beek recomendations

[TaylorTortoise]

Hello All,
Taylor here with some questions..
I have a scheduled appointment to get my Russians beak trimmed. Is there any advice as to when it should be done? You clearly can notice it beginning to get longer and I would rather attend to it now, than later to prevent issues.
Hoping my tort does not get stressed out with his beak trim. I am taking him to his regular vet he has seen for a wellness visit when I first got him.

 

[wellington]

Do you feed him on a piece of slate tile, or flat rock, that helps keeping it filed down. Also having some flat rocks to walk over helps with nails.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Do you feed him on a piece of slate tile, or flat rock, that helps keeping it filed down. Also having some flat rocks to walk over helps with nails.

Do you recommend switching over to a piece of slate for eating? Or taking him to the vet to trim it still and then getting the slate? He feeds off of a green plant saucer.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Do you feed him on a piece of slate tile, or flat rock, that helps keeping it filed down. Also having some flat rocks to walk over helps with nails.

I have been a member of TFO since 2008 and members have always suggested a slate or flat rocks to eat on...I have done that for years...I personally have never seen it work, I have had Sulcata and box turtles with overgrown beaks and they have always eaten on a tile or something else...not disrespecting that advice...just saying maybe I'd agree with Taylor...(seriously) but my recent experience showed to me that dremmiling in the beginning of the over growth is important... Mary's over grown beak started very young I guess and it was already started when I got her. It got bad way faster than I thought it would. But my experience is that a good portion of our tortoises living in someone's back yard get over grown beaks.

 

[wellington]

I have been a member of TFO since 2008 and members have always suggested a slate or flat rocks to eat on...I have done that for years...I personally have never seen it work, I have had Sulcata and box turtles with overgrown beaks and they have always eaten on a tile or something else...not disrespecting that advice...just saying maybe I'd agree with Taylor...(seriously) but my recent experience showed to me that dremmiling in the beginning of the over growth is important... Mary's over grown beak started very young I guess and it was already started when I got her. It got bad way faster than I thought it would. But my experience is that a good portion of our tortoises living in someone's back yard get over grown beaks.

My russian came to me around 10? Years ago. I had to trim his beak then. Never have had too since. I don't break/cut up his food and always feed on something hard.
Maybe some species are more prone to others. However, if natural grazing and occasional biting on rocks, bones, wood, whatever hard in the wild, there would be a lot of wild torts and boxies with over grown beaks.
I think it is important to not have just soft substrate. Stones, largs rocks, wood, logs, etc, and grazing all helps.

 

[wellington]

Do you recommend switching over to a piece of slate for eating? Or taking him to the vet to trim it still and then getting the slate? He feeds off of a green plant saucer.

I would trim first if it's really over grown. Then always feed on tile, don't cut up his food, and have other hard items in enclosure like longs, large stones, etc.

 

[ZenHerper]

Cement is more rough than either slate or ceramic...so feed on a patio, or even a paving stone from a garden shop that will fit in the habitat.

And yes, resist the urge to rip or cut leaves...struggling to make bit-sized pieces is the natural state of things for tortoises/turtles. Let them do it.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

I would trim first if it's really over grown. Then always feed on tile, don't cut up his food, and have other hard items in enclosure like longs, large stones, etc.

Its not really overgrown it’s just starting to get noticeable. A few centimeters long. Past his bottom jaw

 

[wellington]

Post a pic of it and we can tell you if it needs vet attention.
Might be able to do it yourself. I did my own with a pair of toe nail clippers and a stick to cross way in his mouth so he couldn't pull his head in.
You could also use a file.

 

[Buckeye Girl]

I adopted a 10 year old sulcata this past winter. As soon as it warmed up outside I started taking him out during the day. Almost immediately he found a brick and filed down his beak on his own. I was a little concerned at first the way he was rubbing his face on it, but understood once I figured it out. He now has a large landscaping stone in his enclosure that I put his food on (among other rocks in his enclosure). My point is that if you give them the tools they need, they should be able to control it on their own. It is part of the balance of having them "captive" but teaching them how to take care of themselves, or maybe providing them with the tools they need to take care of themselves.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

This is awesome feedback, I think I might go find a stone as well to serve as a feeding station for my russian.
He might like this better then a slate on the floor .

 

[William Lee Kohler]

Except for one tortoise I've always done my own with a toenail clipper or wire cutters. I have a very good Bonsai cutter that works good as well. Unless you're rolling in money going to a Vet is kind of a waste.

 

[Maggie3fan]

I want to say something to @wellington and @ZenHerper...until I read what Wellington wrote on Monday about not cutting up their food I didn't realize that was me...I used to care for clutches of baby Sulcata and Gopherus agassizii at a time and I always cut up their food cuz they were babies. But I haven't had babies for a few years now, I am still cutting up food for all the tortoises except Mary Knobbins...and most of the have overgrown beaks...omg...Houdini doesn't have an overgrown beak...but then I didn't raise him...lol