Broken beak

[Ogreta99]

Hello,
I have a Russian desert tortoise, she's 22 years old and just yesterday she broke her beak on her dish...she bit the edge of the dish and cracked her top and bottom beak her bottom jaw looks weird now and it almost looks like it's wider then the top which is odd cause I didn't notice that till she broke it of
I'm worried cause I have never seen her do that before and I'm not sure what to do!!!
Please help!!
Thank you

 

[Jordan67]

Have you got a picture?

 

[laney]

Pics would definitely help to see how bad it is x

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ogreta99, and welcome to the Forum!!

If your tortoise is the one in your avatar picture, then I'm afraid your tortoise is probably suffering from being in the house too much. Is there any chance at all that it can get outside occasionally for some real sunshine? what kind of light are you using? And do you put any calcium on the food occasionally?

There's nothing to be done about a broken beak. You just have to wait until it grows out. You might have a vet do some filing, just to help it grow correctly.

 

[Ogreta99]

Hello,
I have a Russian desert tortoise, she's 22 years old and just yesterday she broke her beak on her dish...she bit the edge of the dish and cracked her top and bottom beak her bottom jaw looks weird now and it almost looks like it's wider then the top which is odd cause I didn't notice that till she broke it of
I'm worried cause I have never seen her do that before and I'm not sure what to do!!!
Please help!!
Thank you

I have changed her home since the picture. I live in Calgary, Canada and unfortunately we have winter for a long time here but she does spend most of our summer outside. She gets calcium sprinkled on her food and I have Uvb dayligts bulb in her tank, she has the coconut substrate in her terrarium and a slate with a heat pad. She is usually pretty good using it on her nails and she eats her greens off of it too.

 

[Jordan67]

Aww poor thing, personally I think that will just have to heal itself but you could try taking it to a vet to get their opinion.

 

[Ogreta99]

Yeah I think I might, it just our reptile vet the one and only we have doesn't know much about Russian desert, she had to do some research before she could see her. But I think just to be safe I'll have her checked. Last time she was seen by the vet I was told that she's got a bit of calcium deficiency but I've been giving her calcium for 22 years and I just don't know what else to do to increase it. I wish I lived in a climate that allowed her to be outside but that's not an option. Her terrarium is placed toward the window so she could get some natural light but that's through glass so not sure how much she's actually getting.
When I first got her 22 years ago we didn't have interned so all my reaserch was done from books and I have been learning new things about her ever since so there's been a constant change, I just hope now I can get her back to ideal health and she can live for many more years to come

 

[theelectraco]

I personally think it should be trimmed, party based on cosmetic issues and party because it looks awkward for your tortoise to eat.

 

[Ogreta99]

I personally think it should be trimmed, party based on cosmetic issues and party because it looks awkward for your tortoise to eat.

Thank you, I just never knew that I had to trim it and neither did the vet, I guess we don't have a lot of Russian desert tortoises here in Calgary, so I appreciate all the info I can get

 

[Yvonne G]

After seeing the latest picture, it is very obvious that the lower beak is grossly overgrown. I don't think you have anything to worry about the broken off part, because it was too long to start with and needed to break off.

A tortoise's beak should meet - top to bottom - so that he can bite off his food. It should be just like your teeth are...the top teeth come down and sit on top of the bottom teeth. Maybe you can see it in this picture:

In the wild a tortoise's beak wouldn't need to be trimmed because he bites off his food as he grazes. In captivity we tend to think he needs his food cut up for him, and sometimes we feed him foods that are too soft.

 

[Holycow]

"Her terrarium is placed toward the window so she could get some natural light but that's through glass so not sure how much she's actually getting."

Just a quick note about UV. A single razor thin layer of glass filters out basically ALL of the UV which would be helpful for D3/calcium synthesis. The animal will still bask because of the suns radiant heat (feels warm). But don't count on anything more from it than that. It's all about getting the bulbs that produce the proper spectrum (and replacing them when they start to wear out). the good news is you must be doing things right if the animal is 22 years old... and in Canada!
Good Luck.
--Jeff

 

[Ogreta99]

"Her terrarium is placed toward the window so she could get some natural light but that's through glass so not sure how much she's actually getting."

Just a quick note about UV. A single razor thin layer of glass filters out basically ALL of the UV which would be helpful for D3/calcium synthesis. The animal will still bask because of the suns radiant heat (feels warm). But don't count on anything more from it than that. It's all about getting the bulbs that produce the proper spectrum (and replacing them when they start to wear out). the good news is you must be doing things right if the animal is 22 years old... and in Canada!
Good Luck.
--Jeff

Thanks I will get her a new light and I'm in the process of redesigning her home, I also learned that cattle bone is a good thing for her so I'll go get some of that too
She's my baby I had her since she was the size of my pinky finger which is why her name is Pinky
Thank you so much for all the feedback from everyone