# sulcatas sick :(



## antonio650 (Oct 3, 2012)

I gave a 1 1/2 year old sulcata. When i got him he did not have a beak so i have to chop his food very finely. His toenails on his right foot have gotten crooked. Does anybody know how to fix these 2 problems?


----------



## Yvonne G (Oct 3, 2012)

How did your sulcata come to be in this shape? Can we see a picture?

I know that in box turtles, one of the first signs of MBD (metabolic bone disease) is crooked toenails. Sounds like you need to start feeding your tortoise some calcium-rich foods. But all the calcium in the world won't work unless the tortoise also gets some vitamin d from the sun.


----------



## mainey34 (Oct 3, 2012)

May we see pictures?


----------



## Alan RF (Oct 3, 2012)

Awww bless-will bump this for someone who might know


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 3, 2012)

how do i upload pictures?


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 3, 2012)

i keep him in a wooden tortoise enclosure 4 by 3 feet. i feed him grassland tortoise diet. he has a uv lamp and heat lamp that run during the day and a heating pad that runs all the time. he has a box that he can go into for shelter. there is a water dish. and i soak him 2 or 3 times a week. he has a rock that is wrapped in t shirts and thats where his food is. the t shirts allow him to climb up there. his substrate is a white towel. am i doing anything wrong? any tips?


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 6, 2012)

*sulcata beak*

Hey, my sulcatas beak FELL OFF about a year ago. and ever since his beak has been growing deformed. instead of growing up, it grows down and i still have to chop his food very finely


----------



## mainey34 (Oct 6, 2012)

This picture is hard to see. I'm going to bump you to see if someone has answers


----------



## turtletania (Oct 6, 2012)

Can you post a clearer picture?

I use tinypic.com.... after you upload it will give you a code. You can just copy the code for forums and paste it directly into this reply section.


----------



## l0velesly (Oct 6, 2012)

I don't think it's possible for a tortoise's beak to fall off unless it bit on something really hard or an accident happened. 
I think you should change the substrate to coconut coir or something more natural. Try soaking at least once a day. I suggest you change the diet as well. Feed him natural dark leafy greens (like spring mix).


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

No, his top beak completely fell off. And a few months later, his bottom beak totally fell off. Now his beak is deformed. What should I do


----------



## mainey34 (Oct 7, 2012)

I would say something is wrong. Have you seen a herp. Vet?


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

Not recently I'm broke


----------



## mainey34 (Oct 7, 2012)

Can you post another pic like the one you posted but maybe a little farther away?


----------



## NinjaTortoises (Oct 7, 2012)

Ouch Well all this isnt good, what you could do is let it get some sun daily and feed it some mazuri or romaine lettuce or whatever the people on here say to feed him and soak him and mist him daily and if you could buy cuttle bone for it, it would help, and hopefully he gets better btw cuttle bone isnt expensive


----------



## turtletania (Oct 7, 2012)

Please be careful with cuttlebone, especially if your little one cant see - he/she might bite near a sharp bit which could hurt more.


----------



## Laura (Oct 7, 2012)

calcium, sunshine? humidity? more soakings..


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

can anybody tell me whats wrong with his beak?


----------



## BowandWalter (Oct 7, 2012)

I'm no expert but it looks burned, could he have bumped something hot?


----------



## NinjaTortoises (Oct 7, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> can anybody tell me whats wrong with his beak?



I wish i could help you there, if there is no exposed tissue or blood then it has to grow back in just like hair and nails, i have no idea if there is a way to file it lol but that is probably too much and it will hurt it most likely, it mightve bitten somehting hard multiple times and weakened the beak and it just finally fell off, but you said he is eating so that must not be much of an issue


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

no, it fell off. it isnt burnt thats just a little extra food. it FELL off. what should i do!


----------



## NinjaTortoises (Oct 7, 2012)

Well the vet is not an option, but if he is eating and defecating normally and drinking water then he should be fine, the beak is growing everyday and it should be healthy soon


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

it grows. but it does not grow right. it grows downward and it not growing upwards and sharp. i have to cut it sometimes or it grows too far down. how do i get it to grow up?


and it has been growing deformed for over a year. i am at a loss for how to make it grow to a normal beak


----------



## Laura (Oct 7, 2012)

your husbandry might be part of the problem... he is pyramided, and probably has a deficiency of some sort.. what is the regular diet? he is small.... how much does he eat? warm? water? sunshine?


