Does my tortoise need a beak trim yet?

[stumpytortoise]

He's my first tortoise so I'm not confident in being able to tell if he needs one.

 

[crealy]

He's my first tortoise so I'm not confident in being able to tell if he needs one. View attachment 357632

Hi welcome to the forum I am new here to. Yes your tortoise requires a beak trim as that is a bit overgrown. If you haven't already a cuttlefish bone in its enclosure will help your tort trimm its own beak and give it added calcium at the same time. and also feed on a slate as this will also help the tortoise file its own beak down whilst eating its breakfast

 

[stumpytortoise]

Hi welcome to the forum I am new here to. Yes your tortoise requires a beak trim as that is a bit overgrown. If you haven't already a cuttlefish bone in its enclosure will help your tort trimm its own beak and give it added calcium at the same time. and also feed on a slate as this will also help the tortoise file its own beak down whilst eating its breakfast

Thanks!! He does have 2 cuttlefish bones available at all times but I've never once seen him nibble at it I'll schedule an appointment to have his beak trimmed!

 

[Ricky j]

Thanks!! He does have 2 cuttlefish bones available at all times but I've never once seen him nibble at it I'll schedule an appointment to have his beak trimmed!

Ya mine has never used his cuttle fish either

 

[zolasmum]

Ya mine has never used his cuttle fish either

Our Hermanns tortoise used to love his cuttle fish when he was little - but he is nearly 23 now, and has been going for a beak trim twice a year, for a long time now. It doesn't bother him at all - and one useful thing is that he has got to know the vet, which might be good for some reason in the future.Your vet might want to do it with two or more sessions, as it is quite long.
Angie

 

[EricW]

May I ask how you are keeping your Hermann's and their diet? If enclosure and diet check out, you should never have to trim the beak.

Enclosure size, temps., lighting, etc.

 

[stumpytortoise]

May I ask how you are keeping your Hermann's and their diet? If enclosure and diet check out, you should never have to trim the beak.

Enclosure size, temps., lighting, etc.

His indoor enclosure is a 4x4 table with a uvb bulb, and a separate heat bulb over a basking spot of 90 degrees. He also has a zoomed humidifier, and sphagnum moss which I wet every day which keeps the humidity high. The warm side of the enclosure hangs around 80 degrees and the cool side gets down to room temperature at 70. Substrate is a mix of coco fiber and cypress mulch, deep enough for him to burrow.

His diet is mostly weeds I forage for him but I also give him veggies once or twice a week just because he loves them so much (zucchini, carrot, red pepper). I also mix in romaine lettuce or collard greens in with his food sometimes. I give him a daily vitamin powder over his food that was recommended to me by the reptile store I got him from.

He has a temporary kiddie pool that I turned into an outdoor hangout with plants, hide, and water pool (shallow). He has water pools with ramps in both his indoor and outdoor enclosures. His real outdoor enclosure that I'm building is 8×4. I let him roam my yard every day for at least an hour while I'm walking with him and supervising what he munches on and to keep him out of trouble lol.

My only concerns about him are he doesn't eat cuttlefish or drink water. I give him 10-20 minute soaks each day in warm, shallow water but he doesn't enjoy them and just trys to get out the whole time. He never really soaks in his enclosure pools either. He does pee when I bathe him though which must mean he's getting enough water. Also, his beak hasn't really changed much since I got him. It was about this long when he was at the reptile store. I've only had him about 2 months.

 

[Ricky j]

His indoor enclosure is a 4x4 table with a uvb bulb, and a separate heat bulb over a basking spot of 90 degrees. He also has a zoomed humidifier, and sphagnum moss which I wet every day which keeps the humidity high. The warm side of the enclosure hangs around 80 degrees and the cool side gets down to room temperature at 70. Substrate is a mix of coco fiber and cypress mulch, deep enough for him to burrow.

His diet is mostly weeds I forage for him but I also give him veggies once or twice a week just because he loves them so much (zucchini, carrot, red pepper). I also mix in romaine lettuce or collard greens in with his food sometimes. I give him a daily vitamin powder over his food that was recommended to me by the reptile store I got him from.

He has a temporary kiddie pool that I turned into an outdoor hangout with plants, hide, and water pool (shallow). He has water pools with ramps in both his indoor and outdoor enclosures. His real outdoor enclosure that I'm building is 8×4. I let him roam my yard every day for at least an hour while I'm walking with him and supervising what he munches on and to keep him out of trouble lol.

