Beak too long? need an expert opinion!

Russian Rehab

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Hello all im new to the forum and Harley is my first tortoise!
He was badly neglected in his last home so i have my hands full rehabilitating him.
i was hopping you all could help me judge his beak.
i had it trimmed once already because he couldn't even eat properly when i got him but do you think it may need more? upload_2018-7-17_9-21-40.pngupload_2018-7-17_9-22-7.png
 

daniellenc

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It's a bit long but if he can eat fine just get a slate tile to feed him on. It will shave it down naturally a bit. You can also use human nail clippers and take a few millimeters off yourself.
 

Russian Rehab

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he actually has a cuttle bone and a large slate tile to eat from and lots of different textures of rocks in his enclosure but he is still getting his strength back up.

he does not show interest in any of the enrichment features or exploring much as of right now but he is getting more energetic about eating each day which i take as a good sign. poor guy has been threw a lot.

i think for now if his beak is still a bit long and he cant address it on his own i might bring him back to the vet for another trim. it might be good to get him checked again and see if he put on any wait also. I really want to do everything right for him. he suffered really badly in his past home and i just want him to have everything he needs so he can be happy and healthy. he deserves it!
 

wellington

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I agree a tad long but if he is eating I would leave it. The stress of a vet isn't going to be a happy place for him. Most vets are not too good on treating tortoises. They can sometimes do more harm then good.
If you pop us some pics of the enclosure we can help make any needed adjustments. Do you have an outdoor enclosure for him for warm months? That will be the very best for him. Also don't chop up his food, let him rip at it will help his beak. Grazing outside will too.
 

DARKFIRE007

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This is an issue for me as well, it is not bad but it needs a trim. He avoids cuttlebone altogether and the thought of forcing clippers on him doesn't sit well with me, especially since I am not known for a steady hand. Slate has done me no good after 3 months of trying, so I guess I will have it done at a vet. Personally I think slate is a waste of time.
 

Russian Rehab

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I agree a tad long but if he is eating I would leave it. The stress of a vet isn't going to be a happy place for him. Most vets are not too good on treating tortoises. They can sometimes do more harm then good.
If you pop us some pics of the enclosure we can help make any needed adjustments. Do you have an outdoor enclosure for him for warm months? That will be the very best for him. Also don't chop up his food, let him rip at it will help his beak. Grazing outside will too.



thanks for the food tip! i would LOVE more advice on how to make him happy and healthy!
i built him his table. it is 2 feet by 4 feet and i have plans of adding a ramp and second level to give a bit more space. i would love to go bigger but unfortunately im in a studio apartment. and right now i cant make any more room. ill post some pics of the space and if you have any ideas of what to add or take away to make the most of the space that would be super helpful.



i
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that log he is on top of his his humid hide and on the side you cannot see i have a terracotta pot next to the basking light for his warm dry hide . the light is a combo UVA UVB and the heat and i have a second UVB UVB without much heat over the rest of the table.

he never seems to want to go in his water dish ...do you think the dish is not right?

Thanks for your help! i want to make sure he has a good life from now on ...the poor thing has been threw a lot.
 

Russian Rehab

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oh and he is only in the dish in that pic because i put him in there. lol
 

Russian Rehab

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This is an issue for me as well, it is not bad but it needs a trim. He avoids cuttlebone altogether and the thought of forcing clippers on him doesn't sit well with me, especially since I am not known for a steady hand. Slate has done me no good after 3 months of trying, so I guess I will have it done at a vet. Personally I think slate is a waste of time.

Yeah the slate does nothing for Harley beak so far but it has helped his nails! something to keep in mind if you were thinking of tanking it out. as for the vet the first time i took him i especially asked for someone who had trimmed beaks before and it went great the second time i got a newbie and he got stressed and pulled on and they couldn't even manage to trim it at all. If you go the vet root i would recommend asking for someone with experience beaks trimming is harder than it looks apparently.
 

jUMPSu1t

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What is Harley sitting in in that pic with the food bowl? The diet may have something to do with it—soft foods make sissy tortoises, as my vet says. Put in lots of firm dandelion stalks; that should wear it down.
 

Yvonne G

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If it were my tortoise I would take the toe nail clippers and, using the edge of the clippers, take a small bite out of that beak, starting at one side and clip, clip, clipping around to the other side. Don't try to take a full bite with the clippers, just a tiny triangular bite with the edge of the clippers.
 

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