----------



## NinjaTortoises (Oct 7, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> it grows. but it does not grow right. it grows downward and it not growing upwards and sharp. i have to cut it sometimes or it grows too far down. how do i get it to grow up?
> 
> 
> and it has been growing deformed for over a year. i am at a loss for how to make it grow to a normal beak





Hmm tough one im stumped on how to make it grow back the correct way, maybe something is impeding it from growing correctly or maybe it just wants to grow that way though i hope its just a temporary problem, btw i have told that heating rocks are extremely bad, but i dont know if its the same with heating pads, ill look for a solution here, and does he use a coil light bulb or a regular bulb?




Laura said:


> your husbandry might be part of the problem... he is pyramided, and probably has a deficiency of some sort.. what is the regular diet? he is small.... how much does he eat? warm? water? sunshine?



Yea this too but hes new and at its good hes come here for help  i wouldve had crazy pyramided tortoises if it werent for this site lol so i dont blame him for not knowing


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

i keep him in a cement mixer. i feed him grassland tortoise food, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, and cactus with a calcium supplement on top about 3 days a week. he has a heating pad which is under the substrate (coconut coir bricks). i have a uv bulb that runs 12 hours as well as the regular heating bulb that runs 12 hours. the heating pad always runs. he has recently been getting lots of sunlight. he has a shelter and a rock that he can climb up on and sunbathe. it is about a 4 foot long a 2 foot wide box he is in. any ideas or any tips?


can anybody just tell me the ideal diet for a sulcata, the ideal enclosure and temps. and the ideal way to raise them. he is a little smaller then the size of my palm and he is a little over 1 1/2 years old. is this a normal size?


----------



## NinjaTortoises (Oct 7, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> i keep him in a cement mixer. i feed him grassland tortoise food, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, and cactus with a calcium supplement on top about 3 days a week. he has a heating pad which is under the substrate (coconut coir bricks). i have a uv bulb that runs 12 hours as well as the regular heating bulb that runs 12 hours. the heating pad always runs. he has recently been getting lots of sunlight. he has a shelter and a rock that he can climb up on and sunbathe. it is about a 4 foot long a 2 foot wide box he is in. any ideas or any tips?



To me that doesnt sound all that bad at all, the food might be bad though, broccoli has too much protein that causes pyramiding and idk a carrots or the grassland diet, but ive seen people say they use the grassland diet and sometimes carrots so its probably good, too much veggies i dont think theyre good, and well if i were you i would let the beak grow and let the bad stuff grow out, eventually it should grow in right and that might take a while. as long as it eats and drinks water and defecates daily then you have nothing to worry about bud


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 7, 2012)

he is a little bit smaller then my palm and he is about 1 1/2 years old. is that a good size for a sulcata of that age?


----------



## LuckysGirl007 (Oct 7, 2012)

I hope someone here comes along that can help you and this poor little one.


He is quite small for that age.


----------



## NinjaTortoises (Oct 7, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> he is a little bit smaller then my palm and he is about 1 1/2 years old. is that a good size for a sulcata of that age?



I have one who is 1 year old and is still not bigger than my palm and you look like a bigger guy so you might have big hands like me and it will still look small, it could be female also and even though its still small it could be that its just a small one lol


----------



## sibi (Oct 7, 2012)

In addition to his beck, I also think he's a bit small for being 1 1/2 years old. You say you soak him 2-3 times a week. I would soak him daily, perhaps even two times a day. In one of his warm soaks, I would put powder calcium and a jar of squash baby food. Let him soak in it for 30 minutes. Also, there's nothing like letting your tort get direct sunlight--not through a window, but outside daily, if possible. That will help him absorb the calcium; otherwise, feeding him calcium would be of no use w/o uv lights or direct sunlight. Concerning the beak, I would get to a vet who handles torts asap. Your tort is probably not eating enough because of this problem. Keep us posted.


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 8, 2012)

he eats fine it just sucks that i have to chop his food up everyday, but i am willing to do it. is there a way i can make him grow? he gets a TON of sunligh on the weekends and about 30 - 60 minutes during the weekday. what would the calcium and the squash baby food do?


----------



## princessdreamsxxx (Oct 8, 2012)

Did you say the toenails are deformed? Or is it just the beak?


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 8, 2012)

the toenails on its right foot are crooked. and its beak is deformed


----------



## WinterDB (Oct 8, 2012)

This is absolutely heartbreaking to see..

I hope someone on here can give you a sure answer..


