Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have two three toed boxes. I am just wondering if I need to cut there nails. There about an inch long. My female has only one nail on front right foot.

One inch long is too long, so yes, a trim is in order. If you have never trimmed nails on a turtle before, you might want to consider taking it to a vet to have it done, or have a more experienced person show you how to do it properly to avoid injury or infection.
Stephanie

When i rescued my turtle its nails were very long too(but no where close to 1",man thats long). I took her to the vet jsut to make sure she was ok and they clipped her nails for the first time.

There is a blood vessle that is in the nail,jsut like dog nails have.So yo uhave to be careful not to cut too much off at once and make them bleed. I clipped my turtles nail every few weeks untill they were sort of back to normal size. This gives the time for the quick to receed, so you can clip the nails shorter every time.

If you have a dog you should be familliar with this as its pretty much the same.

Did you just acquire these turtles or have you hade them long? For their nails to get one inch long there is a problem with their diet or their housing.

I was given a turtle with nails that curled around and was almost an inch long. For years it had languished in a dry box and fed things like cottage cheese, yougurt and pasta! It's skin was very dry and the nails were long. I told the young owner I needed time to cut the nails and retrain the turtle to eat the right foods for box turtles. I gave her copies of the diet, health and housing chapters from my online box turtle care book and asked her to please learn about the proper care of box turtles because at this rate her beloved pet could soon die. I'm happy to say the turtle went home after a month to a much wiser owner and is now living a better life.

I don't know about your turtle's condition, but if their nails got to be an inch long, there may be things you'll want to review to be sure they are getting the things they need for a long, healthy life. For now, ask a vet or long time keeper to cut the nails down for you as there is a trick to trimming them.
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Tess
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