Another eye problem question...sorry!!

[Kvmommy]

Hey everyone! I know there are a million of these questions...but our baby Sulcata, Sprinkles is having eye problems. It's swollen and she's alway rubbing it but we did carrot food soaks and it seemed to help at first, but now it doesn't seem to be making a difference. I called petco and they don't have turtle eye drops or the vetericyn. I'm in HI so shipping will take about a week. So my first question is there something else like fish or bird antibiotics I could use? The 2nd question is there something I'm doing wrong? She's on Eco Earth and every time she rubs her eye it rubs more in her eye. Could this be the problem? She also has a MVB and goes outside at least twice a day for sun and foraging on the lawn. She's fed a spring mix every other day otherwise it's grass and weeds. We do a light dusting of calcium powder three times a week. She eats plenty but isn't as active or nearly as heavy as her sibling. She will not go in the hide whereas her sibling does. We have only ran the AC the past couple days but it's set at 84 degrees and it's always warm and humid in here. She hates forced soaks and I have only seen her drink once but have never seen her poop. I have seen a couple turds in her enclosure but not sure if it's hers or Storms poop. So...I really hope you can help us. We love her dearly and hope that we can figure it out!!

 

[G-stars]

Are you keeping a pair together? Just curious of the light bulb your using. Can you post a pic?

 

[Kvmommy]

Yes I am for now. We separated them for a while because the little one was frequently found upside down. But when we separated them she was still frequently upside down and her eye still swollen. We watch them a lot and they don't seem to have any problems. They sun bathe together and eat together. Every once in a while Sprinkles will climb on Storms back when they are trying to escape the enclosure. Sprinkles won't sleep in her hide whether she was alone or not. It was too hard to keep them separated because we had only one Mercury vapor light and the other is a uvb tube. We did have them in a big Tupperware storage container but I was having a hard time keeping in cool enough and still provide basking light. So we moved them into the vivarium. It's screened on two sides and glass on two. Helps keep it cool enough to have a basking light but still helps keep humidity in. It's small but I'm going to build another level. We have a kiddie pool for outside but it's soooo hot and there are sooooo many flies we don't keep them out there very long.

 

[G-stars]

What are your humidity levels? I would separate them immediately. Stress on a tortoise may lower their immune system. Bullying isn't always obvious, sometimes it's subtle.

 

[Robertchrisroph]

Saline solution, do they have that there? Put its favorite food just out of reach and as they stretch there neck squirt it at that eye. when they flip over they try and flip back, in doing so might have scratched or get substrate in eye. @Yvonne G I read this from her. Hope she gets better

 

[Kvmommy]

I separated them again and see if it makes a difference. She is still eating well. She keeps going after small pieces of my dogs poop that got stuck on the grass. I move her and she keeps heading back to it. I ended up ripping out that chunk of tainted grass. But does that mean anything? Is she missing some vitamins or minerals from her diet? I will definitely try saline solution.

 

[Robertchrisroph]

Lol. They love poop. normal, just don't let them eat it.

 

[FujiBaird]

Hi from another Oahu tortoise owner! Have you tried Petsmart in Mililani? It's been a while since I've been there but they seemed to have more reptile supplies and much lower prices than Petco, so they might have the eye drops. If you come into town, you might also try Kalihi Pet (they also have cheap mazuri) or Petland Kahala (cheap coco coir).

Do you moisten the Eco Earth? I find that despite the humidity here, it still dries out to the point that particles get in the air and into my tortoise's eyes, so I moisten the top layer with a spray bottle and occasionally pour a little water into it so the lower layers stay moist.

We do really have pretty perfect tortoise weather here, and if you're taking your babies outside that often, then I think you could get away with not using the MVB indoors. I use a 60W incandescent bulb and that gets a good basking spot temp for my tortoise. That might make it a little easier to keep them separately.

 

[Kvmommy]

Fuji Baird I have only tried the ewa beach pet smart but she said she didn't think any of the stores had them in island. I ordered drops and they will be here in about a week. I do moisten the Eco earth frequently but have a hard time keeping the top layer moist. I usually wet the whole thing and stir it up. Never thought about spraying it!!! Lol that's brilliant. My only issue with them outside is the flies. There's sooo many flies even though we pick up dog poop right away. And they swarm over my babies. I have to stay with them constantly to swat the flies away.

 

[Kvmommy]

Oh and Sprinkles is very picky. Storm eats anything and is sooo big and healthy Sprinkles searches the lawn for delicate soft grass, she prefers to eat spring mix instead of grass. She will not touch the orchard hay. I even bought some Mazuri pellets last night and she won't eat them. Is this why she's so fragile? