# Baby redfoot wont open eyes!



## DobbyRed (Dec 29, 2014)

Hi to all!!
Im having some troubles with Hedwig my small one Redfoot. Every morning I need to give her a Bath cause her eyes are shut. She may have something wrong with her eyes cause my others two are ok. And after I give her a soak her eyes opens and stay open all day. Is just after her sleep. 
I have a MVB and and a Che for the night. 












Can some one have some ideas why is this happening to her.


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## Turtlepete (Dec 29, 2014)

Being that you are using an open-top enclosure, it's possibly a lack of humidity. Even with that humidifier blowing in, it won't stay high enough for red foots. You really should consider covering it.


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## tortdad (Dec 29, 2014)

What's that gauge show for humidity levels?


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## Delilah1623 (Dec 29, 2014)

I think low humidity is the most common cause. One of yours may just be more sensitive. Also my redfoot didn't like the MVB because it was so bright. I switched to a 18" strip light for UVB and a CHE and he doesn't have that issue anymore.


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## immayo (Dec 29, 2014)

I've noticed this as well if they sleep in a drier area of the enclosure. You could always mist them in the morning to help her open her eyes. I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with the tortoise.

Also a MVB will not cause this. Some people advise against a MVB because they say redfoots don't like bright lighting but a MVB would do nothing more than cause them to hide more often.


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## stojanovski92113 (Dec 29, 2014)

I've been using MVB's for years & haven't had any eye issues with any of my tortoises, however maybe something may be in your tortoises eye or because your tort is sleeping in a dry environment, so when your tort wakes up his eyes are irritated & dry. Maybe just keep up with the warm soaks & hopefully this will pass.


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## DobbyRed (Dec 29, 2014)

The hum is at 85%


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## DobbyRed (Dec 29, 2014)

I give her a bath a every morning or just put her in front of the big water dish and she just put her head in the water and then open her eyes. Im making some plans to make a much bigger enclosure for the three Reds. I spray the enclosure two times a day. Also Im removing the MVB on the upgrade to put a T05 tube lamp and a basking lamp on one corner and the che for the night. Also Im making the new enclosure with and upper door to keep it closed. 
The Hum is always between 70-85%. At the moment the humidifier it wont do much cause is blowing in to the air and not staying inside. Going to used like a hose os tubing to send it downwards.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

Well! Hedwig still wakes up with one or both eyes shut and wont open them until I give her a soak. Is there anythiing that can help her?
Like some eye drops or something. 
I improve the humidity levels and the warm and cool side and the wet and dry side and still have this issued.


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## Turtlepete (Jan 4, 2015)

Try getting some unflavored, uncolored, Cod Liver Oil from the store. Put it in an eyedropper and put one or two drops in her eyes. Sometimes helps. Worth a shot.


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## stojanovski92113 (Jan 4, 2015)

Uh-oh...well drops might help but there is clearly something going on which is causing the situation. Is Hedwig eating ok? Maybe lacking something in his diet?


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## Turtlepete (Jan 4, 2015)

Stojanovski is right, this could be caused by a dietary element. Possibly Vitamin A deficiency? Could you review the diet you provide them, Dobby?


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## dmmj (Jan 4, 2015)

My first thought was humidity, but it seems pretty high to me. My next thought is diet, what is being fed, and how often?


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

Well!
I give my three reds a mix diet everyday. 
Between greens, spring mix, carrots, kale, peppers, romaine, strawberries, kiwi, banana, mushrooms, and last weekend tuna.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

I take them outside for some fresh morning sun light like 2-3 days a week. 


I also give them this. 



This is where they live. 
(The water dish is all dirty cause they just took their bath after some snacks!)


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

Try giving her orange foods like carrot or butternut squash for vitamin a. You can also get vitamin a drops and try those.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

You could also wash her eyes out with a saline solution, you can get a saline solution at the store as contact lens solution. You can also put some saline solution in her nostrils because sometimes when there is something wrong with the eyes the nostrils are affected also and vice versa.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> You could also wash her eyes out with a saline solution, you can get a saline solution at the store as contact lens solution. You can also put some saline solution in her nostrils because sometimes when there is something wrong with the eyes the nostrils are affected also and vice versa.


I did not know that. 
Thanks for that info. 
I give them carrots but they really dont like it.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> I did not know that.
> Thanks for that info.
> I give them carrots but they really dont like it.



I would definitely try the butternut squash (they sometimes like that more) or keep pushing the carrots because she may have a vit a deficiency and that could be bad. If you can get pumpkin you could try that to.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

Maybe try mixing the carrots with their favorite fruit, that might get them to eat it.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

I give them pumpkin too once a week. I boil it for a few minutes and wait to cool down.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

The thing is why you think this is only happening to the little one and nothing to the other two??? They are growing ok and their weight is ok.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> I give them pumpkin too once a week. I boil it for a few minutes and wait to cool down.



Hmmm, maybe its not a vit a deficiency then. I give mine something orange once a week also. I would try the saline solution but it could be something else.

