Hi i'm Debbie and need advise on Horsfield whose lower jaw has broken off

[Debbie A]

HI all
A year ago we took in a Male Horsfield who was approx. 10 from a family who had grown bored of him. He had been kept in a glass vivarium all his life. After doing research and reading lots on here we transferred him to a tortoise table with appropriate lighting/heat lamps and over wintered him in doors. We changed his diet from sweet corn, tomato and cucumber to weeds (avidly read the plant list), some organic grown salad leaves (endive, radiscchio etc) and flower heads (he loves fuschia flowers). In the early spring we built an outdoor enclosure for him and put him out most days through summer although never left him out overnight. He has a week back leg and "limps" a little but this has got stronger through the summer. However just had a call from my husband and he found half of Eliott's Jaw in his table today by his food slate. I don't have pictures yet but will post later. We have managed to get him into vets tonight at 7.20pm, and although she is the vet that specialise in tortoises am not sure of her pedigree! any advice would be gratefully rec'd. he has cuttlefish and sandstone in his table and we were starting to prep him for his first hibernation this year!
What affect will the loss of part of his lower jaw have? is it survivable? what can we do to help it repair?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Debbie, and welcome to the Forum!

When you say "jaw" do you really mean 'beak'? The jaw would include bone, and I would think that might almost be a life threatening injury.

On the other hand, if it's just his beak, that might be due to the fact he had such poor care with his previous keepers that the beak had overgrown. Feeding a tortoise chopped up or soft foods tends to allow the beak to grow too long. Then when he tries to actually use the beak to bite off food, it puts a strain on the long growth and it breaks off...sometimes a little bit shorter than we'd like.

Before we can help you, we'll need to see pictures of just how much has broken off, or if it really is the jaw that includes bone.

 

[Debbie A]

Hi Debbie, and welcome to the Forum!

When you say "jaw" do you really mean 'beak'? The jaw would include bone, and I would think that might almost be a life threatening injury.

On the other hand, if it's just his beak, that might be due to the fact he had such poor care with his previous keepers that the beak had overgrown. Feeding a tortoise chopped up or soft foods tends to allow the beak to grow too long. Then when he tries to actually use the beak to bite off food, it puts a strain on the long growth and it breaks off...sometimes a little bit shorter than we'd like.

Before we can help you, we'll need to see pictures of just how much has broken off, or if it really is the jaw that includes bone.

I think its his beak - will know more when I get home and will take pictures and upload! The top and bottom beak have never met and have read on this site today about beaks getting overgrown and needing maintenance. We read about them having something to gnaw on hence the cuttlefish (he's gone through 3 of them) and we did put calcium powder on his food initially - we only do it couple of times a week now as he was outside most of summer. In the summer he has grazed the plants in his enclosure and we've not noticed an impairment in his ability to eat! he's was 432g early spring and it was hard to try and get him to change his food regime but he is now 486g so he is improving.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Debbie

 

[Debbie A]

I think its his beak - will know more when I get home and will take pictures and upload! The top and bottom beak have never met and have read on this site today about beaks getting overgrown and needing maintenance. We read about them having something to gnaw on hence the cuttlefish (he's gone through 3 of them) and we did put calcium powder on his food initially - we only do it couple of times a week now as he was outside most of summer. In the summer he has grazed the plants in his enclosure and we've not noticed an impairment in his ability to eat! he's was 432g early spring and it was hard to try and get him to change his food regime but he is now 486g so he is improving.

 

[Gillian M]

Hi @Debbie A and a very warm welcome to the forum.

Sorry to know that your or is ill. Unfortunately I cannot help here: am no expert. I can only advise you to take him to a vet asap.

Hope to hear he is better SOON. Please keep us updated.

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh wow! That is severely overgrown. No wonder it broke off. The upper beak needs immediate attention or it will break off too. And when they break off it happens where you don't want it to. The first picture is too blurry, but I'm guessing that portion of the beak has broken off too short. That's quite painful...like when you break a fingernail down past the quick.

If you don't want to trim the beak yourself, take the tortoise to a vet, but do it in stages. You don't want to trim off too much at one time. All that whole pointy end needs to come off. It should look like this:

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Debbie !

 

[Big Charlie]

Hi Debbie. Welcome to the forum. I hope you get your tortoise the help he needs. He's lucky to have such a caring keeper as yourself.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi Debbie and welcome,, I'm sure your tort will be Ok with the better care you are giving him now.
If you have a herpetologist in any of the vet practices in your area who is used to torts then see if you can see them as they will know how to handle your tort better.
Good luck

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Debbie.
Any news ?