If your turtles beak is long enough now to cause worry, it is too long now to work to get it trimmed down naturally - it will need to be trimmed professionally by a vet using a dremel or similar equipment. Once that is done, you will need to work to keep the beak trimmed, either occassionally filing or providing a space where the turtle can only eat off a piece of slate block him in to eat on the slate only or remove him from the enclosure and feed elsewhere on the slate and continue to try to supply cuttlebone into the diet.
An overgrown beak can also be the source of rot occurring in the mouth if food gets trapped in the beak area inside the mouth. I have to admit, after reading Boxie Lover's post, I googled 'overgrown beak' and noted that it could be a sign of metabolic bone disease. It is odd considering that the diet you are feeding your turtle sounds right on par. Can you post a picture of the turtle? Most vets should be able to Dremmel down a box turtle beak without putting the turtle under anesthesia.
It's not the most pleasant experience for the box turtle, but it's typically not invasive, and I'm sure anesthesia has it's draw backs, too. In some cases, the vet might want to use some of the dental tools used on the mammals, but that's uncommon. I trim down box turtle beaks on my own with a Dremmel tool when it's a simple case. If it's a very overgrown beak, or an especially hard beak, then it might have to be done in two or three sessions so it doesn't stress out the turtle too much.
You'll also want to make sure the action of the Dremmel doesn't cause the beak to get too hot. I don't know if that can actually happen or not, but I worry about it, because the Dremmel gets pretty warm if it's a really hard beak, so I state it as a precaution, and why I might do it in two or three sessions for tough cases.
I don't have a recent picture. I'll take a few with my phone tonight and post in the morning, as I cannot see a way to post pics from my phone directly onto the forum. Unless I'm missing something? I googled and found this photo. Out of the search results, it most matches what his beak looks like, second photo. He's got a vet appointment monday, but I know he's not going to want to trim it without sedating.
I have some good photos now, but photobucket won't let me upload anything for some reason. It also absorbs the highest amount of fertilizers. IF you must feed lettuce which should only be occasionally , then red leaf lettuce, endive, or escarole is better. You can rotate each week what you get, to help you feed a variety. Maybe get 2 different things each week. Hi Katie- first off, I love your blog! Given the amount of conflicting tortoise information out there, I so appreciate having a trustworthy source.
However, her beak looks different from the pictures you've provided, and it's making me paranoid that I'm not supposed to be trimming or filing it. There are ridge-type things at the end of the beak. It's also a different shape from your pictures more pointy than straight.
It does seem too long though, so I'm not sure what to do. May I email you a picture and get your take? Hi Melissa, thank you for your comment. Regarding your question, there are several different 'styles' of overgrown beaks, depending on what the cause is.
The little points at the front are normal, however, the very front part of the beak can overgrow, and then may need trimming. Please email it to biochemnerd at yahoo dot com no spaces in between - just writing it that way to deter spambots from picking up the email address. Please write "tortoise beak pictures" in the subject line, so I'll easily find it if it ends up in the junk mail folder. Thank you very much for your post.
Gave me the information and confidence I needed to file our Russian Tort's overgrown beak down. I have trimmed dog, cat, bird and iguana nails and have even clipped a birds flight feathers, but had never trimmed a tortoise's beak. Less than 4 minutes of filing and he looks much better already. One more "session" and I think he'll be where he needs to in terms of length. For a 60lb sulcata, you will most likely need to do a beak trim with a Dremel. There is a barrel shaped sanding attachment that works best for this.
One person has to hold the tortoise's head very still, and the other can then sand down an overgrown sully beak. That said, a Dremel tool has the potential to really hurt the tortoise if you slip Ideally, a sulcata wears down his beak naturally, through grazing and biting tough leafy greens We just rescued our cute Sunny girl, she had been living in a 20 gal glass aquarium with a box turtle for 6 years.
Needless to say her beak was a disaster. This page saved us and her. Thank you for help. She even would stick her head out for me to trim it. Lol bathe must have known it would help her eat. My tortoise is 1year old. And her lower jaw skin is shedding. Is it any symptom of illness? It's normal for small amounts of skin to shed from tortoises - they are, after all, reptiles. However, without actually seeing your tortoise, or knowing what you feed, the care routine, the UVB source, etc Soaking your tortoise in lukewarm water about chin deep can help your tortoise shed loose skin.
However, if you are concerned, I suggest you either post pictures on a tortoise forum e. Best of luck! A barking sound is a sign of acute respiratory distress, and not a normal or healthy sound. The fact that his beak is so long he can't easily push his head out means it desperately needs to be trimmed - and is probably beyond what you can do at home.
A vet will have a special tool to hook behind the beak and gently pull the head out, and then trim. If necessary, they probably even have a curved trimmer, so they can do the initial trim while the head is still in the shell, just so that he can get his head out more easily.
