Product Description

WARNING: THESE ARE NOT FOOD FOR PEOPLE OR VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 

One cuttlebone   (6 to 8")

 Our cuttlebones have been sun bleached, desalinated, and polished by hand. They are safe for your invertebrate animals to eat.  They will provide calcium to not only your insects, but your animals that eat them.

We offer them to our isopods as a source of calcium so they can breed and grow strong and healthily. 

People that feed mealworms to growing birds and reptiles can set a cuttlebone in their mealworms at room temperature to increase the available calcium in the mealworms to their animals. The worms will eat the cuttlebone and store lots of available calcium.

What are these? 

These are the skeleton of the cuttlefish, they have been used for centuries to provide a dietary supplement for caged birds. 

Cuttlebones are formed from primarily of aragonite, a crystal structure formed primarily from calcium carbonate.

Can aquatic invertebrates eat them?

Yes, they do float so you will need to weigh them down with a rock or plant. Snails and shrimp will devour them and aid in the formation of snail shells.  Baby snails will seek them out.

What type of calcium are cuttlefish bones made of?

Cuttlefish bone is rich in calcium as they are over 90% calcium carbonate. They contain 4.8% protein with magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. They contain trace amounts of minerals like iron and zinc [1].

References:

[1] : K U Henggu 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 718 012034