Is my tortoise underweight?

rovertt

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My Horsfield tortoise is just under 20 years old and measures 6 inches across his back from his tail to the front of his shell. I've read online that for his size he should weight around 900g to 1000g but he only weighs 523g. I feed him almost every day and most days. These days he's mostly been eating kale and dandelion leaves. I give him more than what i think he'll eat and he normally eats most of it and leaves just a little behind. He's been very active and there hasn't been any change in his behaviour.
 

Ink

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He should be fed everyday. You can't over feed a tortoise. You can do a search on the forum. Maybe add pictures of him so there's can give you more help if needed.
 

rovertt

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He should be fed everyday. You can't over feed a tortoise. You can do a search on the forum. Maybe add pictures of him so there's can give you more help if needed.

ah i see, i do feed him most days but I've read from a few sources that they shouldn't need to be fed more than 6 days a week? i normally feed him 5-7 days a week. he also sometimes doesn't always eat everyday even if i do give him food everyday. but I'll ensure i feed him every day from now on. Here are some recent pictures of him

IMG_6768.JPGIMG_6769.JPGIMG_6772.JPG
 

Ink

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So cute! Good luck!
 

Yvonne G

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Doesn't look under weight to me, but the beak is overgrown. My tortoises graze every day., and the babies in the house get fed every day.
 

rovertt

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Doesn't look under weight to me, but the beak is overgrown. My tortoises graze every day., and the babies in the house get fed every day.

I've just ordered a slate to put his food on and some cuttlefish bones as I've read that helps to keep their beak short. i want to go to a vet to get it trimmed but i'm in lockdown currently, do you think it's so long that it's an emergency? or will me providing him the slate and cuttlefish bone until lockdown ends be ok?
 

KarenSoCal

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The slate will help keep his beak worn down. But I don't know if it will remove what's already overgrown. You can remove it yourself if you're feeling brave. Yvonne could tell you how.

The cuttlefish doesn't do much for beaks. They bite pieces off and chew them, so minimal scraping. They supply calcium, so your tortoise will only eat it if he feels the need for more calcium.
 

rovertt

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The slate will help keep his beak worn down. But I don't know if it will remove what's already overgrown. You can remove it yourself if you're feeling brave. Yvonne could tell you how.

The cuttlefish doesn't do much for beaks. They bite pieces off and chew them, so minimal scraping. They supply calcium, so your tortoise will only eat it if he feels the need for more calcium.

I really don't feel comfortable doing it myself and i'd much rather do to a professional, unfortunately, I can't right now due to the lockdown here. We're going to go to a specialist to get it trimmed as soon as possible. I'm more so hoping the slate will stop it from growing anymore in the meantime.
 
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