White skin around eyes?

[rovertt]

My Horsefield tortoise has developed some white pigment around his eyes and I'm rather concerned. It's only appeared in the last day or two. I've read online that it could be dehydration but I don't see how that's possible as he normally soaks in his bath every single day for up to two hours. His behaviour hasn't changed and he's still been quite active, although he seemed tired just today. (I tried to get a better picture but my camera wouldn't focus).

 

[Yvonne G]

The eyes look ok, but the beak is overgrown.

Moisten the substrate a bit for the eyes.

 

[rovertt]

The eyes look ok, but the beak is overgrown.

Moisten the substrate a bit for the eyes.

Thank you for replying! what can i do to shorten his beak? i know some people put their tortoise's food on slates so i put his on some big rocks but evidently that isn't working. any tips?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Thank you for replying! what can i do to shorten his beak? i know some people put their tortoise's food on slates so i put his on some big rocks but evidently that isn't working. any tips?

Do you have a cuttlefish bone in the enclosure? They really help maintaining good beaks, you might need to take urs to a vet for a nice trim if you can’t do it urself.

 

[rovertt]

Do you have a cuttlefish bone in the enclosure? They really help maintaining good beaks, you might need to take urs to a vet for a nice trim if you can’t do it urself.

thank you, I've just ordered a slate to put his food on and some cuttlefish bone and i'm going to take him to get his beak trimmed by a specialist as soon as the lockdown ends. unfortunately, the lockdown here is very strict and vets aren't open for any appointments unless they are absolute emergencies.

i think I've figured out that the reason for his beak overthrowing is his change in diet. I've been taking care of him for around 2 years now but before i took care of him he primarily ate romaine lettuce. i changed his diet to foods with more nutrients and calcium but they happen to be a lot softer. his beak had never overgrown before so i think this must be the reason. i will now give him some cuttlefish bone and feed him on a slate to keep his beak short once it's been trimmed.

 

[Maggie3fan]

if he was outside eating and pulling out weeds his beak wouldn't be like that...I use a dremmel tool or large toenail clippers...carefully...

 

[rovertt]

if he was outside eating and pulling out weeds his beak wouldn't be like that...

hi, he, unfortunately, can't be let outside on his own yet as our garden isn't secure and has some unsafe plants for him, our garden is a bee garden so it's all wildflowers that are grown specifically for bees and butterflies. however, last year we made plans of making him a large outdoor run for this summer in the stone parts of our garden that don't have wildflowers. We are going to use alfalfa grass and weeds on the floor of the run so that he can graze, as well as the substrate we use in his indoor table so he can dig. this has unfortunately been delayed due to the lockdown, but we're planning on building him the outdoor run as soon as the quarantine is over. again I've only recently taken over his care but I've researched a lot into his care and i realise the importance of having a large outdoor run and i will be sorting this out for him as soon as i can legally do so. thank you for your reply though, i do try and research into tortoise care thoroughly but i am still new to this and i appreciate any advice i am given.

 

[Maggie3fan]

hi, he, unfortunately, can't be let outside on his own yet as our garden isn't secure and has some unsafe plants for him, our garden is a bee garden so it's all wildflowers that are grown specifically for bees and butterflies. however, last year we made plans of making him a large outdoor run for this summer in the stone parts of our garden that don't have wildflowers. We are going to use alfalfa grass and weeds on the floor of the run so that he can graze, as well as the substrate we use in his indoor table so he can dig. this has unfortunately been delayed due to the lockdown, but we're planning on building him the outdoor run as soon as the quarantine is over. again I've only recently taken over his care but I've researched a lot into his care and i realise the importance of having a large outdoor run and i will be sorting this out for him as soon as i can legally do so. thank you for your reply though, i do try and research into tortoise care thoroughly but i am still new to this and i appreciate any advice i am given.

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