Growth from inside/under top of beak

[Xabbygrace]

Hi! I have a 10 wk old Sulcata Tortoises. He has been doing very well and eats/drinks like a champ. I noticed this morning (literally appeared over night) that there seems to be a hard growth/build up coming from the inside of his top beak. I tried to rub it off with a Q-tip but it didn’t budge. Not sure what it is, any advice would be great! I am taking him to the vet this week but just wanted to try and ease my mind on it. He eats leafy greens daily, is on an sand/shaving substrate, has a heat lamp/UV lamp, is soaked daily for 15 minutes and his enclosure is sprayed daily. Temp stays around 80 degrees and 75 % humidity. The white stuff on his face is a calcium sprinkle before you guys jump on me. ? He seems to be very healthy and very active otherwise. Any advice would be great! Thanks!!

 

[Tom]

That is the egg tooth. He's not 10 weeks old. How long have you had him and where did you get him?

Sounds like you are making some of the common mistakes based on the old wrong advice given by most breeders, sellers and pet shops.

Give this a read through for the most current and correct info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Xabbygrace]

I have had him for 4 weeks and at that point was told he was 6 weeks old. I took a picture of him when I got him and the spot was not there. Can you point me in the direction of what mistakes I am making? I actually wasn’t given any care instructions and did quite a bit of research prior to getting this little guy so just doing one of the many formulas to tortoise care that is online.

 

[Xabbygrace]

Sorry forgot to add the pic!

 

[Xabbygrace]

I don’t believe we are talking about the same area. I have circled the spot I am worried about. Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Can you point me in the direction of what mistakes I am making? I actually wasn’t given any care instructions and did quite a bit of research prior to getting this little guy so just doing one of the many formulas to tortoise care that is online.

The problem with research is that most of what is written for this species is the old out-dated wrong info that we've all been following for decades.

All the info is in the care sheet I linked for you, but specifically, neither sand nor shavings should be used for substrate. Both are potentially fatal. That might be what is sticking out of the mouth, but I really can't tell. They usually drop the egg tooth by about six weeks, so if yours still has it, that is a clue about the age. Soaks should be 30-40 minutes, and I'd try the q-tip at the end of that longer soak to see if you can remove whatever that is. Sounds like you have a mercury vapor bulb? Those cause pyramiding and should not be used for that reason and a host of other reasons. 75% humidity is too low, and if you are having to spray every day, this tells me that your enclosure is too open.

Be careful with the vet. Most of them don't know anything about tortoises care and will do more harm than good. Don't let them do any "vitamin injections".

Read that care sheet. All of this and much more that will keep your baby healthy and growing properly is in there.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know what is causing this area of concern, but sometimes they get stuck when climbing the sides of something, and their mouth is forced open too wide as they slide down, causing an injury at the corner of the mouth. This may or may not be what's going on there. I can only advice to keep some Neosporin or Vaseline on it so it doesn't dry out. If dry it will continue to break open when he opens his mouth. Let us know what the vet says.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. From reading many many many posts on folks taking their torts to vets & the vets doing the wrong thing, which makes things worse. Be careful. Personally, id skip the vet visit. Id make sure the conditions are all dialed in, good substrate, soaking, heat, humidity, proper lighting, a few hours of sunshine, good food.

Good luck!