Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i run a reptile rescue in northern california, and just recieved in my first 3toed, but her nails are so long.

id say her back nails are at LEAST an inch long and look very gross.

and her front ones are long and curl up towards the leg.

should i clip these? and if so, take it little by little or just make it look like other turtles?

also, she has only been fed tomatoes and i doubt that has anything to do with it but her top jaw is extremely long as well, it goes way past her bottom jaw so she looks like she has a severe over bite, should i have this trimmed??
shes having a difficult time catching mealworms and crickets, im not sure if the difficulty is caused by the fact she has never had them before or because of the jaw issue.

please let me know your suggestions and insights.
thanks

I do clip my box turtle's nails when needed. It's no different than clipping a dog's nails. There is a quick and you do have to be careful not to clip too far. If they are walking on nails & not feet then it has to be done.
When nails grow way too long usually you have to clip a little at a time over a period of time, possibly several weeks so that you don't hit that quick.. .which on it's own will drop farther back to a more normal position over time.
I hold mine up in the air, take advantage of sunlight and I can see the quick easily that way. I always have styptic powder on hand just in case I do make a mistake.

As for overgrown beaks, if it's not too overgrown sometimes using a flat paver brick or a flat rock as dinner plate will help them wear it down naturally.. for those too far gone, I take them to the vet & have her dremmel it down.
Then since this one seems to have come to you after having been fed a poor diet, I make sure they get enough calcium & sunlight in case there's some MBD going on.
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PHRatz