Wolfie1417

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May 26, 2023
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Lincolnshire
Hi, so we’ve just acquired Delia, a 40 something year old (we think greek?) tortoise from an acquaintance who’s moving country. My mum has had a tortoise before so we know at least the basics.

My question is, can tortoises have an overgrown bottom beak/jaw? I’m wondering if it’s an underbite or damaged, as she was beat up by another tortoise before the previous owners homed her. This was serious enough that she suffered a broken leg.

She currently eats very watered down mushy pellets, and goes in the bath for a drink everyday. She struggles with more solid food types like crunchier veg and sort of gums at lettuce/dandelion leaves and manages to get them down. Her favourite part is the flower. I’m looking into get some dry leave mixes for her.

The previous family have had her for years and was a little bit neglected, so I’m wondering if this is something that can be remedied/ managed better?

Thanks!
 

Yvonne G

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I can only speak knowingly of MY experience with overshot lower beak. Many years ago I accidentally raised a clutch of intergrade Manouria emys emys/ M. emys phayrei tortoises. . . nineteen in all. I say 'accidentally because I didn't think the male was old enough to breed.

When the babies were old enough they were sold (with full disclosure) except for three that I kept.

The three I kept all grew overshot lower beaks, and because I kept in contact with one of the buyers over the next year or so, I learned that the tortoises he bought from me DID NOT have the same beak problem. I was able to question him about his husbandry and feeding and the only thing different from my husbandry and feeding was the fact I skimped quite a bit on offering calcium and this other fellow did not.

So in my experience not enough calcium was the culprit.

If you find merit in this story and want to see if you can apply it to your new tortoise start feeding calcium rich foods daily and supplement a pinch of calcium about two or three times a week. Then you will need to enlist the help of someone experienced with tortoises and over the next few months, bit by bit, grind off that lower beak until it's back where it belongs.
 

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