Chipped beak

[Turtleneck123]

Tomas' beak was a little overgrown so I thought putting rocks in his enclosure would help file it down a little bit. Few days ago I saw him biting on a plant saucer and I thought this will help file down his beak. Today I noticed that his beak is a bit chipped on the side and his face seems to be dry with cracks (even though I soak him every other day..., his substrate is coco coir and I keep it moist.)
1.will his beak grow back to normal by itself ? Or is there anything I should do

2. How do I take care of the cracks in on his face?

3. How do I trim/ file his beak? He is a very energetic tortoise and he won't stand still and will scratch me... Are there any tips for getting him to stay still?


Here's a picture of his beak

 

[wellington]

@Yvonne G can help you with this.

 

[Turtleneck123]

Someone helpppp

 

[Crzt4torts]

I have had my vet do all beak filings. If you are not sure and confident in what to do, you should do same. There are videos you can watch if you plan to do this on your own.
Make sure you are well versed if attempting yourself.

 

[Gillian M]

I have had my vet do all beak filings. If you are not sure and confident in what to do, you should do same. There are videos you can watch if you plan to do this on your own.
Make sure you are well versed if attempting yourself.

Suppose there are no vets around, which is the case here in Jordan?

 

[Crzt4torts]

Suppose there are no vets around, which is the case here in Jordan?

Google and U Tube!

 

[Gillian M]

Google and U Tube!

Fair enough but what of visits to vets?

 

[Crzt4torts]

Google and U Tube!

My son managed to learn to do brake and engine work on a car by just googling stuff - seems you can find "how to" info and videos on most everything these days
: )

 

[Crzt4torts]

Fair enough but what of visits to vets?

Hi, not sure what you are asking...if I understand you are saying there are no reptile vets where you are. I would guess then research (like on this site) and other sources are the way to go.
No vets in the wild, hopefully our captive torts have a better chance with us when they are ill than on their own in the wild...and hopefully our captive care is not the cause of any problems, if we do our research well enough.

 

[Gillian M]

Hi, not sure what you are asking...if I understand you are saying there are no reptile vets where you are. I would guess then research (like on this site) and other sources are the way to go.
No vets in the wild, hopefully our captive torts have a better chance with us when they are ill than on their own in the wild...and hopefully our captive care is not the cause of any problems, if we do our research well enough.

Yep. No vets for torts here due to the fact that there is little or no care for animals/pets here. It would be a LOSS. Moreover, torts here live in the wild AND nobody would think of a tort as a pet, here (except me).

 

[Kasia]

Tomas' beak was a little overgrown so I thought putting rocks in his enclosure would help file it down a little bit. Few days ago I saw him biting on a plant saucer and I thought this will help file down his beak. Today I noticed that his beak is a bit chipped on the side and his face seems to be dry with cracks (even though I soak him every other day..., his substrate is coco coir and I keep it moist.)
1.will his beak grow back to normal by itself ? Or is there anything I should do

2. How do I take care of the cracks in on his face?

3. How do I trim/ file his beak? He is a very energetic tortoise and he won't stand still and will scratch me... Are there any tips for getting him to stay still?


Here's a picture of his beak View attachment 184682

Russians are very wiggly creatures. Try to do it bit by bit daily, maybe someone can hold him down while you do the job? Beak will grow back on his own and the cracks will heal or parts that come in way of food will fall of. When the beak is too long they will be more of them because your tort will want to deal with it on his own. Search this forum for beak trimming, there are tons of posts describing tips and tricks of doing the job well Good luck