Russian tortoise with long beak and slight underbite

[russiantortoise2006]

Hey! This is my first time ever posting anything here and I thought that it is time to reach out. I have a female Russian tortoise who is soon to be 10 years old. I really wanted a tortoise as a kid and I got her without much knowledge on how to care one. She has seemed totally fine, active, she has an appetite and no problems with digestation. Lately I have started to notice that she has grown quite a long beak and also that she's getting a slight underbite. I also have noticed that she hasn't really eaten any harder foods I have given her for example carrots chopped into little pieces. She only prefers softer foods like lettuce. I have also heard that a cuttlebone in his terrarium could help but I never got her to use it while it was in the terrarium. So here I'm asking how I should proceed with this situation and also feel free to give any tips on the care of a Russian tortoise it doesn't have to relate to the beak incident. Are there any home remedies or should i reach out to a vet. I live in the Finnish countryside so it is quite hard for me to find a vet that would deal with this kind of stuff nearby. Thank you all in advance!

 

[russiantortoise2006]

Also additional questions that i want to get clarity on:
- How big should her enclosure be?
- Should the UV-lamp be on all night or off for the night?
- How often should i bathe her?
- How often should i take her out of her enclosure and explore on the floor?
- How often should i feed her and what are the best kinds of foods? So far i have mostly used grocery greens like lettuce, cucumber, tomato and carrot and during the summer outdoor greens.
- What kind of supplements should i give her? So far i have given her cuttlebone mixed in her food and a vitamin supplement once or twice a week.

That should be all

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome! It is nice to see someone else from Finland. I have a Russian tortoise too. Could you send a picture from the bottom of the chin? A electronic dog nail file can be used to file the beak down, but it is a two person job.

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[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!
While you are going through all the links The Four Toed Edward left for you (I know, that's a lot!), feel free to ask for details, explanations, EU/Finland specifics and everything!

A few quick answers to your questions:
1. An overgrown beak quite often goes along with dietary problems (too much protein and sugars in diet and not enough fiber). It's not a scientific observation, just what I see on the forum. You can use nail clippers or nail file to trim a beak little by a little (dremel and electric nail file will do the job quicker and with less stress for tortoise if you are proficient with the tools).
2. Underbite can be a genetic trait or in some cases a result of calcium/vitamin D3 deficiency. Once a week you can supplement foods with Calcium+D3 powder. Even with a good UVB lamp it can be beneficial.
3. Primary diet for russian tortoises are leafy greens, rather high in fiber and low in nutritional value (but not hay and grass). You can improve grocery greens composition by using some tortoise food amendments (Agrobs Pre Alpine Testudo, Arcadia Optimized52 Tortoise Food and others). Agrobs being just dried weeds and herbs mix can be used daily.
4. Tortoises should sleep in the dark - all light sources such as UVB and basking lamp should be turned off. To maintain ambient temperatures (if your room gets colder than 60F at night) a combination of a thermostat and ceramic heat emitter is commonly used.

 

[russiantortoise2006]

Hello and welcome!
While you are going through all the links The Four Toed Edward left for you (I know, that's a lot!), feel free to ask for details, explanations, EU/Finland specifics and everything!

A few quick answers to your questions:
1. An overgrown beak quite often goes along with dietary problems (too much protein and sugars in diet and not enough fiber). It's not a scientific observation, just what I see on the forum. You can use nail clippers or nail file to trim a beak little by a little (dremel and electric nail file will do the job quicker and with less stress for tortoise if you are proficient with the tools).
2. Underbite can be a genetic trait or in some cases a result of calcium/vitamin D3 deficiency. Once a week you can supplement foods with Calcium+D3 powder. Even with a good UVB lamp it can be beneficial.
3. Primary diet for russian tortoises are leafy greens, rather high in fiber and low in nutritional value (but not hay and grass). You can improve grocery greens composition by using some tortoise food amendments (Agrobs Pre Alpine Testudo, Arcadia Optimized52 Tortoise Food and others). Agrobs being just dried weeds and herbs mix can be used daily.
4. Tortoises should sleep in the dark - all light sources such as UVB and basking lamp should be turned off. To maintain ambient temperatures (if your room gets colder than 60F at night) a combination of a thermostat and ceramic heat emitter is commonly used.

Yes thank you for the support!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

- How big should her enclosure be?
- Should the UV-lamp be on all night or off for the night?
- How often should i bathe her?
- How often should i take her out of her enclosure and explore on the floor?
- How often should i feed her and what are the best kinds of foods? So far i have mostly used grocery greens like lettuce, cucumber, tomato and carrot and during the summer outdoor greens.
- What kind of supplements should i give her? So far i have given her cuttlebone mixed in her food and a vitamin supplement once or twice a week.

- How big should her enclosure be?: 2,4 m x 1,2 m is considered the minimum
- Should the UV-lamp be on all night or off for the night?: No. UVA (heat lamp) should be on for 12 hours and UVB for 4 hours a day. Check the links for proper lamps.
- How often should i bathe her?: 2 to 3 times a week.
- How often should i take her out of her enclosure and explore on the floor?: This is not advised since it is almost impossible to make safe. A secure outdoor enclosure and a big enough indoor enclousure will be enough.
- How often should i feed her and what are the best kinds of foods?: You should feed every day. Avoid tomato or any kind of fruits. During the summer try to forage for safe weeds.
- What kind of supplements should i give her?: I use calcium powder with vitamin D. I suggest you get some good quality pellets to supplement fiber.

What kind of vitamin supplement are you using?

 

[russiantortoise2006]

Im currently using reptimineral which is basically a mineral and vitamin additive

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Im currently using reptimineral which is basically a mineral and vitamin additive

During the summer when you are able to feed a wide variety of weeds from outdoors, this is not necessary and only calcium powder is required. But when you are feeding stuff from the grocery store I don't see using this would do any harm. This should be only used once a week for adult males, since they don't grow much anymore or develop eggs.

 

[russiantortoise2006]

During the summer when you are able to feed a wide variety of weeds from outdoors, this is not necessary and only calcium powder is required. But when you are feeding stuff from the grocery store I don't see using this would do any harm. This should be only used once a week for adult males, since they don't grow much anymore or develop eggs.

Thank you very much for the tips!