Russian tortoise calcium and beak issues!!!

[Hamburger15]

So I give my russian tortoise, zilla liquid calcium, once a week. He usually eats rep-cal maintenance formula tortoise food, the colorful pellets. I try to mix them with greens but when I do, he eats around the lettuce and only will eat the pellets. I recently posted a picture somewhere and someone said his beak might need a "trim". She said I might be giving him too much calcium and that I could get it filed or change his calcium intake with a different product. He's otherwise healthy. He's active, I soak him three times a week, I let him run around the house for exercise. He just ignores his cuttlebone. And the filing the beak thing sounds scary for my little guy. Should I be concerned? Should I change anything?

 

[Hamburger15]

I found this picture on here, this isn't my guy. The other two pictures above are my little baby. It's NOWHERE near this long. I just need to know if I need to change anything to prevent it getting longer.

 

[Hamburger15]

Here's two more of my buddy

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I've never trimmed and torts in my tort keeping, but if you have a UVB light source or your little guy spends any time at all outside, I would only use calcium supplements about 2x a week. As for that colorful food..I don't believe that that should be used as a staple food. It's very sugary and fruit based. It's like giving your child cotton candy and wondering why he hasn't eaten his green beans. Do what was told to me....And it works. Get rid of the "treat" food and only give the greens. He won't eat at all for several days. But before he starves, he will eat. He just has to get PLENTY hungry! I cheated though. My torts were hooked on Mazuri. They still are. I bought a small food processor and placed some Mazuri in it with some water and all sorts of good greens, weeds and flowers and made a mush and they eat it up. I still make that mush twice a week and it now has about 20% Mazuri in it. Do that with the food that you've been using untill it's gone. This way they can't pick and choose and eat the good stuff with the not so good. You can also easily place calcium dust, medication, whatever in it! I use a bit of Diatomaceous earth in my mush for parasite control.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

His beak is long and in the last picture it looks deformed. Can you take a good face shot then put it on full screen so we cab see it better? Just the last one. I use toenails clippers and a good fingernail file. I have one tortoise whos beak I file weekly. I just grab his head and go at it. It's mostly easy...

 

[Hamburger15]

It's not deformed. It's the lighting haha its just a normal little beak, trust me. If it was deformed, I'd be taking him to the vet. I'll get him off the pellets. And I'll look more into trimming for sure

 

[Hamburger15]

Does the trimming and filing hurt them?

 

[johnsonnboswell]

It's like filing your nails.

His face looks deformed to me. I have one RT who was starved before I got her and her face is much worse.

Don't let him walk around the house.

If you use cuttlebone then he can self regulate his calcium intake. Many torts don't like the taste of calcium supplements. If you put it on his food he may reject it, so don't put it on the good greens.

 

[Hamburger15]

I never even noticed that his face could be deformed. It looks fine to me, but maybe I'm wrong. Here's a couple more pictures.

 

[Hamburger15]

Can you show me a picture of your RT?

 

[leopard777]

did you put any cuttlefish bone ? i know that its used for birds to maintain their beak , should work for tortoise too

 

[Hamburger15]

I'm going to. How do I encourage him to use it though?

 

[WillTort2]

You do not need to encourage him with the cuttle bone; he'll bite it as he needs to.

I think your water dish needs to be replaced with a terra cotta planter base. Only about 1 " deep and 8" round are the ones I like. Deep sided water dishes have a flipping risk which can result in drowning.

 

[Hamburger15]

That's an old picture. I have a flatter one now, easier to get in and out of.

 

[Hamburger15]

Ok, so on the left is a more recent picture of him. On the right is a picture of him I first got him years ago. I mean, obviously he looks a little different but it's not like something absolutely terrible. I just need some feedback. I'm obviously going to file his beak, but otherwise he looks on, right? He's grown alot since I got him too so.

Please give feedback. It's appreciated!!!!!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

His face is deformed. It may make eating difficult. In itself it won't shorten his life or cause health problems, but it is a symptom of improper development and comes from his environment and diet.

Give him outdoor time in the summer. Letting him roam the house for exercise is not really good. Get him a new UVB light and improve his diet. You want the best for him.

 

[Hamburger15]

I've seen worse of course. I would never try to intentionally harm him. I am improving his diet. Like I said, he's active. His shell is nice, he poops good. I honestly didn't realize his face was so different until I found the old picture.

As long as I know it won't like "kill" him, I'm ok. I will take care of his beak and change some things.

It's just weird cause I've seen other pictures of RTs and they look similar to him. I just want him to be healthy.