Shell and beak problem?

[kbaker116]

I haven't taken pictures of him, but my tortoises shell is misshapen. I will upload pictures within the next few days. Its first top scute is the highest part of the shell and then goes down from there. The shell also used to be kind of soft but now it has been getting harder since we have been feeding him native grasses and adding heat to his enclosure. His beak has also more parrot like is there a way to trim it? Also do Hermann's need to be hibernated? I bought this guy 5 years ago and bought a book and educated myself on them, but sadly it seems like I'm running into all these problems with him that I sure hope are reversible.

Thanks in advance!

Kyle

 

[Isa]

I have an Hermann too and I do not let him hibernate, it is a personal choice and I think it is very risky to hibernate a tortoise inside when you are not an expert. Do you have any pics of his enclosure? To help his beak, you can put his food on a slate (you can buy them at home depot) and you can put a cuttle bone in the enclosure (it is calcium that you buy in the bird section, be sure to remove the metal part before putting it in the enclosure). What kind of light is there in the enclosure?

 

[kbaker116]

He is currently in a 30 gallon aquarium. Yeah not the greatest choice but we recently purchased a roughly 3ft long aquarium. I would like to make him an outdoor enclosure but with my dogs and other animals are what I worry about. I believe its a 75 watt bulb heat lamp, and fluorescent lighting. Do you think I should get a heat mat?

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Welcome to the forum, Kbaker.

You can get help for all of these issues and cure or reduce the damage to your tortoise's shell that may have stemmed from improper care methods and diet. I know, because my tortoise endured three hard years of grossly inappropriate conditions in our family before I got off my butt and decided to do some research to take better care of her.

Does your tortoise look like this?

If so, he has pyramiding and possibly Metabolic Bone Disease and you need to get him into a much bigger enclosure, like this:

You'll also need to ensure that he has proper light and heating, and follow the diet guidelines for his species. The Tortoise Forum will provide all of the advice and information you will need. Good luck!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Your tortoise needs UVB from either a bulb, or ideally, time outdoors in the sun. No, you do not need to hibernate the tort, but you do need a proper diet, calcium, UVB, and a large enclosure as sorry to say but you've probably already caused permanent damage, but with some improvements, hopefully your tort's lifespan and overall health will not be too affected. You can build a tort enclosure with a wood fence dug down to prevent burrowing out, use a wire type mesh all around and above it, plus a high fence between the enclosure and the dogs, putting the tort outside when the temps are proper (70 to 90 deg) and you provide shade and water. A vet can trim the beak (with a dremmel or a file) and then you can feed on a slate tile to prevent it from overgrowing again. You should get the tort a check up with a fecal test for parasites anyways. I'd return the new aquarium and use a large plastic tub or a wood box (tortoise table). You need about 10 sq ft indoors and a few times that outdoors. Is he eating the grasses? Great to see you here getting advice! Welcome to the forum.