----------



## diaboliqueturtle (Oct 8, 2012)

I don't know sulcatas so I can't help unfortunately. But I do wanna say thank you. Really. Thank you for caring so much about your little buddy. A lot of animals are discarded for much less. It shows great character that you're willing to do what it takes to make sure he can eat without too much discomfort.
I don't doubt that you know he needs to see a vet. I don't know where you live but me in Canada, a vet visit is only $64, not too expensive and oh so worth it. At the very least it'll give you an idea as to where to go from here. So he eats and goes to the bathroom, that's good, very good, I think you both have good chances of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. 
Good luck to you and keep us updated, we do care and are all hoping for a full recovery.


----------



## cristal redfoot (Oct 8, 2012)

diaboliqueturtle said:


> I don't know sulcatas so I can't help unfortunately. But I do wanna say thank you. Really. Thank you for caring so much about your little buddy. A lot of animals are discarded for much less. It shows great character that you're willing to do what it takes to make sure he can eat without too much discomfort.
> I don't doubt that you know he needs to see a vet. I don't know where you live but me in Canada, a vet visit is only $64, not too expensive and oh so worth it. At the very least it'll give you an idea as to where to go from here. So he eats and goes to the bathroom, that's good, very good, I think you both have good chances of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
> Good luck to you and keep us updated, we do care and are all hoping for a full recovery.



:,)


----------



## princessdreamsxxx (Oct 8, 2012)

How long have you had the tortoise? And when you picked it up did it have any of these signs or has this all happened since you have had the tortoise? Did the beak fall off in one go or could you see the beak detaching over time? What colour would you say is the skin just back from where the beak would have been and the colour if the all over skin generally? There is a reason for these questions so as much info would be great


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 8, 2012)

I have had the tortoise 1 year and 7 months. When I got him he had a beak and seemed to be healthy. I didn't really notice the beak falling off. I just checked him one morning and it was totally off. A few weeks after was when his bottom beak fell off. The skin on his head is a light tannish color almost like a very lit brown. His beak is deformed and his head is all the same color. I hope that answered your questions


----------



## princessdreamsxxx (Oct 8, 2012)

From the housing point of view you have is not bad at all and would not cause in my opinion this to happen unless without seeing it for myself the cleanliness of it could be an issue harbouring mould etc within the substrate it sounds like a blood disorder/ infection as it is attacking the nails aswell the same as we get fungal infections in our nails etc... The calcium intake will need to be higher at the moment but blood could be carrying something which would need testing and is not too costly!! Otherwise you will start to get other deformities due to having to walk differently having the tie nails distorted which will lead to deformed legs as the tortoise is still young and growing and the tortoise will feed tilting the head in different angles to compensate for no beak this could lead to a habbit the tortoise will get as he will learn this is the way to eat if the blood supply can be sorted the beak and nails will start to grow they are getting deformed from the blood supply not being good enough the same as if you damage a finger nail it will re grow if you are healthy and fit but if you say he has had no accident it can not be damaged from the nail bed so the blood supply is what needs sorting if you leave this and the platelets are not right in the blood it can lead to other problems years later attacking the organs it could have all led from a fungal infection that you may have not even seen and as it was in the housing it has affected all the nails and beak the same as if we get a nail infection it spreads! The beak will be first as he eats and the mouth contains an open blood supply when he opens it to eat the tie nails will take longer my advice is to clean all the housing using a veto nary disinfectant not bleach! And just simply place newspaper in the house and change it everyday soak the tortoise in f10 so he drinks the fluid and it will also clean any infection and take him to the vet and just ask for bloods let the tortoise go in the garden as much as possible but hose it down the area he walks on as you should not keep tortoises on paper for too long it causes their legs to work harder as they can't grip but this will be fine for a few months wash all food and clean everything thoroughly using f10 or a veto nary disinfectant do not clean using washing liquid we use or dishwashers hope this helps


----------



## princessdreamsxxx (Oct 9, 2012)

Also try adding a tiny amount of cod liver oil for cats and dogs to the feed for a while as this will help with the shell, nails and beak and movement but this is up to you of course please let me know how you get on


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 9, 2012)

ok thanks guys. i make sure his substrate is not very moist. and it sure isnt dirty because i clean it daily. i have been feeding him spring mix with calmcium every day and i think i will be getting some Mazuri soon. can you give me a price estimate on blood work?


----------



## wellington (Oct 9, 2012)

This tortoise needs to see a vet. I don't think there is anything that anyone can tell you to do to correct this. If he has not been attacked by something, dog, etc, then it has to be something internally that is causing this. VET ASAP Good luck. Hope he recovers, but keep in mind, it will probably be quite a while, lots of care and no guarantees it will improve.


