local desert tortoises routinely visit caliche mines for pur-poses of mineral supp ementation. Osteophagy in desert tortoises has been observed in both wild animals and captives. Tortoises ingest small whole bones from carrion and gnaw on weathered bones

2012年3月24日 · It's also very likely that your tortoise is gnawing at larger stones in an attempt to bite some off for mineral purposes. It's doubtful that tortoises make a conscientious effort to keep their beaks trimmed.

2013年5月22日 · Another possibility is that it just naturally wants to gnaw on things to trim its beak. A third possibility is that it wants the fiber in the wood, although the food you're offering seems to have a good amount of fiber for a Russian. Finally, a fourth possibility is that she might be craving the fungi growing on those pieces of wood.

Tortoises sometimes eat rocks and stones to make up for a mineral deficiency in the their diets. It might be that they mistake rocks for actual food; other times they just want to explore and seek new stimuli.

2022年9月14日 · Wild tortoises eat small stones, rocks, or pebbles due to a deficiency in their diet or routine. Although it’s a normal compulsion, eating rocks isn’t beneficial or safe for tortoises. Even if the tortoise isn’t harmed initially, its health can be jeopardized over the long term.

2019年7月23日 · Your tortoises should be eating primarily broad leaf weeds of the right types with some leaves and flowers mixed in. If you must use grocery store greens, they will need to be amended to add fiber and calcium. Fiber can be added by mixing in some soaked ZooMed Grassland tortoise food, soaked blended grass hay, or freshly sprouted grass.

There are several reasons why tortoises get bladder stones, such as periods of dehydration or nutritional imbalances. Sometimes, the causes are linked with underlying diseases. Thankfully bladder stones can be removed through surgery. Just like any other pet, tortoises are prone to certain health conditions.

Furthermore, tortoises are sometimes so keen to ingest calcium that they'll swallow stones and even take mouthfuls of calcium-rich soils. This has been documented for wild Desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii* in the Mojave Desert (Esque & Peters 1994) …

2023年11月9日 · Tortoises have a slow metabolic rate, and their digestive systems have evolved to handle tough plant material. By ingesting stones, they can effectively grind their food into smaller particles, making it easier to digest. The stones act as gastroliths, helping to break down the plant matter and aiding in the absorption of nutrients.

2022年6月20日 · I'm afraid that lots of tortoises will eat stones -- especially small white ones. There are theories that this means they are lacking something like calcium in their diet, but there are also theories that they are just testing different components in their substrate, and that a few pebbles aid in digestion (I don't believe the last one myself).