Cracking Jaw

[DeannaNadine]

My sulcata Rigor Mortis is probably about 2 years old now. At least we've had him for over a year and he's big enough to fill up my hand. We feed him well and he has a very healthy appetite. We usually give him orchard grass or timothy hay with treats of carrots or romaine lettuce. He have his UV bulb and we give him calcium and vitamin D powder. Now, the problem is that he had (what I'm assuming was) his egg tooth when we got him. He broke it off and now his lower jaw is cracked. I'm not sure what to do. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, but it really looks bad. Is it possible that he'll grow out of it or do I need to go to the vet? Thank you.

In the picture you can see that the right side of his jaw is sitting on top of his upper jaw while the left side is under his upper jaw.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi DeannaNadine:

That doesn't look very good and its probably painful for the little guy. Do you know of a vet who is familiar with tortoises and tortoise beaks?

 

[Katherine]

Ouch. If that were my tortoise I would be taking it to a herp friendly veterinarian at my earliest convenience. I wish there were a simpler solution : ( I know your tortoise is young so if you don't have a veterinarian already maybe you could post a rough location and get suggestions for someone close to you with tortoise experience?

Also... It appears in the picture (which I should add I am viewing on a tiny phone so my apologies if I am not seeing it correctly) that the bottom jaw is the injured area. In my experience with sulcata hatchlings I have always noted the caruncle or 'egg tooth' to be above rather than below the mouth of my hatchlings, looking more like a nasal protuberance than anything....maybe others will chime in with different results as it is possible this is a genetic variability but based soley on my own personal experience with baby sulcatas I would reluctant to think an egg tooth problem caused this...Until you are able to see a vet it may be worth checking your tortoises enclosure for anything that could cause further injury just to be safe.

I hope everything turns out well for you and Rigor, they are resilient creatures and can overcome a lot with proper care and TLC!

 

[DeannaNadine]

To anyone else who gets this problem:
We took Rigor Mortis to the vet and she shaved down a side of his beak and gave us a strong calcium syrup (calcium glubionate) that we have to give him every day for 8 weeks. We were already giving him calcium powder but I guess it wasn't enough. She also had us buy him a new light. Previously we had a UVB bulb and a basking bulb, she recommended a Powersun bulb which is 2-in-1 so now he's always basking in the sunlight. She also recommended we put a small, damp area in his enclosure separate from the water bowl such as moss to help him grow. (We still give him soaks once a week too) Now his jaw looks incredibly stronger and he's doing really well.

 

[Yvonne G]

OMG, DeannaNadine:

WHO IS YOUR VET???? You have a treasure there - a vet who knows tortoises and their needs. We need to have this vet on our vet list. Please let me know who she is, her address and phone number.