Broken beak :(

[Jill79]

Hi everyone,

We have a 15 year old African Spurred Tortoise and a chunk of his beak fell off. Is this due to calcium deficiency? Will it grow back? I am so concerned and I am looking for exotic pet vets in our area. Please let me know if this is normal?

I feel bad for the poor guy.

Thanks in advance

Jill

 

[JoesMum]

Hi Jill

Could you post a photo of the damage please?

Whereabouts are you located?

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

It is certainly not normal, but sometimes when people allow beaks to get severely overgrown they can break. A photo would really help us gauge the severity.

 

[Jill79]

So this is a picture of his beak. It looks stained as he just had some blueberries prior. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.

 

[Jill79]

Hi Jill

Could you post a photo of the damage please?

Whereabouts are you located?

I posted pictures and I'm located in the United States.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

The beak is quite overgrown - thankfully the break didn't go too far up which can be very painful. You will need to trim the excess beak otherwise more can break.

 

[JoesMum]

I agree that beak is actually overgrown which is why it broke. You need nail clippers and patience to trim it back, clipping off tiny bits at a time.

Alternatively a vet experienced with torts could do it for you.

A sulcata's beak should look more like this

 

[Yvonne G]

Do you see all those little comb-like points up at the top of the break and along across the front? that's where your beak should be. All those little points are what help the tortoise bite off the food. That excess down below the little points or serrated edge, needs to be trimmed off. And stop feeding him soft foods. In the wild, beaks stay trimmed naturally because the tortoise has to bite off his food - off a stem, off a blade of grass, off a cactus pad. We don't do them any favors by feeding them soft, cut up food.

 

[Jill79]

Thanks everyone for your advice! We are headed to an exotic vet today to get an exam and a beak trim.