How Do You Trim Beaks?

[cork_screw]

So I was wondering how you go about trimming a beak that has already been overgrown. I don't know of any vets that will do it, and was wondering if anyone had any snazzy tricks that they've found or any simple procedure that could be self done.
And a follow down question is how do you keep a beak from getting overgrown. I've heard about putting cuttlefish bone in their enclosure and that does not seem to work, and hard foods like melon rinds, also doesn't work as it doesn't really seem to cause enough frictional abrasion on the beaks to keep them in check. Thank you TF community.

 

[dmarcus]

I think if you do a search for overgrown beaks you should find something. I know a few people have used dremel tools, but since I have never had this issue I can't help much....

 

[Yvonne G]

You can either use a Dremmel or a toe-nail clipper. I use both, depending upon the size of the animal I'm trimming. For my large Manouria, who have beaks made out of steel ( ) I use the Dremmel. You have to have someone grasp the tortoise behind his jaws and hold his head out, then just run the Dremmel around the edge until you have it where you want it. You have to keep stopping because it gets hot.

For box turtles, I use the edge of a toe-nail clipper. I take off a little bit of a point starting at one side of the beak and clip, clip, clip my way around to the other side. You can't take off too much at a time, just a little nip.

It would be best if you had someone show you how the first time, because you CAN hurt the tortoise. There is blood in the beak and it is quite painful to the tortoise if you clip to much or split the beak.

 

[dbsneed69]

How overgrown is it? I'm sure someone will ask so, do you have any pics? Many people have suggested that you should feed them on a flat stone or cement surface.

 

[rockyMTNtortoise]

So I was wondering how you go about trimming a beak that has already been overgrown. I don't know of any vets that will do it, and was wondering if anyone had any snazzy tricks that they've found or any simple procedure that could be self done.
And a follow down question is how do you keep a beak from getting overgrown. I've heard about putting cuttlefish bone in their enclosure and that does not seem to work, and hard foods like melon rinds, also doesn't work as it doesn't really seem to cause enough frictional abrasion on the beaks to keep them in check. Thank you TF community.

---

Where do you live? I would think there has to be an exotic pet veteranaian some where close to you who is experieneced in trimming beaks. Its just better for the tortoise to have someone experienced in trimming beaks do this, mainly because you could accidentally permanently damage the beak.

 

[Jacqui]

The second part on how to prevent it in the future, these are things I do. I feed on unglazed terra cotta plant water dishes and flat rocks. I don't cut up the food, I leave it whole so they have to rip it. I try to feed a high amount of weeds, which have harder tougher leaves and stems them the ones we grow. If feeding greens like collards, I feed the the hard stems too. A give a whole carrot once or twice a month. Plus for a few special ones I feed them once or twice in the summer an ear of corn.

 

[Flesh.Chobit]

We think Jethra was trying to trim her beak on Rosie's Mac once.. xDD Just walked up to it and started trying to bite it over and over again.

Then we found cuttle bone in the store and saw what birds used it for and thought, "Oh maybe he was just trying to sharpen his beak or something.." since we read online it was good for her we got it. (I left the 'he' in the quote because we still thought he was a boy. ^__^;

I hope you get your's beak trimmed. <3 We're going to buy a rock to feed ours on.

 

[cork_screw]

Yeah, I heard of using the dremmel grinder, but I was always affraid of trying to grasp it's head/neck while operating on the beak. My tort is really shy and I think grasping him like that will betray some trust and make him more shy and hesitant about coming out. Also, he's super small (egyptian) and his head is the size of an eraser head on a #2 pencil So that's too is hard and I don't want to break anything or dislocate his vertabrae because I feel like I would be putting way too much pressure on his poor neck. But I guess this thread also goes out to those who don't have such a small tort, but even something the size of a greek or a herman, would still give me an nausous feeling grasping him by the head and securing him by the neck. Is there a proper technique to do this, how do you keep him from pulling his head back, but at the same time now putting so much pressure you snap his neck?

 

[lynnedit]

One of our members throws a carrot in with them once a month to help with the beak. Also feeding on a piece of slate or paver.
However, I think the first time you really probably need to find a vet or someone in your area who has done it before, for the very reasons you mention.

 

[DesertGrandma]

definitely find a tortoise vet and watch the vet do it the first time

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I used nail clippers on the Ornate box turtle we recently adopted...she didn't like it much, but she can now eat much easier and by feeding all of our torts/boxies on flat rocks, it won't have to ever be done again.