My only concerns about him are he doesn't eat cuttlefish or drink water. I give him 10-20 minute soaks each day in warm, shallow water but he doesn't enjoy them and just trys to get out the whole time. He never really soaks in his enclosure pools either. He does pee when I bathe him though which must mean he's getting enough water. Also, his beak hasn't really changed much since I got him. It was about this long when he was at the reptile store. I've only had him about 2 months.

My Russian loves red peppers he liked green peppers at one time until I gave him reds than he never ate a green/bell again lol

 

[SinLA]

His indoor enclosure is a 4x4 table with a uvb bulb, and a separate heat bulb over a basking spot of 90 degrees. He also has a zoomed humidifier, and sphagnum moss which I wet every day which keeps the humidity high. The warm side of the enclosure hangs around 80 degrees and the cool side gets down to room temperature at 70. Substrate is a mix of coco fiber and cypress mulch, deep enough for him to burrow.

His diet is mostly weeds I forage for him but I also give him veggies once or twice a week just because he loves them so much (zucchini, carrot, red pepper). I also mix in romaine lettuce or collard greens in with his food sometimes. I give him a daily vitamin powder over his food that was recommended to me by the reptile store I got him from.

He has a temporary kiddie pool that I turned into an outdoor hangout with plants, hide, and water pool (shallow). He has water pools with ramps in both his indoor and outdoor enclosures. His real outdoor enclosure that I'm building is 8×4. I let him roam my yard every day for at least an hour while I'm walking with him and supervising what he munches on and to keep him out of trouble lol.

My only concerns about him are he doesn't eat cuttlefish or drink water. I give him 10-20 minute soaks each day in warm, shallow water but he doesn't enjoy them and just trys to get out the whole time. He never really soaks in his enclosure pools either. He does pee when I bathe him though which must mean he's getting enough water. Also, his beak hasn't really changed much since I got him. It was about this long when he was at the reptile store. I've only had him about 2 months.

Moss can be deadly, please remove that ASAP.

Please read this: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/#post-2036954

 

[zolasmum]

You can try scraping some of his cuttle fish bone on his food, as that will give him calcium, and will maybe encourage him to try the actual bone if he gets to like the taste.
Moss of any kind is very dangerous, as if the tortoise eats any of it, it is likely to stay in his bowel and cause impaction, which is a major problem.
Angie

 

[stumpytortoise]

Moss can be deadly, please remove that ASAP.

Please read this: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/#post-2036954

I just took it out, thanks for letting me know!! I kept it all in the same spot and it was far away from his food so I think he's okay. He hasn't tried to eat it thankfully. I'll just stick with the humidifier for humidity

 

[SinLA]

I just took it out, thanks for letting me know!! I kept it all in the same spot and it was far away from his food so I think he's okay. He hasn't tried to eat it thankfully. I'll just stick with the humidifier for humidity

@Tom. I think a humidifier is also not good. Check out that link provided

 

[EricW]

His indoor enclosure is a 4x4 table with a uvb bulb, and a separate heat bulb over a basking spot of 90 degrees. He also has a zoomed humidifier, and sphagnum moss which I wet every day which keeps the humidity high. The warm side of the enclosure hangs around 80 degrees and the cool side gets down to room temperature at 70. Substrate is a mix of coco fiber and cypress mulch, deep enough for him to burrow.

His diet is mostly weeds I forage for him but I also give him veggies once or twice a week just because he loves them so much (zucchini, carrot, red pepper). I also mix in romaine lettuce or collard greens in with his food sometimes. I give him a daily vitamin powder over his food that was recommended to me by the reptile store I got him from.

He has a temporary kiddie pool that I turned into an outdoor hangout with plants, hide, and water pool (shallow). He has water pools with ramps in both his indoor and outdoor enclosures. His real outdoor enclosure that I'm building is 8×4. I let him roam my yard every day for at least an hour while I'm walking with him and supervising what he munches on and to keep him out of trouble lol.

My only concerns about him are he doesn't eat cuttlefish or drink water. I give him 10-20 minute soaks each day in warm, shallow water but he doesn't enjoy them and just trys to get out the whole time. He never really soaks in his enclosure pools either. He does pee when I bathe him though which must mean he's getting enough water. Also, his beak hasn't really changed much since I got him. It was about this long when he was at the reptile store. I've only had him about 2 months.

