Beak Length

capedthespian

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I recently was given another, fairly large, male Russian. I have already trimmed his overgrown toenails back a bit, but what really concerns me is his beak. At this point is it too long for me to file, and if it isn't how much beak should remain? ImageUploadedByTortForum1390155909.136671.jpg
(He isn't housed with the sulcata hatchling or the other Russian anymore, that was for a very short time)
 
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wellington

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That beak is way too long. I would take him to a reptile vet, that knows what they are dong and have them trim it. Then you can keep it filed down from there. Also, feeding them on ruff slate or rock helps to keep it filed
 

tortoise5643

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That looks like 2 Russians and a sulcata to me. You should not mix species for fear of disease spreading. And you shouldn't put a baby in with adults anyway because of bullying by the bigger one. Baby sulcatas need high humidity and warmth. And the new Russian should be separate from any other ones for at least 1 month to ensure it is healthy. And after that, the 2 Russians probably won't get along but they could. Sorry about all that but if I were you I would separate all 3 of those tortoises immediately.
 

Yvonne G

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tortoise5643 said:
That looks like 2 Russians and a sulcata to me. You should not mix species for fear of disease spreading. And you shouldn't put a baby in with adults anyway because of bullying by the bigger one. Baby sulcatas need high humidity and warmth. And the new Russian should be separate from any other ones for at least 1 month to ensure it is healthy. And after that, the 2 Russians probably won't get along but they could. Sorry about all that but if I were you I would separate all 3 of those tortoises immediately.

She mentioned in her post that she doesn't keep them together anymore.
 

tortoise5643

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Re: RE: Beak Length

Yvonne G said:
tortoise5643 said:
That looks like 2 Russians and a sulcata to me. You should not mix species for fear of disease spreading. And you shouldn't put a baby in with adults anyway because of bullying by the bigger one. Baby sulcatas need high humidity and warmth. And the new Russian should be separate from any other ones for at least 1 month to ensure it is healthy. And after that, the 2 Russians probably won't get along but they could. Sorry about all that but if I were you I would separate all 3 of those tortoises immediately.

She mentioned in her post that she doesn't keep them together anymore.

Yep. Sorry op. Didn't notice that. Sorry about that and sorry if I offended you. I should read better next time.
 

turtlegirl13

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The beak is very long! I would buy some special calcium treats for your tort that also helps with filing down the beak as they chew and it helps with the nails if it scratches the chew. They are called "cuddle bones" for tortoises and they have them at PerSmart and most natural pet stores! :) If that doesn't work buy a pet file for a large dog, they are used for dog nails but work great on tortoise beaks! Hope that helped! :)
 

capedthespian

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How do I help him relax long enough to hold his head out? He's fairly shy, and it's possibly from his previous owners but I really have no idea.
 

Ryongsyong

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capedthespian said:
How do I help him relax long enough to hold his head out? He's fairly shy, and it's possibly from his previous owners but I really have no idea.

You could try hand-feeding him as well from time-to-time. Generally they're most susceptible to human interaction if food's involved in some way and they think they'll get something out of it :). It's a gradual process, but over time they grow to learn that when that big lumbering thing with the long wavy bits is around then food will sometimes appear, so they become less worried about their head being out during close contact, because they want to make sure they can snatch the food once it appears!

Having said that, it's highly unlikely they'll ever get to the point where they'll willingly hold their head out for their beak to be filed down, so it's better to either get a vet to do it for you or just make sure they get lots of contact with hard surfaces so that it wears down on its own.
 

MaddieGA

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TRIM IT! It's for his safety. A good way to keep the beak at a good measure is to give it carrots sliced diagonally
 
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