Scale growing at the wrong angle?

[JaneG]

Hi,
Tortilla is a 15month old Herman and generally very alert & healthy. I have noticed a scale appears to be growing at the wrong angle on the side of the head.
Do I need to worry about it? It doesn't appear to be causing any discomfort or inconvenience.
Many thanks, Jane

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
I'm also in the UK
Is is soft or hard, and how long has he had it?
I don't know about this myself but I'll tag a few people who will @Yvonne G , @zovick @ZenHerper and hopefully others will see your post soon and reply.

There is so much old and incorrect tortoise care information still being passed around by pet shops, breeder and even some vets etc that you may find this up to date caresheet helpful -

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

If you post a picture of your enclosure you'll get good feedback to make sure it's as safe as possible.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. In my view, this looks more like a piece of the tortoise‘s beak that was broken but is still hanging on. Doesnt look like part of the shell.

How often do you soak your tortoise?

Id say it’s best to get that piece taken off so it doesnt “catch” on anything and so it doesnt interfere with proper eating.

Good luck.

 

[JaneG]

Hi and welcome,
I'm also in the UK
Is is soft or hard, and how long has he had it?
I don't know about this myself but I'll tag a few people who will @Yvonne G , @zovick @ZenHerper and hopefully others will see your post soon and reply.

There is so much old and incorrect tortoise care information still being passed around by pet shops, breeder and even some vets etc that you may find this up to date caresheet helpful -

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

If you post a picture of your enclosure you'll get good feedback to make sure it's as safe as possible.

Hi Lyn, thank you for coming back so promptly
To be honest, I don't know how long it's been like that but I'd say it can only have developed in the past month or so and I've only noticed it today! From many angles you can't tell that it's actually sticking out.
It feels hard, I've just tried to get a closer picture.
I've included a picture of his indoor enclose (was outdoors in summer), we spray the topsoil each morning & he has a combined UV/heatlamp on a timer. We feed him at the cooler end and that tends to stay damp for quite a while. Fed predominantly on wild plantain, sow thistle, cats ears, dandelion, nipplewort & mallow, although now these are getting scarce, romaine lettuce, lambs lettuce, pak choi & mixed crispy leaf salad. We dust feeds with Reptavite & offer a cuttle fish occasionally.
As I say Tortilla seems very active & happy, but this just seemed a little strange so thought I'd best check!

 

[JaneG]

Greetings. In my view, this looks more like a piece of the tortoise‘s beak that was broken but is still hanging on. Doesnt look like part of the shell.

How often do you soak your tortoise?

Id say it’s best to get that piece taken off so it doesnt “catch” on anything and so it doesnt interfere with proper eating.

Good luck.

Thanks Mark & greetings to you too. We don't soak as such. There is a flat water bowl in the enclosure that Tortilla 'wanders through' now and again and we spray the top soil each morning. It doesn't appear to be causing any bother at the moment but I'll look into possibility of getting it taken off if you think that's best.

 

[Lyn W]

I can't say for sure but it could be that his beak has split on the side.
Wait and see what some of the members I tagged with more medical experience say and advise you to do.

Meanwhile, there are a few changes you could make in his enclosure that would make it more comfortable for him.
A terracotta plant saucer sunk in the substrate would be easier and safer for him to access and exit, and the MVB combi bulbs aren't recommended anymore because they can dry and damage shells,
Many of us use T5 HO uvb tube kits with a separate flood basking bulb and for night heat, a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) run through a thermostat for night heat (it just gives heat so that torts have the darkness they need to sleep) - it can also be used for extra heat when needed.
Open tables are difficult to control humidity so he really would benefit from a luke/baby warm shallow soak to keep him hydrated every couple of days at least. Find a container he easily fits is and have water level just up to where the bottom shell (plastron) meets the side of his shell - it should never cover his head.
He may pee and poop in it which is good, and if he does just change it and don't it let cold - bail cold out and top up with warm (if clean).

Many of us made mistakes at the start - thanks to being given wrong and old information but the caresheet I linked has helped us put things right without affecting our torts too much. Have a good read of that and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[ZenHerper]

@Maro2Bear is correct. The beak is split and bent out.

