Baby Sulcata tortoises JAW FELL OFF PLEASE HELP

Yvonne G

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Ah, geez. He's too young for the beak to have been overgrown, so I'm thinking he's calcium deficient instead. It will be painful for a time, but, like a fingernail that has broken off too short, it will grow back. May take quite a while. In the meantime, you'll have to cut up his food into tiny bites so he doesn't try to use a beak that isn't there. He can just 'tongue' the food into his mouth. And be sure to feed him calcium-rich foods with a tiny pinch of calcium powder sprinkled over the food two or three times a week. He will also need a GOOD UVB light in order for the calcium to be absorbed into the body.
 

Kyle Gedrose

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Hi guys. so I ended up finding a vet after calling a bunch of people on Veterans Day. With a stroke of luck I found one that had knowledge about tortoises and was working. I had my mom bring her in as I had to go to work. The doctor said that she had a respiratory infection and prescribed some antibiotics. I have to give her one shot a day and I need to feed her with a dropper for a while cus she is unable to chew on anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on feeding her this way. I don’t want to just shove the food down her throat but I want to be sure that she is getting it into her system.
 

Bass.Isles

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Hi guys. so I ended up finding a vet after calling a bunch of people on Veterans Day. With a stroke of luck I found one that had knowledge about tortoises and was working. I had my mom bring her in as I had to go to work. The doctor said that she had a respiratory infection and prescribed some antibiotics. I have to give her one shot a day and I need to feed her with a dropper for a while cus she is unable to chew on anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on feeding her this way. I don’t want to just shove the food down her throat but I want to be sure that she is getting it into her system.

So glad you found help! hope he heals well!
 

Yvonne G

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Yeah, that's all well and good, but what did the vet say about the beak (besides dropper feeding)? Tortoise beaks don't just fall off like that without there being some underlying problem. R.I. doesn't cause a beak to fall off. I'm a little leery of believing a baby tortoise has an R.I. How did he come to that determination? Did he examine some of the mucous under a microscope?

Like I told you in my post above, you're going to have to chop up his food into very tiny bite-sized pieces so that he doesn't have to bite it, and and just use his tongue to get it into his mouth. You really don't want him on a liquid diet (and using a dropper means liquid). He needs to eat fiber.

Personally, I think you need a second opinion.
 

Kyle Gedrose

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Hello. So I went to the vet again today and she came me a different set on antibiotics that I do not need to administer as often and she said they are better than tortoises. Also, she gave me a mixture called emeraid for herbivores and a catheter to administer the food into her mouth. She seems to be doing so much better already after one shot of the antibiotics. When I took her out to eat she was moving so much more from what I’ve seen within the past week. I could barely keep her still! Her food is rich in vitamin a and d and I’m hoping she will soon take a turn for the better. Her jaw seems to be looking a lot better. Before the beak part fell off it Was hanging off so far she was not able to open her mouth or eat anything. I hav not seen anymore blood on or in her mouth since when it first fell off and she is now able to close her mouth fully. At first the inside of her mouth was so swollen that she was not able to close it even after it fell off and I couldn’t even see her tongue. Now I see no swelling. I will keep you updated.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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Hello. So I went to the vet again today and she came me a different set on antibiotics that I do not need to administer as often and she said they are better than tortoises.

Can you please provide us with the names of the antibiotics you and your vet have been giving to your little young one?
 

Kyle Gedrose

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Was this antibiotic used both orally and by injection? It works both ways.
It is in the tetracycline group of antibiotics.

No the doxycycline is injection only. Then I have some powdered emergent care food that I have to administer via oral catheter. Sorry if I was not to clear about that.
 

