Cleaning tortoises face

[passwordstaco]

So whenever I feed my little dude mazuri, he gets a bunch of build up on his face. I am afraid it will dry off and get stuck/cause potential problems.

Whenever I try to wipe it off, he gets totally scared and dips his head back into the shell. Sometimes I can get parts around the head but the beak is pretty much a no go.

Do others run into this? Any tips?

 

[crimson_lotus]

make sure you move slowly when you try to wipe the food from their face.

what i have also done is dump some water on their head to get the food off.

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

Oh I was just dealing with substrate in my little Grizelda's eyes! But if you keep a water bottle on hand, spritz the shell with a nice misting, and when they retract their heads into the shell, they end up cleaning their face with the water! Always have a squirty bottle I say!

 

[Maro2Bear]

You can also give it a nice warm water soak/rinse. Only takes a few minutes if you are just wanting the mazuri off.

 

[Gillian M]

So whenever I feed my little dude mazuri, he gets a bunch of build up on his face. I am afraid it will dry off and get stuck/cause potential problems.

Whenever I try to wipe it off, he gets totally scared and dips his head back into the shell. Sometimes I can get parts around the head but the beak is pretty much a no go.

Do others run into this? Any tips?

I use water, which I believe makes things easier.

 

[passwordstaco]

I do not know why but my little guy does not put his head in the water enough to remove the mazuri. I filled up his "tub" a bit more and kind if rinse him in it and it worked but he definitely did not like me doing that but that is probably still better than a small piece of mazuri stuck in his nose or something. I was just hoping for a way that does not stress them out.

Thanks all!

 

[Jon G.]

So whenever I feed my little dude mazuri, he gets a bunch of build up on his face. I am afraid it will dry off and get stuck/cause potential problems.

Whenever I try to wipe it off, he gets totally scared and dips his head back into the shell. Sometimes I can get parts around the head but the beak is pretty much a no go.

Do others run into this? Any tips?

I assume you are feeding the "standard" Mazuri Tortoise Diet (3/4" oval pellets) and are soaking them. These get very soft when soaked too long and can get really messy.

I feed my hatchling and adult leopard tortoises Mazuri Tortoise Diet LS (smaller 1/4" pellets) and have no problems with it clinging to their mouths or face as long as they don't get over-soaked and mushy. I think this is an excellent diet for grassland tortoises and seems to have more visible natural grass fiber in it than the standard Mazuri pellets. I have a small colony of adult leopard tortoises so buy it in bulk 25lb bags by ordering it from Tractor Supply. PetCo carries smaller quantities of the LS diet that will last a long time for hatchlings or smaller tortoises (see photo).

I soak the LS pellets for just a few minutes until slightly soft and then mash with a fork to make it really easy for small hatchlings to eat. Although you could probably feed nothing but Mazuri LS and have excellent results, I alternate between Mazuri and various greens like spring mix and romaine lettuce. My hatchlings love it and I get nice smooth shell growth.

If want to continue with with the standard diet try less water or shorter time soaking. Giving your tortoise a soak for a few minutes in shallow tepid water after feeding may help get most of it off. In my experience, once sloppy food dries it just flakes/falls off and it isn't really an issue.

 

[Duckster RT]

I have the same problem. Often it cakes on the roof of the mouth I found that the veins of a leafy green such as romaine lettuce will help. If it’s really bad soak first. If he bites the stem it’s not too hard to do damage and you can wiggle it and remove dried or stuck food pellet mush. One of my guys has no problem at all. One always

 

[shellcior]

Tank allows me to use a warm wash cloth now to wipe his face when he gets messy. Especially after he eats cactus. What a mess! It just took time for him to get used to it. He probably likes the warm water on the cloth. lol

 

[Mikki]

So whenever I feed my little dude mazuri, he gets a bunch of build up on his face. I am afraid it will dry off and get stuck/cause potential problems.

Whenever I try to wipe it off, he gets totally scared and dips his head back into the shell. Sometimes I can get parts around the head but the beak is pretty much a no go.

Do others run into this? Any tips?

I actually take my thumb and index finger and just wipe right across my little ones lips & nose.. When I do it, I hold her in my palm, let her see my fingers and just wipe.. Actually now she allows me to take a wet paper towel and wipe her whole face LOL.. You just have to move slowly, get your tort use to you touching it's face. Maybe try to hand feed and as your little one reaches out to eat it, slowly & lightly with the same hand that has the food in it, take your pinky & touch your little ones face

 

[passwordstaco]

I do not know if different breeds act differently to human touch, but my meso golden greek(like 2 months old) still freaks out when I touch anything besides top of the head. The few times I tried the beak or nose, he makes a gasping sound and hides and that is with me going pretty slow. Does that change with age and time with a human? How long did that take for you?

 

[Mikki]

I

I do not know if different breeds act differently to human touch, but my meso golden greek(like 2 months old) still freaks out when I touch anything besides top of the head. The few times I tried the beak or nose, he makes a gasping sound and hides and that is with me going pretty slow. Does that change with age and time with a human? How long did that take for you?

Actually mine would not allow me to touch her face with my fingers immediately either.. You just have to keep working at it every day.. Just lay your finger down in front of your tort. Allow your tort to poke your finger. Mine would reach out every time and want to see what my finger nail was. I started taking a paper towel and wetting it warm.. I held my little one & would put the paper towel out in front of her. She would reach out to see what it was.. Once she was poking it, i very lightly touch her beak & lips. She felt the wetness & warmth and I kept lightly touching her with it.. I even lightly rubbed her underneath with it, and then put it in front of her. Eventually she just let me take it and wipe her whole mouth & head, I can even now get a piece of grass or mazuri that is close to her eye wiped away. I can put my fingers on her lips and she will let me try to open her mouth without flitching now. You will get there.. Just keep trying & take it slow. Do you hand feed at all? If not maybe hand feed a little.. Your tort has to get use to your fingers in order for you to touch

 

[passwordstaco]

I heard that stress can really be harmful for younger torts, so I try to be as hands off as possible while it is still so young. I only really handle it to dry, and when I do I rub its shell/head and then put it back in the enclosure.

I tried to hand feed a few times, but the he just stands there frozen. Not scared to hide in the shell, just standing really still.