Sometimes a split can tear up into tissue that bleeds (can open the body to infective microbes) and has pain nerves (can hurt like a torn finger nail), so the best plan is to have it attended to by a veterinary office that sees tortoises routinely.

I can't tell from the photos, but splits often happen when beaks are overgrown.

It can also happen if there is a fall or other traumatic injury (stepped on, closed in a door, etc.).

 

[zovick]

@Maro2Bear is correct. The beak is split and bent out.

Sometimes a split can tear up into tissue that bleeds (can open the body to infective microbes) and has pain nerves (can hurt like a torn finger nail), so the best plan is to have it attended to by a veterinary office that sees tortoises routinely.

I can't tell from the photos, but splits often happen when beaks are overgrown.

It can also happen if there is a fall or other traumatic injury (stepped on, closed in a door, etc.).

Agree with ZenHerper. The beak is cracked from the overgrowth on the sides. It should be trimmed back by a vet so the crack doesn't continue into the soft tissue.

 

[JaneG]

I can't say for sure but it could be that his beak has split on the side.
Wait and see what some of the members I tagged with more medical experience say and advise you to do.

Meanwhile, there are a few changes you could make in his enclosure that would make it more comfortable for him.
A terracotta plant saucer sunk in the substrate would be easier and safer for him to access and exit, and the MVB combi bulbs aren't recommended anymore because they can dry and damage shells,
Many of us use T5 HO uvb tube kits with a separate flood basking bulb and for night heat, a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) run through a thermostat for night heat (it just gives heat so that torts have the darkness they need to sleep) - it can also be used for extra heat when needed.
Open tables are difficult to control humidity so he really would benefit from a luke/baby warm shallow soak to keep him hydrated every couple of days at least. Find a container he easily fits is and have water level just up to where the bottom shell (plastron) meets the side of his shell - it should never cover his head.
He may pee and poop in it which is good, and if he does just change it and don't it let cold - bail cold out and top up with warm (if clean).

Many of us made mistakes at the start - thanks to being given wrong and old information but the caresheet I linked has helped us put things right without affecting our torts too much. Have a good read of that and ask as many questions as you like.

Thanks for all your help Lyn, I'll be making a vets appointment in the morning as others seem to agree it could be a split beak.
I'll also take a good look at your recommendations and make sure the set-up is as it should be.

 

[JaneG]

@Maro2Bear is correct. The beak is split and bent out.

Sometimes a split can tear up into tissue that bleeds (can open the body to infective microbes) and has pain nerves (can hurt like a torn finger nail), so the best plan is to have it attended to by a veterinary office that sees tortoises routinely.

I can't tell from the photos, but splits often happen when beaks are overgrown.

It can also happen if there is a fall or other traumatic injury (stepped on, closed in a door, etc.).

Thank you for the advise, it's much appreciated. I'll be making a vets appointment first thing.
I can't see how any trauma could have happened, he's happy in his enclosure all day where I don't believe there's any cause for injury.
Hopefully the vet will be able to shed a little more light on what's happened.
Thanks again for your input, I'll let you all know how we get on.

 

[JaneG]

Agree with ZenHerper. The beak is cracked from the overgrowth on the sides. It should be trimmed back by a vet so the crack doesn't continue into the soft tissue.

Thank you, a vets appointment will be made first thing! I'll let you all know how we get on.

 

[vladimir]

Welcome @JaneG ! Please let us know how it goes - you've come to the right place. welcome to the forum

 

[Lyn W]

Thank you for the advise, it's much appreciated. I'll be making a vets appointment first thing.
I can't see how any trauma could have happened, he's happy in his enclosure all day where I don't believe there's any cause for injury.
Hopefully the vet will be able to shed a little more light on what's happened.
Thanks again for your input, I'll let you all know how we get on.

It could be that his beak is overgrown and weakened, so when he bit on something it broke.
If you have a good tortoise vet he should be able to file/trim it down - hopefully without damaging soft tissue.
Do you give him any calcium? Just a small pinch a couple of times a week is enough.
Don't let the vet give him any vitamin shots if he suggests it - they can often cause problems and he should get what he needs from diet.
I hope he's OK soon.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Good luck at the vet & having that beak taken care of. ?