You should check her eyes really closely when you can under some good light and see if there is any white/cloudy spot near the pupil or iris because that would be an infection and would need to be treated with antibiotics.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> Hmmm, maybe its not a vit a deficiency then. I give mine something orange once a week also. I would try the saline solution but it could be something else.
> 
> You should check her eyes really closely when you can under some good light and see if there is any white/cloudy spot near the pupil or iris because that would be an infection and would need to be treated with antibiotics.



Well there have been some occations where I found some small whites stuff in her eyes and had to get a wet qtip and remove it carefully. Also she scratch her eyer a lots with her legs and get in the water a lot and take her head underwater for a few seconds.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> Well there have been some occations where I found some small whites stuff in her eyes and had to get a wet qtip and remove it carefully. Also she scratch her eyer a lots with her legs and get in the water a lot and take her head underwater for a few seconds.


But I havent seen any signs of weird noises or any RI. Probably could by the substrate?? That mamybe she is too young for the dirt substrate?


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

It definitely seems light her eyes are irritated by something right now from the sounds of it. I would give the saline solution a few tries because that can get bacteria out.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> It definitely seems light her eyes are irritated by something right now from the sounds of it. I would give the saline solution a few tries because that can get bacteria out.


Just to be sure. The saline solution you say is the one the we use like when someone have asthma? The plastic bottle that you break the tip??


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> But I havent seen any signs of weird noises or any RI. Probably could by the substrate?? That mamybe she is too young for the dirt substrate?



She might be getting substrate in her eyes. Maybe she is having trouble with the substrate? I don't know I haven't had that problem except when almost a year ago I let the substrate in their outside enclosures get to dry and then one of my sullies was having eye problems for a bit and I had to take him to the vet. I always made sure the substrate never got dry like that again. Of course too wet substrate can be a really bad prob also.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> Just to be sure. The saline solution you say is the one the we use like when someone have asthma? The plastic bottle that you break the tip??



The saline solution I use when I think something is going on with one of my torts is the stuff you would use for contact lenses. Though probably any saline solution might be fine, it's just a certain amount of salt and water after all. Though the asthma stuff might have a different salinity.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> The saline solution I use when I think something is going on with one of my torts is the stuff you would use for contact lenses. Though probably any saline solution might be fine, it's just a certain amount of salt and water after all. Though the asthma stuff might have a different salinity.


Ohh okay! I think I know what it is. And I think we are getting into the reason of this problem. The substrate.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

Im spraying water every day but just the mulch and bark and not the top soil. The only part of the dirt where is wet is where the humidifier is. 






This is Dobby sleeping in Hedwig's bed. 






I didnt spray the dirt to keep a dry area for them.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

Also this dirt is not helping in getting a high Humidity.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> Im spraying water every day but just the mulch and bark and not the top soil. The only part of the dirt where is wet is where the humidifier is.
> 
> View attachment 112898
> 
> ...



That dry part looks pretty dusty, the rest looks fine. She might be getting that dusty part of the dirt in hers eyes and it's bothering her.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

Is very dusty. Maybe I can just change it to repti bark do to the humidifier it getting that area very wet and is making a mess.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

I don't think you have to remove the dirt, just spray it a bit. But adding bark wouldn't hurt, I use quite a big mixture of different stuff mixed together in my enclosures and bark - orchid (also known as fir bark) or cypress and dirt are in the mix I use. Also it should be fine if a little area is 'wet' but make sure your whole enclosure isn't wet because that can also cause problems for them.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> I don't think you have to remove the dirt, just spray it a bit. But adding bark wouldn't hurt, I use quite a big mixture of different stuff mixed together in my enclosures and bark - orchid (also known as fir bark) or cypress and dirt are in the mix I use. Also it should be fine if a little area is 'wet' but make sure your whole enclosure isn't wet because that can also cause problems for them.


Well the area where the lamps are is where I spray the most and after 10 min the top layer is dry and the bottom is wet and is a mixture of cypress mulch and repti bark. The hides and the cave is "organic top soil" (i do not think it is) and that area I keep it dry to avoid shell fungus. I need something that can keep dry and dont create dust.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> Well the area where the lamps are is where I spray the most and after 10 min the top layer is dry and the bottom is wet and is a mixture of cypress mulch and repti bark. The hides and the cave is "organic top soil" (i do not think it is) and that area I keep it dry to avoid shell fungus. I need something that can keep dry and dont create dust.



I use sphagnum moss in all my hides. I keep the moss more to the dry side and it doesn't seem to create any dust.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> I use sphagnum moss in all my hides. I keep the moss more to the dry side and it doesn't seem to create any dust.


I used sphagnum moss before but if I dont keep it moist it will become dusty too. Also here in Puerto Rico is very expensive.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 4, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> I used sphagnum moss before but if I dont keep it moist it will become dusty too. Also here in Puerto Rico is very expensive.



Ah, okay. I have heard of some using coconut husk in their hides, I haven't tried that but I don't think the husks would get dusty.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 4, 2015)

AmRoKo said:


> Ah, okay. I have heard of some using coconut husk in their hides, I haven't tried that but I don't think the husks would get dusty.


