Beaks and Claws - Paw Talk

ninja_smurtles · #1 02-05-2005, 05:36 PM

How long should turtles claws be before they need to be clipped?

Also When does a turtles beak start to harden?

horse_chic89 · #2 02-05-2005, 09:40 PM

well, if it is a male, and you want to breed it, DO NOT CUT THEM, ther nail are very valuable in mateing, i don't know about beaks???

elfomatic · #3 02-06-2005, 01:26 AM

You shouldn't ever have to cut an aquatic male's nails. They are meant to be long.

Your turtle's beak should always be hard ...

ninja_smurtles · #4 02-07-2005, 04:00 PM

He wont scratch the other turtles will he??

They do not look so hard to me

furryscaly · #5 02-07-2005, 10:28 PM

You shouldn't ever have to trim their claws, and yeah, if his beak isn't hard, there's something wrong. Its hard at birth, but will get soft if he has a calcium deficiency.

How many turtles do you have and what size is their cage? What species are they and what do you feed them? What's their basking temperature and what sort of heat and UVB lights are you using? I know these are a lotta questions, but unfortunately, the majority of pet stores don't know much about reptiles and amphibians.

elfomatic · #6 02-08-2005, 11:52 AM

The fingernails won't scratch the other turtles but you may see him performing a mating ritual with them -- he'll flicker them in another turtle's face. It is worth mentioning now that this does not necessarily mean you have a mating pair or that the other turtle is female ... sometimes they seem to do it socially.

If your turtles' shells are nice and firm than the rest of its body should be as well.

ninja_smurtles · #7 02-08-2005, 02:33 PM

Maybe they are hard but they look soft. How can you tell they are hard?

I have 6 turtles the tank is 150x40x50 there is plenty of basking areas.
Rocks to hide in.
Calcium turtles in there.
A heat mat but they rarely need that, a heat lamp for basking under and a uv lamp which is always on.
There shells are very solid with no squishy bits (I am always checking them when I heard that they could go soft) long claws, very active, love to bask and socialise, eating well, going to the bathroom well.
i am just a worrier I think

elfomatic · #8 02-09-2005, 12:19 PM

They sound fine.

You'll know if that beak is soft or not when they bite you.

ninja_smurtles · #9 02-09-2005, 12:32 PM

My turtles never bite or even attempt to.
I felt them yesterday by tapping gently with my nail and it made a clicking noise so they are hard like little blades.
The only thing one of them ever bit was a cotton bud when I was cleaning her it was so funny her attacking it

furryscaly · #10 02-09-2005, 10:12 PM

I'm terrible at math, so how many gallons is the tank? Turtles need a lot more room than pet stores would have you believe. As for the heat mat, I'd get rid of it. Its the wrong sort of heat source for your turtles. That's what the basking spot and heat lamp are for. You should also put the UVB light near there. Make sure you've got a UVB and not just some UVA light though. If it only says full spectrum, its not even a UV light at all. I think those calcium turtles are sulfa blocks. Do they eat them?

ninja_smurtles · #11 02-10-2005, 06:44 AM

2 of the turtles take big bites out of it.
Is that ok?
Tried to get some cuttle fish but no pet shop here has them.
I do not know how many gallons but it is massive.
I did not listen to the pet shop about anything I learnt it all myself with books and the net.
I think it is one of the biggest tanks you can get
In the summer I am gonna get a kids paddling pool and put rocks and hiding places in for them and sit outside and watch them enjoy the real sun.

furryscaly · #12 02-10-2005, 07:09 PM

I think your tanks is around 260 gallons. For 6 turtles, that's ok, but its not huge. I wouldn't get any more turtles for that tank anyway. Its about 40 gallons per turtle, and when they're adults, that's about as small as you want to go.

elfomatic · #13 02-10-2005, 08:13 PM

It's okay if the turtles take big bites out of it .. it won't harm them. I've heard of a lot of turtles doing this.

Another method of introducing calcium into their diets is through a powdered form. There are many brands available that you can sprinkle over a reptile's meal. Obviously, this is kind of difficult for water turtles. A possible solution I've heard of is moistening and mashing reptomin and placing the calcium inside ... then you let it dry out or bake it and you have hardened pellets again (now with calcium). I've heard it works well. The turtle blocks are okay but they are very expensive for what you get.

ninja_smurtles · #14 02-11-2005, 01:10 PM

They cost about £1.20 in Sweden so it is not so bad.
Bought 2 today and managed to find some cuttlefish.
Have not put it in yet coz we are cleaning them out tomorrow.
Very hard job that is ...
Ordered a light as well for them.
I am not getting any more turtles and in the future I am getting another tank that size so they are not squashed.
I want to breed my turtles but that is a long way off yet.
I would like to get 1 more turtle a girl for the map turtles but I doubt I will find one.
We were very lucky to get them in the 1st place.

furryscaly · #15 02-12-2005, 03:15 AM

The trouble with cuttlebone is that its meant for birds. Its not that its bad for turtles,. its just that the majority of them tend not to be interested in it. Its cheap stuff though, so its worth it. The best way to provide nutrition is a varied diet though.