I came across something interesting. I read *all* the posts about overgrown beaks on the tortoise forum, even the back files, and up until 2009, when a pic was posted of a really overgrown beak, people always said "Yep, you'll need to have that trimmed, and then for MAINTENANCE feed on a slate or flat rock." Then all of a sudden, around 2010, everybody just says: "Feed on a slate or flat rock" without the recommendation to trim (except a few of the experts might chime in and say it needs trimming, but they often didn't bother any more, because a bunch of others had already chimed in). More often than not, there were a few pretty self-righteous posters on the thread emphasizing that THEY feed on a slate or rock, so THEIR tortoise would never get such an overgrown beak. It's a typical case of knowledge drift - folks that know 'a little bit' parroting partial knowledge, and that becoming the norm.
So here it is, folks: A beak that is really overgrown WILL in most cases need to be trimmed, to make normal eating possible. Then feeding on a slate will help keep it short. Even then, if the tortoise has MBD, the beak may still grow faster than it should, and may need re-trimming. Even after years of good food, proper supplements, and healthy UVB, and ten slates in their enclosure, a tortoise may show accelerated beak growth, and need it re-trimmed.
Just a reminder not always to take everything you read on the forum at face value... at least not based just on a few posts.
So here it is, folks: A beak that is really overgrown WILL in most cases need to be trimmed, to make normal eating possible. Then feeding on a slate will help keep it short. Even then, if the tortoise has MBD, the beak may still grow faster than it should, and may need re-trimming. Even after years of good food, proper supplements, and healthy UVB, and ten slates in their enclosure, a tortoise may show accelerated beak growth, and need it re-trimmed.
Just a reminder not always to take everything you read on the forum at face value... at least not based just on a few posts.
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