Some pics of the tort.

[Addicted]

For those who did not read my other thread this guy was given to me,he just got dropped off a few minutes ago.This is just a temporary cage for a week at the most,I'm almost done finishing a new herp room.When that is done he will have a big area.

Check out his beak,is that the right word?.There is a big over bite,i was told he broke his"Beak" at some point and That's what caused that.Any idea what is going on here,should i take him to my vet?

He's not having a beer yet,That's just for size comparison.

Jason.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

OMG, that poor face. I have had several rescues that looked like that and they can't graze. They can't bite off the blades of grass. Yes, he needs to be seen by a Vet so the Vet can decide about dremmeling the jaw back to normal. That takes place over a long period of time where you take the tort in and the Vet dremmels off growth to make it even. You need to soak him, for 15 minutes or so...he's not too badly pyramided so his jaw is the worst thing I think. But a long soak right now is very important...thanks for the pictures...I bet he takes a long drink, his face looks so dry like he hasn't been soaked in a while...so would you do that so I can quit obsessing on it??? Have you tried to feed him to see how he eats? I'd like to know that too...

 

[Addicted]

He has not had water in over a year,he was fed lots of dark leafy greens for his water needs according to the previous owner.He does also eat the hay that he lives on,so he can still use his mouth pretty good.Looks un comfortable though.I will take him to my vet next Saturday and see what he says about this problem.

BTW,how deep should the water be i soak him in?

Jason.

 

[TKCARDANDCOIN]

He looks pretty good although a little dry.I too would give him a good long soak like Maggie had suggested.They do get some water from the greens that they eat but if you do not give him a water bowl I would plan on soaking him weekly.That is what i do for my sulcata and she loves it.After a good long drink she usually cleans herself out.Thats when i change the water and she starts all over again, usually three to four times or until she stops drinking.

As for the beak I too would take to vet.Good luck,tom.

 

[Addicted]

He's soaking right now as we speak,I'm going to daily for a while to make sure It's well hydrated.

Jason.

 

[TKCARDANDCOIN]

The depth of the water should not be too deep.Maybe an inch or two.Just enough to where he can relax with his head above water.Make sure the water is luke warm, not cold or not hot.

 

[Yvonne G]

Usually you add water to a high-sided tub until the water reaches the side of the shell where the top meets the bottom (the bridge). If he drinks right away, you can take him out as soon as he's finished. But if he doesn't drink right away, leave him in there for 15 minutes or so. The vet needs to use the Dremmel and grind the bottom beak back. It will have to be done again over several months until the bottom and the top meet. Once he starts to get his calcium supplements and eats a good variety of greens, the beak will start to grow normally. It might have been that the top beak broke off, but what you see on this tortoise is typical of poor calcium supplementation at a very young age. I'm happy that you have been able to "rescue" this tortoise from a previous life that sounds like it wasn't a very good one.

I'm looking forward to seeing your reptile room when you're all finished! When I first moved into this house my hobbies were reading and collecting dolls. Consequently, I have a one bedroom house with a "library" and a "doll room." Good thing those two bedrooms were already spoken for or I might have a reptile room too!

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The water level should be right at the bridge. That's where the carapace meets the plastron. I would soak him daily for a couple of weeks. Buy one of those big dog bowls the kind that don't spill and when he gets thirsty he'll drink from the bowl. I'm so glad you have him and you are doing a good job. It will be easier on you with him already eating hay. But I would also feed him some grocery store greens as an addition to his grazing on the hay...Good job!!! I forgot to ask you if you were adding supplements to his food. calcium is needed especially. I'd sprinkle calcium over his food everyday for a while...

 

[Addicted]

Thanks everyone!

I will supplement his diet,i have plenty i use for other herps.How often should i feed greens,the care sheets i have read say as a treat only,and just mainly a grass diet.I still have to him him a uvb light,i think I'm going with a 160 watt Mvb.

Jason.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

But he doesn't have the option of grass as his diet so I would feed him some greens daily and the hay it's obvious he would munch at will. I'd sprinkle calcium over some greens everyday for a bit just to show him a better life is on the way...what's his name?

 

[Addicted]

Ok,i will feed him greens daily.But why do care sheets say that a lot of greens can be harmful?

Also i thought Timothy hay was considered a grass?

Jason.

---

Ok,i will feed him greens daily.But why do care sheets say that a lot of greens cause problems?.Also i thought timothy hay qualified as a grass?If not i will have to buy some grasses for him.

Maybe you could give me an idea of a good diet for him,i would rather hear from someone than completely rely on a care sheet.

His name is Crush.

Jason.

 

[Yvonne G]

The very best diet for a sulcata is to graze outside on grasses and weeds. Because that is not possible during the cold months, the second best thing you can do for Crush is to provide him with a nice variety of greens from the grocery store. I buy Spring Mix. My sister adds dandelion and other greens to Spring mix. This is a good time of year to take your scissors and a plastic bag and wander around your neighborhood clipping weeds. When you get them home wash them well before feeding them to your tortoise. The care sheets don't really address the fact that quite a few sulcata tortoises live in climates where its not possible for them to graze on weeds and grasses, so you have to do the next best thing. Dark leafy greens such as endive, escarole, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion, etc. Just don't get in a rut and feed the same thing every day. The key to good health is variety. Crush is big enough that you should be able to buy a variety and it will keep without rotting until he eats it gone. You are lucky that Crush will eat the hay in his habitat. Adding a variety of greens every day with a calcium supplement will balance that out nicely.

Yvonne

 

[Jacqui]

Yvonne, is Crush's mouth what Tillman's would have looked like, when he grew up, if he had stayed with his first family?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yvonne, is Crush's mouth what Tillman's would have looked like, when he grew up, if he had stayed with his first family?

Exactly!!!

Do you have a current picture of Tillman? Would like to see how he's coming along.

Yvonne

 

[nrfitchett4]

I'm confused on the hay/grass thing too. Isn't hay dried grass?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm confused on the hay/grass thing too. Isn't hay dried grass?

Depends upon what type of hay it is. In my opinion, orchard grass hay and other grass hays are better to feed your tortoise than oat hay and especially alfalfa hay. But in this thread, the tortoise that we're talking about DOES eat his hay, which is a good thing. Little babies won't eat hay, so we usually don't advise folks with new little babies to feed hay until the tortoise is a couple three years old or more. Is that where your confusion lies? I told "addicted" that feeding his sulcata some greens would be a "nice addition" to the hay he's eating. Or maybe I'm not understanding your confusion???

Yvonne