My baby Sulcata :( !!

Question

Picture of my Sulcata'   QUESTION: Okay, so i just recently got a baby Sulcata! It's adorable and never really ate that much, but i still tried to feed it regularly. And i give it weeds, grass, flowers and occasionally spinach or romaine lettuce. He NEVER wants to eat though. NEVER And idk if he's shedding or what it is thats going on. But it seems to be that his Jaw looks funny. It looks almost crooked a little, and he cant shut his mouth it seems. On his left cheek it looks like there is a hole, but it never bled, and he walks and is active constantly. But, it worries me so much, it doesn't look natural. Im so scarred that he fell, or who knows since he's very clumsy. PLEASE GIVE ME A REPLY. IDK WHAT TO DO!!! :( :( And i don't have a lot of money and im worried that if i bring him to the vet its going to be SO MUCH. And my turtle gets Plenty of water soaks and it just wont eat, so it also makes me wonder if he jaw really is broken.

ANSWER: Hi Katelyn,

From what I can see from the picture, there is something seriously wrong with the mouth/jaw area.  I can't say if it's due to a congenital condition, nutritional deficiency, infection, or accident, but it would be difficult for a tortoise to do that kind of injury to itself in a typical indoor enclosure unless it fell from a considerable height.

How long have you had this sulcata?  How old is it supposed to be?  Did it look like this before you got it?  Unfortunately, there's probably not a lot that can be done without extensive vet treatment, unless it's due to infection--and even then, the malformation/misalignment of the jaw might still require additional treatment.  I would suggest that you bring him to a good herp vet for an evaluation, because then they can at least tell you what the treatment would involve.

If he does survive, I hope you were told when you got him that sulcata do grow very large (up to 200 lbs.) and require outside accommodations (large pen and heated shed) as they grow.  You mentioned you didn't have much money, so that's why I brought it up; they can be quite expensive to maintain when they get larger.  I hope you're able to find inexpensive treatment for him.  If you need help finding a vet in your area, please post back.

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QUESTION: Oh, i know. i already spent all my money on the turtle. I already bought things ahead of time, for when he is going to be big. But not i really don't know what to do, because your making it seem like he won't survive. :( What would they be able to do for him? And should i bring him to a vet hospital?

Answer
I don't think he will be able to survive as he is, due to the deformity of the jaw.  I'm not sure what a vet would be able to do because it's really hard to say what the problem is based on a picture, but they can at least do an exam and let you know if anything at all can be done and what it would cost.  It may be possible to repair the jaw and put a feeding tube in while it heals.  If he's left like this, without being able to move his jaw properly, he will eventually starve to death, so I'm afraid you'll have to make some sort of decision about what to do.