Do you find powdered calcium/vitamin supplements messy and tedious to use? Do your box turtles turn up their noses … well, beaks … at cuttlebone?
Try Zoo Med’s Tortoise Calcium Block. It’s a block of calcium with pieces of veggies turtles and tortoises love embedded in it. The veggies help encourage your pet to chew at the block.
No guarantees, but if your pet decides he likes this little block it’s a great calcium and vitamin (from the food included in it) supplement. And it’ll help keep his beak trimmed, too!
Keep reading for more about Zoo Med’s Tortoise Block:
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Size & Ingredients How to Use Will They Eat It?
Pros & Cons Where to Buy
Size and Ingredients
This block comes in just one size: A 5-ounce block with veggies embedded in solid calcium. It measures 3.5” x 2” x 1.5”.
The main ingredient is calcium, and Zoo Med guarantees at least 23% and up to 28% calcium in each block.
It also has at least 4% fat (yes, turtles need fat!).
The vegetables help make the block more appealing to turtles & tortoises. They also add extra vitamins to the block, although zoo med does not guarantee any specific amount of vitamins. If your pet is deficient in any vitamin, you’ll need to use specific vitamin supplements. But getting a variety of foods is important for staying healthy, and this block can help with that to some degree.
Vegetables in the ingredients list include:
- Dried nopales (cactus pads)
- Dried carrot
- Suncured alfalfa
Plus some added vitamins.
One thing to note is that there are artificial flavors and colors in this product. The flavoring is supposed to give it an appealing smell. But if the artificial ingredients bother you, it may not be the right choice for your pet.
Zoo Med does sell plain cuttlebone (as Turtle Bone) that you may want to try instead. It’s just calcium, no added veggies or vitamins. But it is all natural (from the cuttlefish).
Ease of Use / How to Feed The Tortoise Calcium Block
It’s pretty simple to use. Put the block in your pet’s habitat and let her at it. In theory the tasty treats (veggies) embedded in the block will encourage her to chew at it to get at them.
If she likes it, she’ll bite and scrape at it. She’ll get extra vitamins and calcium, plus she’ll be filing down her beak. This filing can both help stop the beak from getting overgrown and get an already overgrown beak back under control (but only if it’s a little overgrown. For a really bad beak, see a vet first!).
It also gives your pet something to chew on. Sometimes bored turtles will chew on other, inedible things in their habitat. This block might help stop or lessen that behavior. (Although if your pet is bored, it’s a good idea to look into adding some more interest to her habitat).
Zoo Med recommends you replace it if it gets dirty or wet (it may get moldy). If your pet eats it too slowly and you find that you’re having to replace almost whole blocks too often, try breaking it into smaller pieces and giving one at a time.
Do Box Turtles Like the Tortoise Calcium Block?
Some do. Like people, turtles each have their own preferences, so you’ll have to try it and see.
Some reviewers’ turtles and tortoises loved it, snacking on it daily (sometimes several times throughout the day). Others ate it, but more slowly.
And still others wanted nothing to do with it. Some tried it once but then ignored it. Or played with it.
Some turtles apparently would only eat it after it was broken into smaller pieces.
There’s no way to know your turtle’s preferences without experimentation. Luckily these blocks aren’t expensive, so you can afford to give it a try.
Pros and Cons Summary
A quick summary of what seem to be the best and worst things about the Tortoise Block.
Pros:
- Simple way to give your pet extra calcium and vitamins (if he’ll eat it, of course!)
- Helps keep beaks from getting overgrown
- Slowly files down already overgrown beaks
Cons:
- They may mold quickly if they get wet (but Zoo Med does state that they should be replaced if wet)
- May have to break it up for some turtles to eat it (especially younger ones)
Check Prices and Availability
Ready to find out if your box turtle likes the Tortoise Calcium Block? Check out these retailers to see if it’s in stock.
- Pet Mountain had the Tortoise Block on sale the day we visited.
- Or shop Amazon for your Tortoise Block.