Tortoise jaw split in half

[IrishSunflower28]

My tortoise's lower jaw looks like it's split in half vertically. As far as I know, there hasn't been any trauma or anything to her beak or jaw, so i really have no idea what may have caused this or how to fix it. I'm Please help, any information regarding this is greatly appreciated.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
How old is your tortoise? Did the crack appear recently or it's been like this for a long time? Can you post a photo of the beak from the side? It looks like there can be an underbite (and top beak presses on lower jaw when fully closed).

Can you also add a few words on how you keep your tortoise: diet, outdoors/indoors, if you use any heating/lights. And some overall photos of the tortoise (shell top/sides).

@zovick or @Yvonne G hopefully can advise something.

 

[IrishSunflower28]

She's almost 3 years old, and the crack appeared quite recently, like we saw it yesterday but i don't think it was there a month ago.
We keep her indoors and we have an enclosure built for her. We mostly give her Okra, and string beans, that's what she prefers to eat. And apart from that ivy gourd, hibiscus leaves, shredded carrots, and radish leaves is a recent addition.
we have a UVB lamp.

 

[Yvonne G]

When a beak is allowed to be overgrown, like your tortoise's beak is, it puts a lot of pressure on it when they bite off pieces of food. The tortoise needs his lower beak trimmed. The split will grow out eventually but it takes a long time. In the meantime you're going to have to cut up his food so he doesn't have to 'bite.'

 

[IrishSunflower28]

When a beak is allowed to be overgrown, like your tortoise's beak is, it puts a lot of pressure on it when they bite off pieces of food. The tortoise needs his lower beak trimmed. The split will grow out eventually but it takes a long time. In the meantime you're going to have to cut up his food so he doesn't have to 'bite.'

Ah okay i understand, but how do I trim her lower beak exactly? And it doesn't seem like it's affecting her eating habits, infact, she seems to have an even bigger appetite in the past few days.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

She's almost 3 years old, and the crack appeared quite recently, like we saw it yesterday but i don't think it was there a month ago.
We keep her indoors and we have an enclosure built for her. We mostly give her Okra, and string beans, that's what she prefers to eat. And apart from that ivy gourd, hibiscus leaves, shredded carrots, and radish leaves is a recent addition.
we have a UVB lamp.

Thank you for the details. Situation when top beak presses on the lower can be a genetic trait but sometimes related to husbandry (calcium deficiency and high protein/sugar diet).

1. Beak shape should be corrected (top beak too so there is less pressure on lower jaw). If there are not vets who can so that you'll have to file beak yourself using emery board or nail clippers.
2. You need to provide more leafy greens (hibiscus is a good example) for her and less vegetables and legumes (okra, beans, gourds should be offered only sparingly). I'm sure your local markets have a lot of greens suitable for tortoises (and something is growing in wild too).
3. Unfortunately, the UVB lamp you have doesn't provide sufficient UVB and is not good as a heat lamp as well. You can take your tortoise outside for sunbathing for 15-30 minutes a day instead of using artificial UV source.

 

[Yvonne G]

Ah okay i understand, but how do I trim her lower beak exactly? And it doesn't seem like it's affecting her eating habits, infact, she seems to have an even bigger appetite in the past few days.

I suggest you find someone (vet, rescue, etc) to do the trim and teach you how to do it if it's ever needed again.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

She's almost 3 years old, and the crack appeared quite recently, like we saw it yesterday but i don't think it was there a month ago.
We keep her indoors and we have an enclosure built for her. We mostly give her Okra, and string beans, that's what she prefers to eat. And apart from that ivy gourd, hibiscus leaves, shredded carrots, and radish leaves is a recent addition.
we have a UVB lamp.

Hello! Amendments need to be made with housing asap, this tortoise isn’t in the best condition, there’s a lot of pyramiding considering how young he is(I know these guys naturally get some, but this is quite excessive for the size) this has likely been from being raised far too dry, he should be on proper substrate in a closed chamber set up to maintain the humidity, all in one uv&heat bulbs aren’t appropriate either, I believe you’re using what looks like a halogen bulb which can contribute further to the pyramiding.

Hopefully this thread I made will be useful to look over! It covers equipment, levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! I know this says leopards and sulcatas, but care information can still apply here!

Leopard/sulcata starter

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tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some more efficient than others

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Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

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Lastly, probably the most important, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

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Really hope they help! Always happy to answer any further questions once you’ve read them! These changes do need making as soon as possible, I’m tempted to say due to the insufficient uv source, the underbite and cracked beak, he’s showing potential early signs of MBD, which you can prevent progress on with correct lighting, heat and humidity moving forward!