Question regarding tortoise

MrsAudus2b

Hi everyone

I was wondering if anyone knew anything cutting tortoise claws?
My tortoise is 24 months old and his claws seem a little long. It would obviously be so cheaper to do this myself rather than take to a vet but would this be safe for the little guy?

He is my little baby and so I am more than happy to pay out but just wondered if anyone had experience of doing this themselves?

Many Thanks

xx

notlongnow_2

Is it one of those that needs to be kept in a tank with heat? I have a regular tortoise and to get his claws down he walks on the cement(obviously not at this time of year..lol) If he needs to have them clipped he goes to the vets as Im pretty sure there are blood vessels in the nail that can be cut.

Personally, I wouldnt even attempt it myself.

MrsAudus2b

Thank you notlongnow.

I googled the question and some websites were advising people to do it themselves...but to be honest I can't bear the thought in case I hurt him!

Yes he lives in his vivarium and will do until he is 5 years old.

I appreciate your reply, thanks again

xxx

snowman2_2

There is an obvious blood vessel in the middle of the nail but tortoises also seem to have a long thin extension blood vessel in the middle. This means that the nails are meant to be quite long and most people that worry about the nails are worrying over nothing and I will only remove a few mm. If you make it bleed, use some corn flour or wet soap to plug the end but may be better to get a reptile vet to show you the first time.
PS I have a tortoise of my own and see loads at work

lfckerry

hi, what type of tortoise do you have? i wondered why you feel the need to keep it in a viv at all,never mind untill it is 5 years old?
Im not being funny but may be able to point you in the direction of some good websites which suggest a better way of tortoise keeping.keeping him in a viv could be giving him a death sentence.

kerry

snowman2_2

The whole point of a viv is to try to mimic conditions in the wild regarding temperature, ultraviolet light, humidity and other environmental conditions. The word vivarium just means somewhere to keep animals which includes dog kennels, chicken coops and tortoise vivs. There are good vivs and bad vivis - all glass tanks aren't necessarily the best option, tortoise tables can be better but many parts of Britain, especially my part around Lancashire aren't suitable for keeping a tortoise outside for most of the year. Having a tortoise sit under a radiator is not good either as the tortoise is sitting in a cold draught. Best vivs are custom made to your own specifications making best use of space, heat and ultraviolet light.

To the OP, go ask a good tortoise vet or an experienced keeper and be very careful what you read on the internet. There is a lot of rubbish written. At the end of the day, research natural conditions and diet of your tortoise and try to match them in captivitiy

clutterydrawer

I don't know about tortoises...but what i would do would be to take him to the vet to have them trimmed and whilst there, ask if it's practical and safe to do them at home in future.

I know that the vets might want to keep their income source but i have had good results in the past getting vets to show me how to do nail trims/molar checks/injections at home so it's worth a try....and then you can be 100% sure your doing them right

scheming_gypsy

snowman2 wrote: »

The whole point of a viv is to try to mimic conditions in the wild regarding temperature, ultraviolet light, humidity and other environmental conditions. The word vivarium just means somewhere to keep animals which includes dog kennels, chicken coops and tortoise vivs. There are good vivs and bad vivis - all glass tanks aren't necessarily the best option, tortoise tables can be better but many parts of Britain, especially my part around Lancashire aren't suitable for keeping a tortoise outside for most of the year. Having a tortoise sit under a radiator is not good either as the tortoise is sitting in a cold draught. Best vivs are custom made to your own specifications making best use of space, heat and ultraviolet light.

To the OP, go ask a good tortoise vet or an experienced keeper and be very careful what you read on the internet. There is a lot of rubbish written. At the end of the day, research natural conditions and diet of your tortoise and try to match them in captivitiy

problem with vivs for a lot of tortoise species, some are fine in them, is the lack of ventilation in them. Yep they're fine if you can give enough ventilation but can cause issues. Best bet with a viv is to put it on its back and take the glass out, or use a tortoise table with a decent heat lamp and UVB.


edit.. you could also put a couple of pieces of slate in the viv to file the nails down naturally.

snowman2_2

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

problem with vivs for a lot of tortoise species, some are fine in them, is the lack of ventilation in them. Yep they're fine if you can give enough ventilation but can cause issues. Best bet with a viv is to put it on its back and take the glass out, or use a tortoise table with a decent heat lamp and UVB.

That is only true if you are talking about an all-glass viv which is a bad idea. A wooden viv can have plenty of ventilation as can tortoise tables and home built sheds / runs. A tortoise table is still technically a viv

sparkle03

Hi,

I keep my tortoise in a tortoise table, we have rocks in there for him to climb and a cuttle fish, he tends to scrath his claws against them so they dont get too long!

They are pretty long anyway, if your really worried have a chat with the place you got your baby from!

Good luck and take care

lfckerry

I wouldnt reccomend a viv for the majority of tortoises,please have a look at the tortoisetrust website for loads of help n info.
i live up north too and my tortoises are outside from April-September,as long as they have a heat lamp and shelter to warm up then they are fine,then for winter they hibernate so there is no reason to use a viv,the hunidity in a viv is too high and glass stresses torts out as they can see through it but cannot understand that they cant get through!
and dont get me started on imported torts:mad: