# Excessive eye rubbing?



## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 26, 2013)

My sulcatta I think excessively rubs his face and eyes and everything.. Especially when he's been soaked or sprayed or if he's eating.. He has Cyprus substrate and always has his whole life. He's just a baby. Also he sleeps in his basking spot and I'm worried it will dehydrate him


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## lkwagner (Apr 26, 2013)

Do you have a coil bulb?


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 26, 2013)

I have this bulb https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...QJ-ia2AXIo4CIBQ&ved=0CFQQ8wIwAA#hsec:overview


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## AZtortMom (Apr 26, 2013)

The substrate maybe bothering his eyes too..


Life is good


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## Yvonne G (Apr 26, 2013)

Is your bulb mounted horizontally or vertically? It should be horizontal. When vertical, an excessive amount of UV is directed out the end of the bulb and might be bothering the tortoise's eyes. Just try an experiment, and don't turn on that light for a couple days and see if the eye-rubbing stops.


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## wellington (Apr 26, 2013)

I would get rid of that bulb, it's a coil bulb. Causes eye problems. Get a mvb or a tube fluorescent bulb. All coils are bad! Also, check out the threads below in my post if you haven't already. They are Toms and one of the best proper ways for raising a sully.


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 26, 2013)

It is a tube.. It has two tubes


It's also horizontal


And I have read his threads


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## wellington (Apr 26, 2013)

I consider them coil. However, they are bad if they are hanging down instead of cross way. Also, they don't give off enough UVB unless you have them going across most of the enclosure. The best UVB besides the sun is an mvb, more expensive but last 12 months before needing to be changed. Flourescents, 6 months.


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## GeoGpp1012 (Apr 26, 2013)

I agree with Wellington ...I also consider these coil and just as bad.....MVB or tube in my opinion are two best and safest options...ESP since your seeing a lot of eye rubbing...hope your tort is ok


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 26, 2013)

Well I solved my fear of dehydration problem I'm pretty sure.. And I'll try leaving the uvb bulb off and see if the eye scratching stops


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## Tom (Apr 26, 2013)

Any UV producing CFL (compact florescent bulb) is bad in my opinion and should not be used. It can burn their eyes and can cause blindness. He's rubbing his eyes because that bulb is hurting them. Just like any other burn, it will take days or weeks for the eyes to heal and for them to stop hurting. There is no way to tell if you have done permanent damage or if they will heal in a couple of weeks without further damage.

In my threads that you have read, there is a whole thread on this subject under the "Possible problems to look out for:" section of the "Helpful Threads". Its the second link right here in my signature.


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 27, 2013)

I have a bulb by all living things, and it's 120 watts.. Is this an mvb bulb?


Also I just soaked him and he seems to rub his face much more in water even without a uvb bulb. And he does so as well when I spray him


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Apr 27, 2013)

Great comments above. Yes, dryness can lead to eye problems, as well as irritation from CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs). The third common culprit is vitamin A deficiency. Is your sulcata's diet rich in vitamins and minerals? If not, that could also contribute to inflammation of the eyes. Fortunately, that's easy to cure.

The fourth common culprit is injury, like from a piece of wood in his eye or something. Finally, the fifth common cause is infection, which is often associated with one of the other four.

Hmm ... rubbing _increases_ with water? Sounds like the water might be stinging his eyelids or the eyes themselves. This can happen if the tissue is chapped from dryness, and then as water touches the chapped skin, it can sting a bit. Also, if he has conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye), he might simply be trying to rub off discharge, which tends to loosen in water. Again, make sure you're covering all the bases (the 5 common causes I mentioned) to get him back on track.


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 27, 2013)

I sure hope it's rich in vitamins and minerals.. I feed him grasses and weeds like clover and dandelion and I let him nibble on strawberry plant leaves and rose bush leaves, I have turnip greens I give him on occasion as well as collard greens and occasionally spinach...
What is a safe vitamin a food for him?


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Apr 27, 2013)

MaggieeNicolee said:


> I sure hope it's rich in vitamins and minerals.. I feed him grasses and weeds like clover and dandelion and I let him nibble on strawberry plant leaves and rose bush leaves, I have turnip greens I give him on occasion as well as collard greens and occasionally spinach...
> What is a safe vitamin a food for him?



Dandelion and turnip greens are both good sources of vitamin A, so I'm glad you're providing that. You can also supplement the diet with powdered vitamins and minerals, and with turtle drops, which can be used as an eye drop or sprinkled on food. Quality commercial foods like Mazuri and Zoomed provide balanced nutrition, too. Has he been eating regularly? Unless he has been fasting lately for some reason, his diet sounds pretty good.

Cypress mulch as a substrate is okay, and so is soil, but I prefer pure coco coir. Is the substrate moist enough? Is the humidity high enough for a baby sulcata? I realize you soak your guy regularly, which is good, but if moisture and humidity in the enclosure are too low, then that might be part of the problem.

I do worry about the CFL, though. That would probably be the first thing I'd get rid off, and then go from there. You can use a longer fluorescent bulb, like the full-sized ZooMed ReptiSun, or you can use a mercury vapor bulb, which provides illumination, UVB, and heat.


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 27, 2013)

I'll be getting the longer reptisun today


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