Hi Dani
Wow- lots of responses- Lets see,
No, they did not sedate him when they cut his beak 
He pretty much just held him from the neck and promised me it didn't hurt and then just clipped it. He didnt hiss or anything like he does when he is unhappy so I assumed he really didnt feel it.
Sedation is almost never needed to trim a beak. The risks of anesthesia at far too high, to implement for such a minor issue, such as a beak trim, and should only be reversed for surgical needs. There is no pain associated with beak trimming and its very similar of cutting finger nails for humans, however, too much can be taken off and a bleed could occur.
Joe- the way you worded the whole UVB stuff was how he told me. I just wasn't as good at remembering the fine details.
And no, I didn't even give the dog/cat food another thought. I read that information on this website the first night of my research and when he said that it shocked me. I would never think of feeding a reptile DOG food. Theats why the word DOG is in front of the food part. (I was once dared to eat dog food and I didn't like the taste of it very much anyways)
As for the dog/cat food, seems consideration was applied to the potential of feeding this sort of food to a herbevore tortoise. This suggestion alone would be suspect to anyone's credentials or knowledge of this species as a whole and given that your tortoise is likely grossly nutrient deficient would likely put it over the edge if feed such.
Pics are on the way. working on them this second.
And the vitamine stuff I though I would give it a try. Maybe after ya'll see the pics you can help decide if I should give it to him on a temporarly basis.
Why spend hard earn cash of vitamins sold in the pet store where quality may be lacking? Best to implement supplementation with a natural product, such as can be found at:
http://carolinapetsupply.com/ Many who have used pet store supplements are often quite disappointed by the results and eventually do overdose their tortoises. The way your tortoise is presently, with having a hugely inadequate diet for 10 years, doesn't give one any play room here and something that is not appropriate could essentially put the tortoise of the edge and lead to its demise.
I sincerly an thankful for all the posts. keep them coming, I am learning so much.
Oh, and about the "cage"- I would say it is an aquarium. It is 15x32. And I want to build him an out door area too, in the next month. The guy I talked to told me not to use any kind of cover or supply an area for him to hide from the light. So yesterday when I brought him home I took away the half carved out log tunnel that he has. But by the end of the night he looked like he was getting sick of the heat so I gave it back to him, just so he can have a break. Good idea or not?
Is that 'cage' completely covered and not allowing any air circulation? My guess is it was quite expensive to purchase, yet still isn't a good environment for your tortoise. Preference is opened tops as describe on this website as well as photos depicting tortoise tables, etc. Tortoise do need areas of hide. In the wild, they will enter burrows to cool off and rest. To be blunt, you were ripped off here with the 'cage,' received poor overall advise, etc. Yes, give your tortoise a break and escape of the high temperatures or he will be too hot too eat and will also dehydrate.
And about the night light. I don't much enjoy it either. Lance is in my room. And that light makes my whole room shine red! I don't like it much. I will call the Pet store tommorow to find out the exact details of the lights he supplied me with for all of you to know. I definently don't want to go off just one person's advice, I did that ten years ago and see where it got me?
Tortoises don't need heat at night and its natural and beneficial to have cooler night time temperatures. No need to find out the details of the "red light" as its essentially useless and likely you will get some sort of a spew on why you needed it anyway.
In the first picture I am showing you the back of his shell. Do you see how it has grown out lighter than the rest of his shell? Is that normal?
Its normal growth.
In the second picture is the best pic I could get of his face (he was hating me for making him try to sit still) So there's the best I could get of his eyes.
The eyes aren't swollen or at least not to where it suggests any treatment is needed other then upping humidity. Eye problems are mainly cause by hot/dry/dusty conditions.
In the third pic is just Lance. All around him is the bedding that the pet store supplied me with. Can you tell what it is? I'll trade it out with something else if I need to.
Again, more poor advise. I don't know what that substrate is, but its not appropriate and far too dry. Best to use a mixture of something that holds moisture, such as soil and sand combo. Tortoises aren't neat animals and like dirt, mud etc., and don't do well in a sterile environment.
And that last pic is his cage. Like I said its 15x32 and he supplies the lights for me. He said to keep it at around 86 degrees at all time. True?
Universally hot temperatures throughout are another falsity. Tortoises need to regulate their body temperatures and need both the ability to warm or cool themselves. 86 F throughout is far too hot and will not enabling your tortoise to want to feed, will lead to dehydration, etc.
Dani, I don't want to be rude or blunt, and know you are trying so very hard to give your tortoise a healthy environment and make major improvements to overall care. However, if you follow the advise you are receiving from the pet store and keep purchasing useless and dangerous equipment, you will ultiamtely lose your tortoise. I understand you are seeking the opinions of many in order to make an educated decision of the care you provide, but the choice is yours on which you follow. This site and the owner of such is the information you need to get where you want to be.
