Tortoise underbite?

[Wicked Demon]

After looking through some web photos I notice a striking difference between my tort and the ones in the pics, mine has an underbite, is this ok, or some kind of condition? if so is it bad, is it correctable?
Teach me walking rock gurus!!!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

We need some pictures of what you are talking about.

 

[Wicked Demon]

charging camera battery, give me ~15 min

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[Yvonne G]

Hi Aaron:

It looks to me as if this tortoise was suffering from MBD early on in his life. This has caused the upper beak to grow more slowly than the lower beak. You can file the lower beak (Dremmel) a bit, and as it grows, keep filing it until it comes closer to meeting with the top beak. I see this an awful lot in sulcata tortoises that have not had the best care as babies. Its not life threatening, and can be corrected. It makes it hard for the tortoise to bite off chunks or blades of grass. Just make sure your tortoise is getting plenty of calcium rich foods and either real sunshine or a good UVB light.

 

[pdrobber]

sorry but that looks really funny/cute.

 

[Wicked Demon]

He still eats like a champ, I have MANY doubts reguarding his well being prior to me, some people just dont care enough to learn.

 

[Wicked Demon]

The tort wont pull into its shell when you hold a dremmel to its face?

 

[Mao Senpai]

If he is eating ok and active I wouldn't.. stress too much about it, over time the correct care should take care of it. He will probably tuck in and out... especially with the high rotating tool so.. gotta be careful and patient.
On a different note... I think it looks cute

 

[Yvonne G]

The tort wont pull into its shell when you hold a dremmel to its face?

Yes, he will. You have to hold his head. I do it to my tortoises about once a year. I have a group of Manouria tortoises that have that same problem...the over-shot under jaw.

I hold the tortoise, usually supported on the edge of the fence with legs waving freely in the air, and another person holds the head (behind the jaws so they can't pull in) and applies the Dremmel.

With your little guy it would be a whole lot easier than it is with my big guys. You might even be able to do it by yourself. Once you get the head behind the jaws, its pretty easy to hold them.

But be very careful. Don't take it down too low or it will be painful to the tortoise.

 

[Katherine]

At emy you do it without anesthesia??? I have a young sulcata w severe underbite but doesn't present a feeding challenge yet and he's got a good appetite healthy demeanor so I have been waiting to see if it will correct with time. He's about 4 now and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere so will likely be trimming it in the next month but fully intended to have him completely anesthetized prior to the trim....don't you think that would be incredibly stressful, painful, and scary for them to see and feel a dremel tool on their face? I have no experience as all my other kiddos have good 'beaks' so am infinitely curious to learn from others personal experience before taking the plunge myself! Thanks in advance.

 

[Wicked Demon]

I would think the anesthesia would be really hard on tortoises, reptiles in general, I know it is for birds, and they are somewhat similar. (as we all know from jurasic park)

 

[Katherine]

lol. I agree anesthesia is less than optimal; hence why I have waited so long/tried alternatives to trimming the beak on this little guy who seems to eat around it relatively unhindered.

I have seen a handful of tortoises undergo surgeries successfully and one in particular that required multiple incidences of anesthesia for treatment of a severe shell injury and always woke up no worse for the wear but if there is an alternative, I'd def go that route first...that's why I'm so curious about beak trimming a tortoise who's wide awake.

Seems IMHO that the risks of such would outweigh the benefits (i recognize the same argument might be made for a beamtrim under anesthesia) but I've never done it so my opinion, and I stress opinion, is just based off speculation and observation.... Not trying to step on anyone's toes; just trying to get experienced feedback to make more informed decisions for myself and my kiddos : ))))

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm afraid that my tortoises are not babied as much as other forum members' tortoises are. If something has to be done to them, stress is not the first thing I think about. Do the tortoises like it? No. But if it has to be done, too bad.

 

[Greg T]

I have one with a similar condition too. As long as he is eating and living well, then let it go. I think trying to dremel and modify it will not be pleasant to the tort and may not fix the problem anyway. Mine is doing just fine with his underbite.

 

[Katherine]

Thanks all, I'll guess prob leave it alone for time being but I think it's inevitable in the future so weighing my options in advance : )

and @emys I am def guilty of babying : / I guess since I am not a commercial breeder but rather a hobbiest so to speak I treat them like pets and oft like family members as well. I also don't have a huge number of torts so I feel like I have a personal relationship and personal obligation to every single one of them. Crazy maybe? Sure- but I'm happy and hopeful they are too : ) haha. I know they're naturally wild animals but in captivity they're dependent on my care/husbandry/love and subject to my judgement so tortoise caretaking is a job I take seriously(as I am sure you all do, that's why we are here right?) Oh I talk to them too : / often. Lol. Many people would prob look at me crosseyed if they caught me alone in monolog in the backyard but I don't really mind ; )

May try to upload beakpics later and see what you guys think of the severity and/or need to correct. Thanks again for all the honest input : )

 

[Yvonne G]

If your tortoise is getting along fine with his beak the way it is, and if the beak doesn't seem to be growing out past the upper beak too far, then I would leave it alone also. However, in my tortoises' cases, the beak continues to grow and if left un-filed, would stick way out in front of the tortoise's face. They have to be trimmed.

 

[Bow]

The hermann's tortoise I'm getting in 12 days has an underbite too... I didn't realize it was metabolic bone disease

 

[dav3]

heya when my torts beaks get bad i let them have some cuttle fish, trims it right down

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cheap cheerful and less of a hassle

 

[yagyujubei]

After the beak is trimmed, does the tortoise ever develop a serrated edge again? Just curious.