Mostly weeds is great, but the veggies not so good. I would stop those veggies. Also, on the daily vitamin powder, a varied diet and weeds will provide most of what it needs and I would only give a pinch of vitamin powder no more than twice a week. A variety of fresh weeds collected outside is definitely the way to go.

He's probably taking in water when not looking and could be taking in water in the soaks through the cloaca. There is a lot of water content in the veggies and romaine, so may be another source. If you cut the veggies out (which I recommend), then you might see him drink more. His eyes look good and appears hydrated.

Which a proper diet, the beak will eventually correct but can take several months. A Hermann's of mine was received with a tick attached in the jaw line. It caused a slight overbite where the tick was. The tick was dead and dried hard. It took a bit of effort to remove and took about 6 months until the beak was normal again. I have another beak story as well, it took approximately 6 months too. I didn't catch until now that this tortoise is new and bought from a pet store. If the beak isn't getting worse, then I would wait and see it out if it will correct on it's own. This would be better than the stress of a beak trim.

 

[Cathie G]

Mostly weeds is great, but the veggies not so good. I would stop those veggies. Also, on the daily vitamin powder, a varied diet and weeds will provide most of what it needs and I would only give a pinch of vitamin powder no more than twice a week. A variety of fresh weeds collected outside is definitely the way to go.

He's probably taking in water when not looking and could be taking in water in the soaks through the cloaca. There is a lot of water content in the veggies and romaine, so may be another source. If you cut the veggies out (which I recommend), then you might see him drink more. His eyes look good and appears hydrated.

Which a proper diet, the beak will eventually correct but can take several months. A Hermann's of mine was received with a tick attached in the jaw line. It caused a slight overbite where the tick was. The tick was dead and dried hard. It took a bit of effort to remove and took about 6 months until the beak was normal again. I have another beak story as well, it took approximately 6 months too. I didn't catch until now that this tortoise is new and bought from a pet store. If the beak isn't getting worse, then I would wait and see it out if it will correct on it's own. This would be better than the stress of a beak trim.

It's interesting that red and green peppers aren't a veggie. They are a fruit because they have seeds within them and really not all that good for a tortoise anyway. When I was a young girl my parents kept insisting I eat my veggies. Come to find out! Green beans are a fruit and I had a perfect excuse for not eating them.

 

[EricW]

It's interesting that red and green peppers aren't a veggie. They are a fruit because they have seeds within them and really not all that good for a tortoise anyway. When I was a young girl my parents kept insisting I eat my veggies. Come to find out! Green beans are a fruit and I had a perfect excuse for not eating them.

True, but I wasn't going to get into the technicalities Such as a strawberry is not a berry and the actual fruit is what we call the seed. Bananas are berries and so are avocados. It's weird.

 

[LoriJammy]

You can try scraping some of his cuttle fish bone on his food, as that will give him calcium, and will maybe encourage him to try the actual bone if he gets to like the taste.
Moss of any kind is very dangerous, as if the tortoise eats any of it, it is likely to stay in his bowel and cause impaction, which is a major problem.
Angie

May I ask how you are keeping your Hermann's and their diet? If enclosure and diet check out, you should never have to trim the beak.

Enclosure size, temps., lighting, etc.

Hi Eric. Please be careful with diet. There is a lot of misinformation out there. I follow advice from The Tortoise Table a UK organization. It’s amazing how often tortoises are fed things they shouldn’t eat just because they like to eat it. I have a rescue Hermanns Tortoise who was 13 when we brought him home. He had been fed a diet of apples, bananas and berries. He loved them….but they were like junk food for him. His species originates in the Mediterranean and should eat grasses, etc. We are limited with choices where I live but I feed him Spring Mix lettuces (no spinach), Radicchio (Italian lettuce), calcium supplement which I sprinkle over the greens. I also sprinkle roughly ground Timothy Hay over top. It is important for finer. I spray with a bottle of water to help the add ons stick to the lettuces. I also supplement with Reptivite vitamin once every two weeks (don’t use more frequently as it is fat soluble and stays in their system). My vet is in Calgary, Alberta - a three hour drive. She is a specialist in tortoises. It’s worth the drive. I can give you more information if you are interested. Also this is the site I referenced too. It’s invaluable when it comes to “unsafe” foods. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php

 

[Tom]

