Newbie seekIng advice

[AngiePlym]

Hello from Plymouth in the uk. I have a Horsefield female tortoise Gizmo and she has a problem on her face and I wonder if anyone on here can shed some light on it? It looks as though her cheek has become detached from her face! It’s been like it for months and does not seem to bother her but I’m worried. Here is a photo although it’s not too clear. Thanks for any advice

 

[wellington]

Not sure is this would cause that but her beak needs trimming and I'm thinking that's the reason.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Can you tell us more about Gizmo - age ,how long you've had him, does he have soaks etc.?
It could be that his living conditions are too dry, so if you post pics of his enclosure you'll get great advice on making it as safe and comfortable as possible - pet shops rarely give the correct up to date information and often sell unsuitable equipment for profit.

Torts do shed skin occasionally but that looks like it is quite localised.
I think his beak needs a trim - some keepers do it themselves but if, like me, you're not confident it may be better to get a tort vet to show you how to do it.

@Yvonne may be able to help you here, but perhaps using a cotton bud to gently see if it will loosen when he is in a shallow luke warm soak may help dislodge it but don't force it, and perhaps wait until someone with experience of this offers advice.

This is a great thread which will give you all the do's and don'ts for tort care and there is a care sheet specifically for Temperate/Mediterranean species, like Russians and Hermanns in it.

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[Tom]

When their beaks over grow like that it indicates a problem with diet and/or living conditions. Please read the thread that Lyn linked for you, and look for the temperate species care sheet near the bottom to discover what the problem is and remedy that. Once the problem is fixed, the face thing will likely fix itself too.

 

[Yossarian]

This looks quite bad to me, the upper beak needs to be trimmed badly, and I cant quite tell whats happened to the lower jaw but it looks bad. Are you able to take some more pics from different angles to give us a better idea?

 

[Sarah2020]

I suggest you urgently call these people to see if they have an expert who can trim beak and check all claws.

Plymouth Reptile and Aquatic

Reptile shop Plymouth Devon, Cattedown, Prince Rock, Exo Terra, Gigan Terra, Habistat, Prorep, Arcadia, Habistat, VivExotic, bearded dragons, snakes, tortoises

www.plymouthreptileandaquatic.com

And get them to check advise if a vet is required.
Please read care sheet and when trimmed serve fresh food in a terracotta plant base as it can act like sandpaper to try and keep beak short.

Please update us how you get on.

 

[Yvonne G]

When a tortoise's beak is allowed to get overgrown like yours it puts an undue amount of stress on the other parts of the beak. In your tortoise's case, the side has split off from the over long front. This is quite painful, as it has split up high into soft tissue. The only thing to be done is having the beak trimmed by an expert to relieve the pressure on the sides.

 

[zolasmum]

Hello and welcome from another Angie who also lives in Devon. I'm glad you have found this forum, as there is a huge amount of information here from members who really know what they are talking about - and who are very kind and helpful.Our tortoise is a Hermanns, who is now 23 years old - we have had him since he was a baby.
! don't know any good vets in Plymouth - the one we go to when Zola needs a beak trim is in Bideford - but I'm sure there must be some in your area. Best wishes from Angie

 

[Sarah2020]

Hi @AngiePlym did you manage to get the beak and claws looked at?