General Care Discussion :: My turtle has extremely long nails.. do I need to cut?

[bondturtle]

Hi there, My turtle has very long nails. When I feed it, I'm afraid it can injure it's eyes when it tries to shred some of it's food. Are you supposed to cut his/her nails?

[sparkleyflowers]

Hi,

I'm by far no expert, as I'm a new turtle mommy. I'm going to go out on a limb and say no.

My little boy has really long claws in front too. He uses them to tear his food to shreds. They seem to be kinda like a knife and fork for him.

I wouldn't want to have to eat my dinner without a knife and fork.

Someone more experienced will probably have a better response. I just thought I'd add my 2 cents.

[N4784N R4613]

Well, it sounds like you have a male on your hands! Long nails are a male trait, and it is normal. As long as they are somewhat straight they do not need to be cut. Never cut them yourself, you may hurt him. Take him to a herp vet so a professional can cut them if need be. Check out the photo gallery, and see if you can find another male with long nalis.

[marisa]

The long nails are a sex characteristic of males really should be left alone. My male RES has really long nails and has never injured his eyes shredding food---he sometimes inadvertently spears a piece of food on a nail and spends time eating it off it, though.