Excellent beak trimmer for small tortoises

[stevenf625]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CDT1YMZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Finally found something safe and fast for trimming beak on my Dalmatian tortoise
Previously attempted dremel, too slow and dangerous. Not comfortable using a nail clipper.

This casfuy grinder with diamond wheel worked like a charm

 

[Tom]

Your tortoise's beak should not need trimming. If it does, something is not right. If you are interested in figuring out what the problems is, reply to this post with detail of your housing, care, and feeding routine.

 

[stevenf625]

Your tortoise's beak should not need trimming. If it does, something is not right. If you are interested in figuring out what the problems is, reply to this post with detail of your housing, care, and feeding routine.

Tortoise has food fed to him on a slab of sandstone. Coquina calcium rocks in his enclosure. Neither has helped control beak.
Eats mostly weeds pulled from yard plus radicio leaves

 

[TeamZissou]

Neat device. It makes a lot of sense.

Do you see him eating the coquina? I would expect him to be swallowing pieces whole, instead of chewing them which would wear down the beak. Do you ever see chunks of it in the poop?

Do you supplement with calcium powder at all? To me, this is a better route as he would be chewing food with small particles of calcium. The added benefit is that it should be more readily absorbed.

I've never really bought the argument about feeding surfaces. I don't ever see a tortoise's jaw come into contact with the feeding surface for long enough or enough repetitions to wear down the beak. It seems like the nose touches the plate more than anything else.

 

[mark1]

personally i believe overgrown beaks and nails are caused by a metabolic disorder or imbalance ........ anecdotally i'd guess caused by lighting ...... my outside box turtles eat off plastic lids , their diet consist of bugs , worms , dog food , fruit , sweet potatoes and cichlid pellets , that's probably 95% of all they eat ,i've had some of them here for 20yrs , many born here ,i've never seen one with an overgrown beak or nails .......

 

[stevenf625]

I sprinkle calcium rich reptivite on his radicio. He generally ignores whatever coquina or calcium rich stone i put in his pen. However if he's in the backyard he'll bite at small coquina pebbles (which are all over this area)
I usually stop him for fear he'll choke on one.
He did damage the sides of his beak years ago chomping on chicken wire netting I laid down on the ground to prevent his digging out of an outdoor pen once. Its very possible that damage has led to the beak issue as the damage notched the sides of his beak and when he eats food it naturally tends to ride into the notches and away from the front of his beak.

 

[Tom]

I've never really bought the argument about feeding surfaces. I don't ever see a tortoise's jaw come into contact with the feeding surface for long enough or enough repetitions to wear down the beak. It seems like the nose touches the plate more than anything else.

I share your opinion on this. I see it the same way. Most of my outdoor tortoises eat off of plastic trays or the dirt.

personally i believe overgrown beaks and nails are caused by a metabolic disorder or imbalance ........ anecdotally i'd guess caused by lighting ...... my outside box turtles eat off plastic lids , their diet consist of bugs , worms , dog food , fruit , sweet potatoes and cichlid pellets , that's probably 95% of all they eat ,i've had some of them here for 20yrs , many born here ,i've never seen one with an overgrown beak or nails .......

I agree with you Mark. None of my tortoises of any age or species have ever needed trimming. I've been given tortoises with overgrown or misshapen beaks in the past, and they right themselves before I even get a chance to "fix" them.

I sprinkle calcium rich reptivite on his radicio. He generally ignores whatever coquina or calcium rich stone i put in his pen. However if he's in the backyard he'll bite at small coquina pebbles (which are all over this area)
I usually stop him for fear he'll choke on one.
He did damage the sides of his beak years ago chomping on chicken wire netting I laid down on the ground to prevent his digging out of an outdoor pen once. Its very possible that damage has led to the beak issue as the damage notched the sides of his beak and when he eats food it naturally tends to ride into the notches and away from the front of his beak.

I had to look up coquina. That is a new one for me.

With a weedy diet, this is unexpected. Does the tortoise live inside or out? What size enclosure? If inside, what type of lighting and UV? Are you feeding young and soft baby weeds, or is there also some tougher older weeds mixed in? Opuntia? Mulberry or hibiscus leaves? Grape leaves?

 

[KS Ruby RF Slippers]

Your tortoise's beak should not need trimming. If it does, something is not right. If you are interested in figuring out what the problems is, reply to this post with detail of your housing, care, and feeding routine.

We have never needed to trim Ruby's beak or toenails. I keep a patio block in her enclosure under the ceramic heat source and that keeps her nails nice and short. As for her beak ? Cuttle bones. She loves them !

 

[Maro2Bear]

Cuttlefish bones, medium sized rocks & today I actually added some very old, very encrusted Chesapeake Bay oyster shells.

 

[stevenf625]

Pretty sure Rhialto's beak growth issues are due to the damage he incurred 2 years ago when he chomped down on chicken wire I had put down to prevent digging out of an outdoor pen.
The damage notched out the sides of his beak. For past 2 years whenever he eats (weeds), they tend to ride into the notches causing all beak wear to occur there.
Very little wear occurs on his beak point or further back towards his jaw hinge.
Not sure how to ever get his beak fully recovered at this point.