Read the threads at the bottom of my post. They are a great way to raise a sulcata. If I were you, I would set him up exactly as in the threads below. Get him to a vet, run blood and deff. check your temps. Your enclosure sounds like it could be very hot with all the heat you have going on for a small enclosure. Do you know your temps and humdity? 95-100 basking only, 80 all over except basking and that's with 80% humidity. Get him outside as much as possible. The vet in my opinion is the first thing that should be done, days ago. Good luck.


----------



## Blakem (Oct 9, 2012)

Another option is to surrender him to a reptile rescue (hopefully a local one). They can pay for him to go to the vet, get the services needed, and get taken care of. I do not know if you could get the little one back though. Unless, you show that you have the proper funds, husbandry, and time to help this little one. Just think if the life of your sulcata. You would rather he live then die and you feel terrible, right? You live, you learn sometimes! Glad you found the forum. Good luck to you.


----------



## sibi (Oct 9, 2012)

I'm afraid that Tom is correct here. This baby needs to see a vet asap. Something is going on and all the care and food in the world may not get to the root of this problem. I suggested a warm bath with baby food squash and/or calcium powder because it can absorb the nutrients through the body. But if he's eating fine and getting all his needs met, then the only thing left is to take him to the vet so they can do some blood work. Something made his beak fall off...you need to get answers. Sometimes, vets will let you pay small installments at a time. Explain your situation to the vet and I'm sure they'll work something out for you.


----------



## wellington (Oct 9, 2012)

sibi said:


> I'm afraid that Tom is correct here. This baby needs to see a vet asap. Something is going on and all the care and food in the world may not get to the root of this problem. I suggested a warm bath with baby food squash and/or calcium powder because it can absorb the nutrients through the body. But if he's eating fine and getting all his needs met, then the only thing left is to take him to the vet so they can do some blood work. Something made his beak fall off...you need to get answers. Sometimes, vets will let you pay small installments at a time. Explain your situation to the vet and I'm sure they'll work something out for you.



Not that Tom wouldn't have the right answers, but I wouldn't want to put words in his mouth. The suggestions were not from Tom, but me Wellington/Barb. The threads I suggested reading are deff Toms. Thank you on behave of Tom and I though. Im sure he would mind me saying Thank you for him


----------



## shellysmom (Oct 9, 2012)

Hmmmm.... very strange. You said he has _recently_ been getting a lot of sunshine, but what about before? I know you said he has a UV light, but if I remember correctly, the bulbs on those things are only good for 6 months. So... if you were using a bad bulb for a while, and he wasn't getting natural sunlight, either, that may have caused his beak to fall off. And the reason it's not growing back properly is because there's some permanent underlying deformity there. I rescued a box turtle that had no source of UV for a long time, and his jaws & beak were permanently deformed. After time it got much better, but was never really normal again. That's my guess. I'm sending you a PM about vet help.


----------



## sibi (Oct 9, 2012)

Oops...sorry Wellington/Barb. You and Tom are one of the most knowledgeable people on this forum...sometimes I get you two confused. But, you both are certainly welcome.



wellington said:


> sibi said:
> 
> 
> > I'm afraid that Tom is correct here. This baby needs to see a vet asap. Something is going on and all the care and food in the world may not get to the root of this problem. I suggested a warm bath with baby food squash and/or calcium powder because it can absorb the nutrients through the body. But if he's eating fine and getting all his needs met, then the only thing left is to take him to the vet so they can do some blood work. Something made his beak fall off...you need to get answers. Sometimes, vets will let you pay small installments at a time. Explain your situation to the vet and I'm sure they'll work something out for you.
> ...


----------



## wellington (Oct 9, 2012)

Oops...sorry Wellington/Barb. You and Tom are one of the most knowledgeable people on this forum...sometimes I get you two confused. But, you both are certainly welcome.

Thank you for the great praise. However, It does fit Tom. It doesn't fit me. I only know what I have learned on this forum. From the great older members of this forum like Tom, that was so much help to me last year when I got my first tortoise and had all the worried tort mom questions. I appreciate them and this forum so much, I want to try and help others the best I can from what I learned. I strive to one day be as knowledgeable as all them.


----------



## LuckysGirl007 (Oct 9, 2012)

wellington said:


> Oops...sorry Wellington/Barb. You and Tom are one of the most knowledgeable people on this forum...sometimes I get you two confused. But, you both are certainly welcome.
> 
> Thank you for the great praise. However, It does fit Tom. It doesn't fit me. I only know what I have learned on this forum. From the great older members of this forum like Tom, that was so much help to me last year when I got my first tortoise and had all the worried tort mom questions. I appreciate them and this forum so much, I want to try and help others the best I can from what I learned. I strive to one day be as knowledgeable as all them.



