pascualthetortoise said:Hello! I have a large 18 year old sulcata. We got him last year so we are still new with this. I noticed his beak isn't very smooth. It has two cracks in it that seem to have gotten more pronounced over the last year. Do you have any advice? Do I trim the longer parts or somehow fill in the chips/cracks?
Yvonne G said:Hey, Tyrone: Your tortoise really should be taken to a vet and have his beak trimmed. The top beak is too long, excessively so. The bottom beak was probably also too long, which caused it to break off. It broke off very short, and probably was pretty painful when it happened. You don't want the top beak to break off and cause pain.
yes you can, finger nail file can also be used.Can you use a nail clipper.
What I'm asking is, why have you got it into your head that his bottom beak is broken? There's no sign of damage there that I can see?
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TWEAK YOUR BEAK….HOW TO INFO
In some cases your tortoises’ beak may need to be trimmed. This procedure may need the assistance of a helper with a “squeamish†and or larger animal. The most important part is … YOU have to be careful not to trim too much!
The “ Beak†or front part -upper lip is made out of Keratin , pretty much the same as what (human) fingernails are…. So they grow constantly. When trimming you have to be careful not to trim too much as there is blood supply to the “base†of the beak. A nice thing to have on hand is silver nitrate sticks , or some other forms of sterile topical “stop bleed†in case you nick a vessel.
I use a small Dremel (hobby/craft rotary tool), with a 90* angle attachment that provides a nice flat straight approach as well as a better view to gently grind off a tortoise beak's rather it be extra growth and or split beaks ( common in larger species).
Most tortoises aren't to cooperative when it comes to this timely event …. they are very strong…… and can be stubborn and have their shells to hide in.
Getting your tortoise to poke its head out of his shell in some cases takes longer than actually trimming its beak…..while other tort’s this procedure doesn’t tend to be too bothersome and if your lucky the tortoise remains somewhat calm.
Here is one of my adult female CherryHeads who always seems to have exponential growth on her beak giving her an overbite. Spring is here time for a trim….
Before…….
After ……