Swollen eyes is usually a sign of vitamin A deficiency - but please don't let your vet give any vitamin shots. Those are actually very harmful. Instead, soak your tortoise in a mixture of unsweetened pumpkin purree and water once daily. You can hopefully find a good vet this way. I wish you good luck, and hopefully your tortoise can be helped! It sounds like he was the victim of neglect before he came into your care Hello, I've been able to file down our tortoise's upper beak per your directions, although it is still a bit long.
We've had him about 3 years but he was adopted to us as an adult and it seems like his beak growth has just taken off sped up this last year. Could we be giving him too much TNT supplement minerals from Carolina pet supply for RT's and causing too-quick of growth? I'm nervous to have him sedated! Hi Heather, a good vet, with proper tools a small dull hook tool, and a rubber wedge should be able to trim the lower beak without sedation.
If your vet can't or won't without sedation, that most likely will still be fine though, if there are no other qualified reptile vets in the area. A low dose of sedation merely will help the tortoise relax, rather than pulling into his shell. As far as the cause of the rapid beak growth - there can be multiple causes, but the TNT is not one of them.
What does his shell look like? Are there signs of rapid new growth between the scutes? If the tortoise's whole body is growing too rapidly, then you may be feeding too much. However, the more likely cause may be that you are feeding foods that are too soft, such as grocery store bought lettuces just making a guess. In the wild, the beak gets worn down naturally as the tortoise grazes on tough weeds and greens.
In captivity, beaks don't get worn down as easily. You can help by feeding more weeds and tough foods in the warm season, and in the winter, aiming for the tougher grocery store foods, such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, etc.
I have an African Sulcata that is almost a year old. I was told by the breeder that he was either born in Aug or Sept of He had a green sharpie dot on his back designating him a male ; however, from reading much information since, I have come to understand that it is very difficult to sex a tortoise until they are close to 5 years old. On to my problems.. Wilbur has.. When he chews, his upper beak catches on his lower beak, making a snapping sound.
Not sure if this is normal or not. Problem number two: shortly after I got Wilbur, my momma was holding him. We were at the park. She accidentally dropped him she felt terrible , and one of his 'spurs' broke off his left front leg. I wasn't too worried about it, because he did not act like it bothered him, and he walks on it fine. However, now, several months later, where the spur was, a small, hard, roundish 'thing' has grown in it's place.
If I had to say what it resembled, I would say a tiny little cauliflower. I don't know if I should worry about this or not. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Hi Marci, the new round little growth is just the spur regrowing. It may look a little funky at the beginning - since initially it may be the "scar tissue" version of the spur. But as long as there isn't any sign of infection, it will be fine. I wouldn't recommend a novice to try trimming the lower beak, but you might try filing it with an emery board?
It will likely take multiple sessions, and possibly two people holding Wilbur. Your comment will be visible after moderation. Wednesday, December 12, How to trim a tortoise's beak - with pictures! Tortoises kept in captivity frequently get overgrown beaks, which then need to be trimmed. Many tortoise keepers pay a vet to do this. However, did you know that trimming a tortoise's beak is actually safe and easy enough that you can do this at home? However, because Backwater Reptiles accepts rescue animals, we do often receive turtles and tortoises who need to have this process taken care of right away.
How to trim turtle and tortoise nails Why is it necessary to trim turtle and tortoise nails? This can be accomplished by wrapping the animal in paper towels or a soft towel. If you are trimming the front nails, wrap the back half of the animal firmly but not too hard. Some owners find it useful to place the turtle or tortoise between their thighs while trimming, while others keep the animal on a counter or other hard, torso-height surface.
We have used both methods and we recommend doing whatever feels safest for you as the whole process will run smoother if you are confident in your abilities. Our clipper of choice tends to be either the manicure clippers used by people or the scissor type used on cats and dogs. The speedier you are able to perform the process, the less stress you will cause the animal. The quick of the nail is the portion that still receives blood flow. The corn starch is really just a precautionary measure.
You will only require it if you accidentally trim the nails or claws too close to the quick and cause bleeding. If this occurs, simply dab the tip of the claw in enough corn starch to staunch the bleeding.
Yes, both turtles and tortoises have beaks. If you look at the above tortoise, you can see that its beak is extending down past its jaw and is overgrown. Additionally you can also see its nails are over grown and also need trimming. To help box turtles and tortoises maintain their beak and prevent excessive growth, you can provide them with either cuttlebone or a Zoo Med tortoise block for them to chew on.
These hard items help to wear down the beaks and keep them maintained. You may need to try both out to see which the tortoise prefers. Like us, tortoises have their preferences too. Disclaimer: While you can do it yourself we highly recommend having an expert grind down an overgrown beak.
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