Hello y'all

Longtabl

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Feb 13, 2015
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Texas
hello from Texas. I have a seven (ish) year old Russian. He is technically my son's but I do the bulk of the work. Tortie has been a member of our household for two years and everyone thinks he is amazing. Tortie (my daughter came up with his name) is healthy and friendly. He spends his nights and winters in a moderate indoor pen, but any sunny temperate day has the run of our (tortoise proofed) back yard, and I set him up in a windowed hallway on sunny days in the winter. His nickname is "piggy". Since he loves to sit in his food dish and snack. I have owned reptiles since high school but Tortie is our first tortoise.

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Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Tortie might benefit from a bit of a beak trim. Once you've trimmed it back to a good shape, then feed him on a rough surface and don't cut up his food - make him bite pieces off.
 

Longtabl

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Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Tortie might benefit from a bit of a beak trim. Once you've trimmed it back to a good shape, then feed him on a rough surface and don't cut up his food - make him bite pieces off.

@Yvonne G , I just swapped his food plate for a natural untreated slate tile. We were using small plates that I could throw in the dishwasher but I can clean the slates just as easily. And I have plenty if one needs some soaking to get clean. We don't cut up his food (ok I usually rip the dandelions in half so it fits on the eating surface but that's it). The picture I posted was from when we were treating him for worms and we had to keep everything sanitary so no substrate etc until worms were gone. he is right now buried up to his top scoot in orchid bark in his hide after several hours roaming outside. This is TX so it is 70s today, the forecast is for an ice storm tomorrow and we wanted to be sure Tortie got some roaming time before being shut in the house for the next week+.

As for a beak trim. Would you trim it the same way you trim a parrots beak? And how much should I trim? I have a lot of beak rasp/files from helping my Mom with her parrots. (Conures and cockatoos) and I would asume holding a tort and filing is similar right? we rescued him, so his beak is a little malformed, but our reptile vet (who herself owns a herd of torts and several snakes) said it is not a problem so long as he is able to eat properly. He has a cuttle bone and access to a small amount of Timothy hay all the time.

My son (10) wrote a "book" about his tortoise for a school project. And I love this quote from it "Like a slow moving stampede he moves towards his goal." Owning reptiles is an exercise in patience. Thanks for the advice :)
 

bouaboua

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Hello and Welcome to the forum! ! ! !
 
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