# white around the eyes?



## Scoffy20 (Jul 14, 2012)

Good morning!

When i woke up this morning to say hi to Rex he was under his heat bulb basking like normal. When i picked him up to say hello i noticed that his left eye has a few white specs around his eye lids. i have attached some pictures here for you all to see. Is this something I should worry about or is it a possible allergic reaction to the timothy hay i bought yesterday? Give me your thoughts, opinions, and hopefully some solutions. Thanks and have a wonderful day!


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 14, 2012)

Hmm ... I'd say he looks dehydrated. When tortoises (and other animals) get dehydrated, their eyes get sunken in. Also, tortoises can secrete tears to keep their eyes moist; once the tears dry, they may leave stains behind. Your guy could also be suffering from a vitamin A deficiency, which leads to dry eyes.

I'd make sure your guy is eating enough moist plants, and moistened commercial food. He should also have a moisture-holding substrate, like coconut coir, cypress mulch, orchid bark, or soil. Also, give him baths so he can retain or even absorb some more water. Finally, he should be eating plenty of foods rich in beta-carotene/vitamin A, which helps the eyes produce enough tears (among other things). You can also use beta-carotene/vitamin A supplements, as well as eye-drops. These drops can be applied to the eyes, and placed on the food as a supplement. You can bathe him in lukewarm carrot baby food, which can rehydrate, as well as deliver beta-carotene/vitamin A.


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## kimber_lee_314 (Jul 14, 2012)

I agree. Start by getting him well hydrated and see if that helps. Good luck!


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## Scoffy20 (Jul 14, 2012)

kimber_lee_314 said:


> I agree. Start by getting him well hydrated and see if that helps. Good luck!



thanks guys, the thing is he hasn't been eating much of anything lately but I have been giving him daily soaks...each time he drinks for about 8-10 minutes. I first started daily soaking him when i noticed he was producing a lot of urates that were creamy. i saw him pee the other day and it was clear. i thought that was a good sign of being hydrated ( like us humans). Maybe im wrong I have a vitamin a/beta carotene spray that i apply to his food but like i said again he doesn't seem to eat much. This bothers me because when i purchased him from petco the setup was almost identical to mine temp wise, substrate wise, the only difference was the habitat size( mine is larger). Why now all of a sudden does he not want to eat and is possibly dehydrated. I'm feeling the next step is the vet...


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## ascott (Jul 14, 2012)

> I first started daily soaking him when i noticed he was producing a lot of urates that were creamy.



I know that creamy texture urates are better than gritty texture urates...but near none to none are much better 

I would make sure to soak your tort every day..and if your individual tort enjoys the soaks then let him soak for as long as he will entertain you in this.....keep the water warm.

This is just my personal acceptance on urates....I host four CDTs and when they come out of brumation they of course have urates to pass...this usually takes about a month before all urates (or most) are cleared out and do not show up any longer....I use all methods at hand to pump up their water intake----foods and soaks....


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## Scoffy20 (Jul 14, 2012)

ascott said:


> > I first started daily soaking him when i noticed he was producing a lot of urates that were creamy.
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## ascott (Jul 14, 2012)

> I'm thinking of trying the baby food baths, which is better pumpkin or carrot? and do you dilute it at all? My buddy needs some nutrition, although i did see him nibble at the timothy hay once i put it in the cage. also when i soak him tonight i sprayed a little of the beta carotene/ vitamin a spray in the water. i know it says not to spray directly on the animal but it was in the water and he was drinking it...does this seem smart?
> 
> oh one more thing the white seems to disappear once he get wet/ soaks. might just be salt around the eyes from "tears"?



Oh man, I hope you do not take this the wrong way..because for real I do not mean anything bad when I say, relax...

It appears that you have had him for around 2 weeks, is this right? Maybe 3 weeks...if so, I would stop all the madness you are putting yourself through...(again, please I do not say this with any ill intent)..

I would stop spraying that stuff on his food, I would keep to simple warm water soaks and back off of him a bit....sometimes when we hover we hamper....

Your tort will be fine without eating large amounts of food (especially in the settle in time) really they can....if someone is dealing with a hatchling then the urgency of food intake is different....you said your tort is nibbling at the food, this is eating, just not alot....I bet if you stopped spraying that stuff on this food and simply misted the food pile with water...placed it in his enclosure (not in an exposed place to begin with) and went away---he would feel a bit more alone and would gain some bravery to explore his offerings and surroundings....really really really, let him settle in....establish a routine for him (and you) and stick with it for a few weeks at least...then once he is settle in a bit you can make a subtle change once in a while without any real issues....give him a couple to a few weeks to have some down time to settle in....this is what I do and would suggest to someone to do


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## Scoffy20 (Jul 15, 2012)

ascott said:


> > I'm thinking of trying the baby food baths, which is better pumpkin or carrot? and do you dilute it at all? My buddy needs some nutrition, although i did see him nibble at the timothy hay once i put it in the cage. also when i soak him tonight i sprayed a little of the beta carotene/ vitamin a spray in the water. i know it says not to spray directly on the animal but it was in the water and he was drinking it...does this seem smart?
> >
> > oh one more thing the white seems to disappear once he get wet/ soaks. might just be salt around the eyes from "tears"?
> 
> ...


your absolutely right I'm like a nervous parent...im just going to give him so space lol


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## ascott (Jul 15, 2012)

> im just going to give him so space lol



LOl....it is rough...lol


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