Web I grow up I wanna e...like Tom! 


Ok...that was horrible. My phone didn't show my text. 

"When I grow up I wanna be like Tom!"


----------



## TortoiseBoy1999 (Oct 9, 2012)

LuckysGirl007 said:


> Web I grow up I wanna e...like Tom!
> 
> 
> Ok...that was horrible. My phone didn't show my text.
> ...





ROFL!


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 10, 2012)

shellysmom said:


> Hmmmm.... very strange. You said he has _recently_ been getting a lot of sunshine, but what about before? I know you said he has a UV light, but if I remember correctly, the bulbs on those things are only good for 6 months. So... if you were using a bad bulb for a while, and he wasn't getting natural sunlight, either, that may have caused his beak to fall off. And the reason it's not growing back properly is because there's some permanent underlying deformity there. I rescued a box turtle that had no source of UV for a long time, and his jaws & beak were permanently deformed. After time it got much better, but was never really normal again. That's my guess. I'm sending you a PM about vet help.


 ]

Thank you soooo much, i look forward to hearing more about this. PM me back for more info on vets and such. I am so thankful, I look forward to hearing back from you


----------



## shellysmom (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, I know this tortoise saw a vet this past Saturday, but I have no idea what the diagnosis was. I'm hoping antonio will come back online and tell us.


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 24, 2012)

the vet gave me 10 shots of Fortaz. this is because the vet thinks he has some sort of bacteria in his blood and the shots will clean out the bacteria. they shaved his beak so it can grow properly and i have to take him in everywhere 3 months to get it shaved back. hopefully it will grow to be normal. i also have to give the vet a fecal sample to check for worms


----------



## shellysmom (Oct 24, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> the vet gave me 10 shots of Fortaz. this is because the vet thinks he has some sort of bacteria in his blood and the shots will clean out the bacteria. they shaved his beak so it can grow properly and i have to take him in everywhere 3 months to get it shaved back. hopefully it will grow to be normal. i also have to give the vet a fecal sample to check for worms



Sounds great!  Well done!


----------



## Cowboy_Ken (Oct 24, 2012)

Antonio, also check to see if you have a local tortoise or reptile club near you. Often times, the combined experience of these clubs is in the hundreds of years and you will be able to hook up with other people with an interest in tortoises.


----------



## diaboliqueturtle (Oct 24, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> the vet gave me 10 shots of Fortaz. this is because the vet thinks he has some sort of bacteria in his blood and the shots will clean out the bacteria. they shaved his beak so it can grow properly and i have to take him in everywhere 3 months to get it shaved back. hopefully it will grow to be normal. i also have to give the vet a fecal sample to check for worms



That's encouraging! Great to hear


----------



## Laura (Oct 24, 2012)

Did you get teh Mazuri? does he like it?


----------



## sibi (Oct 24, 2012)

Glad to hear that he has shots to clear up this potential deadly bacteria in the blood. That's not something to fool around with. Make sure he takes all his shots, and don't forget to get a fecal sample to the vet. He may be battling more than you know. I'm so glad that he's on the road to recovery, though. Please keep us posted on his progress. I'm still very interested in his case.


----------



## antonio650 (Oct 24, 2012)

no. i havent gotten the mazuri yet. he seems to be doing fine. i dont know where to look for a club or an organization near me.


----------



## LuckysGirl007 (Oct 24, 2012)

antonio650 said:


> no. i havent gotten the mazuri yet. he seems to be doing fine. i dont know where to look for a club or an organization near me.



Google it!


----------



## Cowboy_Ken (Oct 24, 2012)

Kingsnake.com has a link for clubs by state. Check it out.


----------



## Watsonpartyof4 (Oct 24, 2012)

LuckysGirl007 said:


> Google it!



The Mazuri is great stuff! My Tyrone had a cracked beak and I feed him Mazuri with chopped up kale, collard, dandelion, and other greens, I make the greens small so he can eat them better. I have to say after doing this for awhile his beak is getting better and isnt cracking further. Try to order some soon a small bag goes a long way!


----------



## lovelyrosepetal (Oct 24, 2012)

Please keep us updated on the health of your tortoise and post pictures! Thanks


I am glad that your tortoise is getting the care it needs. I am also glad that you are here, learning with so many of the rest of us.


----------



## princessdreamsxxx (Oct 25, 2012)

i can see by returning on here that my instincts were right i am so pleased he is doing well and may he live a long and happy life


----------

