Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi
my friend has a leopard tortoise [almost 2'] he got from a customer. he has a store that sells exotic animals as in turtles, tortioses,poison dart frogs, bearded dragons, snakes. the problem is the bottom of the shell has grown out almost like a spur under the neck area so the tortoise has to crane her neck to eat. my question is how hard would it be to " cut back " some of the shell so it doesn't have to stick it neck out another 2" more to get to the food. and would it hurt the tortoise. also does anyone know what the price range would be. i hope i am making sense here. the rest of the shell doesn't look too good either. he has a leopard that looks nothing like this one in the shell area. i wish i could post a pic but don't have a camera.
thanks for any input.
walt

I would definately not cut the turtles shell, it is alive and does have feeling. You should definately take it to a vet and have him asses the situation. They usually retail at an average of $150.

thanks for your answer. actaully what i should of stated was how much would it cost to do it a vets, which was answered.
my friend was not going to try and do it himself. i should of been more clearer. i should of said is it possible without hurting the tortoise and what all would have to be done if it was possible as in putting under if it could be done. hope i was a bit clearer in this post this time.
as you can tell i don't know anything about tortoises.
thanks again
walt