I have heard the stories of calcium blocking foods and I know I have listed some above according to other “expert” sites. But let me say this, I have been feeding these types of diets for over ten years now and have yet to ever have a reptile suffer calcium deficiencies in any way. These theories of calcium blocking are based on human standards from the FDA and are not proven to be accurate by any veterinarian studies that I have seen. If fed in moderation and not exclusively these foods will not cause calcium blockage. Are we done now, with that ignorant argument? As a matter of fact if you e-mail me a qualified veterinarian’s report I must be able to verify that the Veterinarian in question is actually practicing or has practiced somewhere for more than a year in the United States. The study must state that specifically within a varied diet that includes vegetables and proteins that the calcium blocking vegetables in proportion to the others included in such a diet will cause a calcium deficiency and I will send the first two people to do so $25 via PayPal. If you want to add a calcium supplement of some kind I would use non treated bird cuttlebone and just let it float around the tank. The turtle will break off pieces itself and eat them.
We have seen that these “cute” little turtles are expensive and when all things are considered I would guess that most people doing the right thing and researching before buying will actually pass and get something else which is probably a good thing. I would rather you purchase a different reptile than buy one on impulse only to have it suffer or worse be released into the wild to fend for itself. While this article is thorough it is not intended to be nor should it be considered the only authority. I would recommend as I always do that you read a book or at least another article about Red Eared Sliders Trachemys scripta elegans before purchasing one. I wrote another such article for Associated Content which if you like to read that one as well you can find it by clicking here.
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