Does the beak and nails
- Thread starter King Arthur
- Start date
Yes especially the beak. If you put his food on a rough surface, such as a slate, it will help to wear it down.
Does he get to walk on a rough surface at all - that should help to smooth the points of his nails - maybe some flattish rocks dotted around his enclosure ?
Angie
my opinion is ...... his beak and nails are overgrown ...... i would look into his diet , humidity and uvb situation .....i'm not sure what causes it , but i don't believe eating on rough surfaces , or walking more is the cause or cure ........ i'm pretty certain the cause is metabolic , not mechanical .......... does this guy live outside year round ?
Try to find a vet or a local reptile shop will probably have someone who can trim beak and nails. Ensure calcium power is provided on his food 2 or 3 times a week and a cuttle fish bone in the enclosure. Water is available 24 x7 in a plant pot base dish he can walk in and also provided food on a terracotta plant base again he can walk onto because as he eats his beak runs against the terracotta which will help manage going forward. Provide low stones in the enclosure to help claws. Ask questions as required.
Read this care sheet it may help......
tortoiseforum.org
Read this care sheet it may help......
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
Just looking at the tortoise posture on the pic, his legs splayed not supporting and top of shell skutes are sunken, I think this tort has calcium deficiency metabolic bone disorder. Please research and check does his shell feel rubbery and bouncy?
Id say the tort is splayed out like that in order to maximize exposure to the sun. I have many many photos of many torts that love to spread out & bask. That said….beak & nails do appear to require a good trimming.
Thank you, I will look for help professionally , reptile store.. calling for Vet cost just to exam 99.00 and I just need a affordable way at this time. Any suggestions?
Hi Angie, I was thinking King Arthur might need this, I will ad pottery in enclosure/ indoor table. Daily outside patio is cement.. but most else grass n dirt.. I'll try different things. But I'd like help with actual trim. I will look
Hi Mark, King Arthur does not live outdoors.. He lives in tort table , but has slate plate.. not enough ..he does go outside everyday.. but I notice he prefers shade.. I will change and put more terracotta, rocks ect. But I think at this point need trimming..where should I go for that.. a Vet is out my price range.
Try to find a vet or a local reptile shop will probably have someone who can trim beak and nails. Ensure calcium power is provided on his food 2 or 3 times a week and a cuttle fish bone in the enclosure. Water is available 24 x7 in a plant pot base dish he can walk in and also provided food on a terracotta plant base again he can walk onto because as he eats his beak runs against the terracotta which will help manage going forward. Provide low stones in the enclosure to help claws. Ask questions as required.
Read this care sheet it may help......
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
Yes Calcium.. do they expire ? I want to help trim , I don't mind paying for service (and won't try till I learn more) but I have to find affordable place.
Can you take His Majesty out on the concrete patio regularly - maybe take some food he likes and scatter it on the ground so he will have to walk about to get it. As for trimming him yourself, you can get clippers for bird beaks from pet shops, and you could just snip the ends of his nails - holding each one up to the light first, to see where the dark bit ends -that is the blood vessel, so you must only cut in the clear area beyond that. A little chip off the end might make His Majesty walk more easily. I would be apprehensive about cutting his beak, because he might object very strongly - we get a vet to do Zola's beak, and even he finds it a bit of a struggle ! Does His Maj object to having his head held firmly? The vet uses a little Dremel tool for Zola,- if you have such a thing you could give it a go, very cautiously - just a tiny bit at a time.
Do you give His Maj a calcium supplement with his food?
Angie
Do you give His Maj a calcium supplement with his food?
Angie
Yes, I do Give calcium on food.. Ix week.. need to up that to 3x from what I read.
his beak and nails are not horrible , they can and do get a whole lot worse, if you can stop it now ,i'd think he go for awhile as is ......... i've never had a turtle or tortoise with overgrown beaks or nails , the only reason i can think of is because they are outside ? why , would be a guess ........ i seldom if ever use any supplement , the only thing i've ever used was vionate on occassion , mostly for the ones that come in in the winter ....... i only have box turtle ,which are as prone to overgrown beaks and nails as any tortoise ...... some have been captive for well over 20yrs , some have been captive their entire lives , they don't walk on rocks , they don't eat off rocks , in fact they eat off smooth plastic lids ..........
i assure you it's not eating off slate , cuttle bone , or walking on rocks ........ it's something to do with outside and inside ...............
over 20yrs captive
over 15yrs captive
I think it has to do with the turtle/tortoise having to bite off his food from a blade of grass or from a stem off a plant. Like Mark said, you never see overgrown beaks and nails on outdoor or wild turtles and tortoises.
Also, I have seen my outdoor tortoises rubbing their beak back and forth on a rock.
@King Arthur - Your tortoise's nails are fine. And you can clip off the tip of that beak with toe nail clippers. Then, don't cut up his food. You can clip the food somehow to the side of the enclosure in a clip so he has to bite it off.
Also, I have seen my outdoor tortoises rubbing their beak back and forth on a rock.
@King Arthur - Your tortoise's nails are fine. And you can clip off the tip of that beak with toe nail clippers. Then, don't cut up his food. You can clip the food somehow to the side of the enclosure in a clip so he has to bite it off.
I think it might be worth asking your local pet shops if there is anyone who can clip beaks, - they would probably do it quite cheaply, and if you watch carefully, you would possibly be able to do it yourself another time. Even after 21 years, I would rather not try doing it to Zola !
Good luck, whatever you decide, and best wishes to His Majesty !
Angie
Good luck, whatever you decide, and best wishes to His Majesty !
Angie
As Yvonne G indicated, your tort's nails aren't too bad. The beak is a little overgrown and could use a little trim. You can do both nails and beak yourself, but for the first time, a little assistance (and moral support!) are a good idea. Yes, it should be done, but this is not an emergency. See if you can find a fellow experienced tort owner in the area to help you--tort or reptile groups, tort rescues, etc. Make sure if you use anyone else's equipment that it is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized (it's better to use your own dedicated trimmer and clipper). Be cautious, only cut a small amount.
As Mark1 indicated, torts do not normally walk on stones or cement and yet they are fine in the wild--I would use caution with putting your tort out on the concrete (especially in the heat--the surface gets really hot and can burn)--torts don't walk on the tips of their nails, so as Mark1 said, it's unlikely to do anything to wear the nails down and walking on rough surfaces can actually abrade the foot scales and cause sores. If you do let your tort out on stone or cement, limit the time and inspect the foot scales carefully for abrasions or redness.
Finally--of the utmost importance--find a veterinarian!! You need one with lots of tort experience (not just reptile, but tort)--they are not easy to find and there might be a day when you need someone urgently. Find one now, while don't need one. Folks on here will do their best to help you if you do have an emergency, but it may be a few days and then more time for you to get an appointment (most vets are currently booked out weeks to months....). Establish a relationship now, so that you know who to call and have a relationship such that you can get in right away when it matters. I hope that day never comes, but we've all been there when it has.
Hi,.yes.. your right I could use help finding a tortoise vet. In Bay Area CA. Any suggestions where to start.. I can easily reach San Francisco and San Jose And between .
