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i have a sulcata that is 74 grams. when he or she opens his mouth there is a clicking sound. i lokked at his face and his beak is longer on the left side. will this go away as he grows? or do i need to take to a vet
jaw clicking
- Thread starter wildponey21
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This question comes up all the time, and here is what I always tell people. Unless there is a clicking sound when the mouth is wide open (indicating a jaw joint problem), the turtle is making this sound on purpose by rubbing his upper and lower beak together. So far, I have yet to hear of anyone whose turtle has a jaw joint problem; it always appears to be just an intentional behavior. It's not clear why they do this - whether it's a form of communication, acoustic crypsis, or just comfort noise. Whatever it is, that's probably what your guy is doing, in which case it's harmless, and actually rather entertaining. 
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ok but it is every time he opens his mounth to eat./
wildponey21 said:
Is his beak overgrown? If so, then maybe the upper and lower jaws are scraping against each other, even when he doesn't mean for them to.
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ok so how do you trim it
Can you show us a picture of just how overgrown the beak is?
There are a couple ways to go. One is to allow the tortoise to naturally wear it down more. This means providing cuttle bone so he can gnaw on it. You can also provide snail shells for the same effect. Feeding fibrous plants - like the stalks of greens or carrots - is good, too.
But if it's so long that it has to be trimmed, you can either do it yourself or have a veterinarian do it. Either way, you've got to be careful. I remember we had one member here whose vet apparently trimmed her turtle's beak too quickly, and the whole front part of the upper beak just came right off. This is not necessarily devastating, because it will grow back as long as the underlying bone and quick were not damaged. However, it is painful and it does interfere with a turtle's ability to eat for a while.
Vets may use a dremel-type tool, but IMO this is too risky. I would just use an emery board or nail file to wear the beak down more gradually.
But again, please provide a head shot of your little tortie, so we can help you decide whether that's even necessary.
There are a couple ways to go. One is to allow the tortoise to naturally wear it down more. This means providing cuttle bone so he can gnaw on it. You can also provide snail shells for the same effect. Feeding fibrous plants - like the stalks of greens or carrots - is good, too.
But if it's so long that it has to be trimmed, you can either do it yourself or have a veterinarian do it. Either way, you've got to be careful. I remember we had one member here whose vet apparently trimmed her turtle's beak too quickly, and the whole front part of the upper beak just came right off. This is not necessarily devastating, because it will grow back as long as the underlying bone and quick were not damaged. However, it is painful and it does interfere with a turtle's ability to eat for a while.
Vets may use a dremel-type tool, but IMO this is too risky. I would just use an emery board or nail file to wear the beak down more gradually.
But again, please provide a head shot of your little tortie, so we can help you decide whether that's even necessary.
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ok well i have a cuttle bone for them and i give them carrots and i feed them on a tile. I can't post pictures. I don't have a carma nor does my cell phone. i would not feel combale doing so i would call my vet and have her do it.
wildponey21 said:
Okay, but only if it's necessary. Odds are it's not, and again, this kind of clicking is usually nothing to worry about. But at least you have some options now if it turns out to indeed be a problem with an overgrown beak.
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