Hi Eric. Please be careful with diet. There is a lot of misinformation out there. I follow advice from The Tortoise Table a UK organization. It’s amazing how often tortoises are fed things they shouldn’t eat just because they like to eat it. I have a rescue Hermanns Tortoise who was 13 when we brought him home. He had been fed a diet of apples, bananas and berries. He loved them….but they were like junk food for him. His species originates in the Mediterranean and should eat grasses, etc. We are limited with choices where I live but I feed him Spring Mix lettuces (no spinach), Radicchio (Italian lettuce), calcium supplement which I sprinkle over the greens. I also sprinkle roughly ground Timothy Hay over top. It is important for finer. I spray with a bottle of water to help the add ons stick to the lettuces. I also supplement with Reptivite vitamin once every two weeks (don’t use more frequently as it is fat soluble and stays in their system). My vet is in Calgary, Alberta - a three hour drive. She is a specialist in tortoises. It’s worth the drive. I can give you more information if you are interested. Also this is the site I referenced too. It’s invaluable when it comes to “unsafe” foods. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php

Eric isn't the one feeding the wrong foods. He was advising the original poster on what is best to feed.

Welcome to the forum. Start here and look for the temperate species care sheet near the bottom.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

His indoor enclosure is a 4x4 table with a uvb bulb, and a separate heat bulb over a basking spot of 90 degrees. He also has a zoomed humidifier, and sphagnum moss which I wet every day which keeps the humidity high. The warm side of the enclosure hangs around 80 degrees and the cool side gets down to room temperature at 70. Substrate is a mix of coco fiber and cypress mulch, deep enough for him to burrow.

His diet is mostly weeds I forage for him but I also give him veggies once or twice a week just because he loves them so much (zucchini, carrot, red pepper). I also mix in romaine lettuce or collard greens in with his food sometimes. I give him a daily vitamin powder over his food that was recommended to me by the reptile store I got him from.

He has a temporary kiddie pool that I turned into an outdoor hangout with plants, hide, and water pool (shallow). He has water pools with ramps in both his indoor and outdoor enclosures. His real outdoor enclosure that I'm building is 8×4. I let him roam my yard every day for at least an hour while I'm walking with him and supervising what he munches on and to keep him out of trouble lol.

My only concerns about him are he doesn't eat cuttlefish or drink water. I give him 10-20 minute soaks each day in warm, shallow water but he doesn't enjoy them and just trys to get out the whole time. He never really soaks in his enclosure pools either. He does pee when I bathe him though which must mean he's getting enough water. Also, his beak hasn't really changed much since I got him. It was about this long when he was at the reptile store. I've only had him about 2 months.

Good advice from Eric and SinLA on this thread.

You are making quite a few common mistakes, but you are also doing a great job on other aspects. Here is that thread that SinLA linked for you again. I think you will get a lot out of it. Look for the temperate species care sheet at the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[stumpytortoise]

Good advice from Eric and SinLA on this thread.

You are making quite a few common mistakes, but you are also doing a great job on other aspects. Here is that thread that SinLA linked for you again. I think you will get a lot out of it. Look for the temperate species care sheet at the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so much for taking the time to type up all these care sheets, I just learned so much from reading through them. I'll definitely be making some changes to Stumpy's care

 

[LoriJammy]

Hi Eric. Please be careful with diet. There is a lot of misinformation out there. I follow advice from The Tortoise Table a UK organization. It’s amazing how often tortoises are fed things they shouldn’t eat just because they like to eat it. I have a rescue Hermanns Tortoise who was 13 when we brought him home. He had been fed a diet of apples, bananas and berries. He loved them….but they were like junk food for him. His species originates in the Mediterranean and should eat grasses, etc. We are limited with choices where I live but I feed him Spring Mix lettuces (no spinach), Radicchio (Italian lettuce), calcium supplement which I sprinkle over the greens. I also sprinkle roughly ground Timothy Hay over top. It is important for finer. I spray with a bottle of water to help the add ons stick to the lettuces. I also supplement with Reptivite vitamin once every two weeks (don’t use more frequently as it is fat soluble and stays in their system). My vet is in Calgary, Alberta - a three hour drive. She is a specialist in tortoises. It’s worth the drive. I can give you more information if you are interested. Also this is the site I referenced too. It’s invaluable when it comes to “unsafe” foods. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php

Sorry that I addressed this to Eric :-/