I heard also coco coir. The problem here is that tortoise care is not very popular. I can only get somethings from petsmart or petco. The websites they say here that sells this stuff dont ship to Puerto Rico. So I have to improvise.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 5, 2015)

Im getting a new bag of bark today tu mislx it with the soil to see if can reduce the dust.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 5, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> I heard also coco coir. The problem here is that tortoise care is not very popular. I can only get somethings from petsmart or petco. The websites they say here that sells this stuff dont ship to Puerto Rico. So I have to improvise.





DobbyRed said:


> Im getting a new bag of bark today tu mislx it with the soil to see if can reduce the dust.



That should help, most of the bark I use in my mix ends up rising to the top over time by my once a week mixing the dirt up and throwing seeds in there.


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## stojanovski92113 (Jan 5, 2015)

Keep us updated DobbyRed


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## DobbyRed (Jan 5, 2015)

I will! What types of seeds you put inside?
I used wheatgrass and it grow but died a few weeks later.


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## Anyfoot (Jan 5, 2015)

I use coco husk,cyprus mulch and sphagnum moss, both hold moist and the moss is an anti fungi material keeping bacteria down. 
It's my view that you can have the humidity has high as you want but if the substrate is dry the humidity is cancelled out.
Does she bury in at night? Can you get sphagnum moss for bedding?


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## Anyfoot (Jan 5, 2015)

Also to keep the moss damp I lay 1 strand of it from the moss clump into a water dish. This way the moss drinks the water and keeps humidity up and your substrate moist. Obviously you need other dishes for drinking and soaking, because moss is thirsty stuff. If it gets too moist simply take the strand out of the water dish for a few days.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 5, 2015)

The three sleeps in different areas everynight. I have two water dishes one small for drinking and a big one for soaking. And the moss could be good for the small one but for Dobby the big one she doesnt like moss


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## Anyfoot (Jan 5, 2015)

When you have used moss before have you soaked it first in clean water for 30 minutes or so, then squeeze excess water out. I usually soak it for 1 hour.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 5, 2015)

At first I put it in water alone and use it. And the girls didnt go near the moss. Afterward I mix it with cypress mulch and nothing. Remove the moss and everything went good.


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## AmRoKo (Jan 6, 2015)

DobbyRed said:


> I will! What types of seeds you put inside?
> I used wheatgrass and it grow but died a few weeks later.



I get a big bag of seeds that don't have any coating from my nearby feed store. The seeds in the mix contain a variety of different weeds and such. I'll see if I can find a link to what exact brand it is.

I put them in there and the tortoises like to eat the sprouts, sprouts are good for them!


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## AmRoKo (Jan 6, 2015)

This is what I get. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/plotspikereg;-forage-feast-food-plot-seed-40-lb


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## DobbyRed (Jan 6, 2015)

I have never seen that product here in Puerto Rico. I will check who can ship here. Thanks a Lot!!!


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## DobbyRed (Jan 6, 2015)

Btw!
I started spraying some water to the dirt and today is the second day that Hedwig woke up just fine. Apparently it was the dust.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 8, 2015)

Well an update on Hedwig. 
I have keep spraying the soil and she havent have her eyes shut.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 8, 2015)

DobbyRed. Put some potting soil on top of your mulch. You can wet the mulch and the top soil will remain dry. There is also virtually no dust. This way you can maintain humidity and nothing will stay wet.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 9, 2015)

The other side of the habitat is top soil. But I have to keep spraying it cause apparently the type of soil Im using create a lot of dust and was messing with their eyes. Also Im running the humidifier more time now to keep the groung moist.


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## tortdad (Jan 9, 2015)

Just remember that red foots get shell rot easy. You want the floor to be like a forest floor. Damp but not soaking wet. 

I use a mix of soil, moss and mulch. I add water to my soil once or twice a week. I do it in the corners of my enclosure so I'm not just pouring it all over. I keep a top layer of Mulch over the soil/moss mix. I move the moss to the side, pour some water in the corners, then push the moss back in place. This added water to the dirt without making the top layer wet so they don't get shell rot. 

Glad to see she is waking up better.


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## DobbyRed (Jan 9, 2015)

tortdad said:


> Just remember that red foots get shell rot easy. You want the floor to be like a forest floor. Damp but not soaking wet.
> 
> I use a mix of soil, moss and mulch. I add water to my soil once or twice a week. I do it in the corners of my enclosure so I'm not just pouring it all over. I keep a top layer of Mulch over the soil/moss mix. I move the moss to the side, pour some water in the corners, then push the moss back in place. This added water to the dirt without making the top layer wet so they don't get shell rot.
> 
> Glad to see she is waking up better.



Thanks! Me too!
I only spray water in some parts of the enclosure. The areas where they sleep are always dry that way they dont get shell rot. Also i have a MVB that dry fast the top layer of mulch and have some rocks and natural stones that they like to climb on that are also dry. 
Im always checking their plastron for any sings of rot.


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