One of my special needs rescue tortoises

[Peacebone]

Here are some pics of my rescue baby Sulcata. "His" beak is crooked which makes it hard for him to eat most veggies so I dice his greens very small and mix them in with "his" Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise Diet. "He" is doing better now that "he" is getting proper hydration, diet, humidity, and some Arizona sun. Also gaining weight and not showing signs of additional pyramiding. Oh yeah and "his" name is Popeye.

 

[Torty Mom]

Aww, I think he is adorable! He is very lucky to have you! I think it's great that you are taking such good care of him!

 

[dmarcus]

Poor little guy, I am happy he will get the proper care that he needs...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Popeye is looking happy!

 

[DeanS]

He definitely looks like "Popeye"...good call! His pyramiding isn't bad at all...he may grow right out of it in time! Same with the beak...let's see if it straightens itself out as he gets older! GREAT WORK!

 

[yagyujubei]

I would feed him Mazuri everyday if he was mine. I think he needs a lot of nutrition.

 

[DeanS]

I would feed him Mazuri everyday if he was mine. I think he needs a lot of nutrition.

Good point...especially if you're keeping him humid and hydrated. I was strictly a Zoo Med user until I realized they grow super slow on that stuff. When I started using Mazuri, everybody started to take off. I've eliminated greens, and when I use up this bag of Zoo Med...it'll be strictly Mazuri and cactus (plus whatever they graze out of the yard)!

 

[TortieLuver]

Hello Peacebone and Popeye. Glad he/she found you and will continue to thrive with you in hot Arizona.

 

[Jacob]

Poor Little Guy, He has Major Pryimiding along with a messed up shell!
Great Thing he is In Good Hands Now,
Wish you The Best Of Luck

 

[Missy]

It takes a special person to love special needs animals. I am so happy you have him now

 

[Maggie Cummings]

If I had taken him in I would use a dremmel tool and slowly over time file down his beak until it is even. That is the only way he will ever get a normal beak. You'll have to be patient and just file off a little bit at a time. Make sure you keep him at about 80% humidity and the pyramiding will stop, he's not too bad now and I believe if you feed him a good and varied diet, give lots of exercise, strong UVB and the humidity he will grow healthy and strong. Those are the 4 things needed to prevent/stop humidity and grow a healthy Sulcata...

 

[Peacebone]

If I had taken him in I would use a dremmel tool and slowly over time file down his beak until it is even. That is the only way he will ever get a normal beak. You'll have to be patient and just file off a little bit at a time. Make sure you keep him at about 80% humidity and the pyramiding will stop, he's not too bad now and I believe if you feed him a good and varied diet, give lots of exercise, strong UVB and the humidity he will grow healthy and strong. Those are the 4 things needed to prevent/stop humidity and grow a healthy Sulcata...

Wow thank you so much or the insight. I never thought to use the dremmel for the tortoise. I have done it for birds and it works awesome. Can't believe it never crossed my mind.

 

[Rjhoop]

Aww poor little guy!!! hopefully wont be long till he forgets the past!!

 

[Floof]

What a sweet little thing. Thank you for rescuing him! I'm sure he'll thrive in your care.

I do wonder if "he" is, perhaps, a "she"? If I remember correctly, there was speculation that extra/deformed scutes are usually caused by high incubation temperatures, and higher incubation temperatures usually result in most or all females... Anyway, just an observation. I don't actually know much of anything about tort breeding/incubation/morphology, so I could very easily be wrong...

 

[Peacebone]

I would feed him Mazuri everyday if he was mine. I think he needs a lot of nutrition.

I actually do use Mazuri and Zoo Med Grassland on and off for more of a variety. I do love both brands but it seems to me that the Zoo Med is more geared toward mimicking the tortoise's natural diet in the wild. It also absorbs the water quicker when soaking in water to create a mash haha.

---

What a sweet little thing. Thank you for rescuing him! I'm sure he'll thrive in your care.

I do wonder if "he" is, perhaps, a "she"? If I remember correctly, there was speculation that extra/deformed scutes are usually caused by high incubation temperatures, and higher incubation temperatures usually result in most or all females... Anyway, just an observation. I don't actually know much of anything about tort breeding/incubation/morphology, so I could very easily be wrong...

That is very possible and highly likely. And yes you are correct on your observation, that had never crossed my mind. Nice catch.

 

[Laura]

poor guy... but lucky now.. popeye is a great name for him!
he looks very thin.. good thing he is eating. any diea how old he is supposed to be?

 

[Peacebone]

poor guy... but lucky now.. popeye is a great name for him!
he looks very thin.. good thing he is eating. any diea how old he is supposed to be?

No not really but they said he was about a year old.