Bee62

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Hello. So I went to the vet again today and she came me a different set on antibiotics that I do not need to administer as often and she said they are better than tortoises. Also, she gave me a mixture called emeraid for herbivores and a catheter to administer the food into her mouth. She seems to be doing so much better already after one shot of the antibiotics. When I took her out to eat she was moving so much more from what I’ve seen within the past week. I could barely keep her still! Her food is rich in vitamin a and d and I’m hoping she will soon take a turn for the better. Her jaw seems to be looking a lot better. Before the beak part fell off it Was hanging off so far she was not able to open her mouth or eat anything. I hav not seen anymore blood on or in her mouth since when it first fell off and she is now able to close her mouth fully. At first the inside of her mouth was so swollen that she was not able to close it even after it fell off and I couldn’t even see her tongue. Now I see no swelling. I will keep you updated.
When the swelling is gone and she is doing better the antibiotic works. Does she try to eat when you cut the food in really tiny pieces ?
Please try this before you try to feed her with a catheder.
Do you soak the tort in warm water ? You can add baby carrot food to the soaking water. She may drink some water with the carrot food.
 

Kyle Gedrose

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When the swelling is gone and she is doing better the antibiotic works. Does she try to eat when you cut the food in really tiny pieces ?
Please try this before you try to feed her with a catheder.
Do you soak the tort in warm water ? You can add baby carrot food to the soaking water. She may drink some water with the carrot food.

She is more active but I do not think she can eat on her own. She can no bottom beak for biting or chewing anything. I have been blending up carrots in a blender then soaking her in that. Is that as good as the baby food or should i resort to the baby food?
 

Bee62

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She is more active but I do not think she can eat on her own. She can no bottom beak for biting or chewing anything. I have been blending up carrots in a blender then soaking her in that. Is that as good as the baby food or should i resort to the baby food?
Fresh carrots are good too but they must be so smooth as a mash. Mayby you can make a mash of her usual food too ?
 

MysticCaribou

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Hello. So I went to the vet again today and she came me a different set on antibiotics that I do not need to administer as often and she said they are better than tortoises. Also, she gave me a mixture called emeraid for herbivores and a catheter to administer the food into her mouth. She seems to be doing so much better already after one shot of the antibiotics. When I took her out to eat she was moving so much more from what I’ve seen within the past week. I could barely keep her still! Her food is rich in vitamin a and d and I’m hoping she will soon take a turn for the better. Her jaw seems to be looking a lot better. Before the beak part fell off it Was hanging off so far she was not able to open her mouth or eat anything. I hav not seen anymore blood on or in her mouth since when it first fell off and she is now able to close her mouth fully. At first the inside of her mouth was so swollen that she was not able to close it even after it fell off and I couldn’t even see her tongue. Now I see no swelling. I will keep you updated.

Ok - So what about the beak?
 

artthug

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This sounds like complications or a tortoise herpes infection, the first place they manifest is in the mouth. A large percentage of the Florida sourced sulcata have one or more strains of tortoise herpes do to bad breeding and multi-species housing. What the dry skin is probably nutritional kale is not the best thing to be giving to a sulcata as it's high in oxalic acid and will lock out calcium.
 

Lynn1957

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Hello my name is Kyle and about a month ago I got a baby sulcata tortoise. I have all of the right heating and light I know for a fact and I soak her every day in a baby carrot food bath for about 15 to 30 minutes. I’ve been going on this forum continually for constant information. I feet her tortoise pellets blended with grass and calcium and occasionally kale because she loves it. However recently she had stopped eating and I could not figure out why. After that she started not bieng able to close her mouth and I was starting to get very worried because she literally is unable to eat because of it. Soon her bottom jaw became extremely large and swollen and I could not figure out why but today I noticed that her bottom jaw was hanging off by a thread and she is bleeding out of her mouth. Almost her entire jaw has come off and I am so worried and do not know what to do. The large piece that came off looked hollow and there was some puss build up inside of it. I am worried that there is nothing I can do from here. PLEASE HELP.
Don't waste your time looking for on line help! Just GET that baby to the VET today!!!
 

Kyle Gedrose

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Hi guys just an update she is still alive and doing a bit better. It makes since that she could have herpes because she did come from Florida. I got her from myturtlestore.com. She has been needing a feeding tube to eat but I am way to worried about putting it down her windpipe so I just use the tube to squirt the food in her mouth and she usually swallows it by her self. I only have to give her a shot once every three days and that’s good cus I think the shots make her limbs sore cus she starts to walk all funny for a day after. I’m gunna post a picture of her soon so I can get some of your opinions on how she looks.
 
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