Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So apparently a piece of her beak broke off yesterday.
She gets calcium powder with every other meal.

Was this just an accident?
Is this sort of thing typical?

Hi. This is my opinion, looking at your photos and being a dentist who has kept tortoises for over 40 years now. Your tortoise's upper beak has overgrown, judging from the length of the "overbite" it shows over the lower jaw. The front portion of that upper beak is almost down to the chin on the lower jaw. Because of this, the beak is weakened and normal biting has caused first the crack and now the lost piece. I also suspect that the crack was/is harboring some bacteria or fungus which further weakened it, so the missing piece broke away due to lack of support. The whitish area around the break should be scraped off (it will probably be soft like shell rot) until firm tissue is evident, and then painted with Gentian Violet to kill the organism that is infecting it. If you are not experienced with doing this type of thing, take it to a vet and have it done there. At the same time, the other portions of the upper beak (the front and opposite side) should be trimmed back about 1/8" or so to make its length more normal.

I hope this is helpful to you. I am simply trying to give you my recommendations for your tortoise in a friendly and easily understood manner, so please don't be offended.

Thanks for the input, and no offense taken. I just rescued this tort and was curious as to why this happened.

She is very timid and does not allow her head to be touched. Will a vet have some techniques to get her head out, or will this require her to be put under anesthesia?

Sometimes the vets are able to get tortoises' heads out when owners cannot. However, the best and safest bet is always to use some mild form of general anesthesia which will allow a more relaxed treatment to be performed and hence a better and more complete job. If you want to know a very good anesthetic combo which is injectable and also reversible with an antidote when the procedure is finished, email me privately for the article.