good points to remember. Calcium, be it reptiles or mammals, cannot be assimilated without co-nutrients. In humans, chronic calcium deficiency is very common later on in life as characterized by osteoporosis. That glass of milk a day without a balanced diet is more or less useless.* In reptiles and amphibians the life span closely reflects how balanced a diet the animal gets. Just by giving a wider variety of food sources can sometimes produce spectacular results. I forget which turtle species it was (Frank could probably tell you) but it was calculated to have a life span of (I think) 10 to 15 years being fed an alternative to it's native diet. Then when the native diet became available the animals started living 30 to 50 years.

*While working at a trout farm we were feeding a calcium augmented commercial food. When the fish underwent a stress period and we had them biopsied they all had calcium deficiency. We added an oyster shell filtration system (Calcium carbonate) and not only did the the calcium deficiency vanish, the stress level dropped significantly. (52 F from 47 F) Partly due to lowered nitrogen level and partly to the fish ingesting a readily available calcium source in the water along with their food.