Russian tortoise beak damage

[Tmc568]

Hello! I have had a male Russian tortoise named Peggy for the last 16 years. Today when going down to soak him i noticed part of his face was missing near his beak. Should I make an appointment with the vet for him. He has shed his beak before but this is not part of his beck. The bedding in his enclosure is cypress mulch and he eats a diet primarily consisting consisting of romaine lettuce, carrots, and occasional fruits. Thanks in advance.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Beaks do grow back unless the bone underneath was damaged. I would recommend making a vet appointment. The beak may need to be shaped to prevent further injury or just make eating easier. I would monitor his eating, are there any changes to it or does it seem hard for him to eat.

As for the reason of the injury, it is advice to always crate any hard vegetables like carrots to avoid injury.

Not related to the injury, but I wouldn't feed any fruit to Russians. Their gut biome just can't handle it and it might lead to a bloom of harmful bacteria.

 

[TammyJ]

Can you please post some pictures of the tortoise in profile and from top and bottom?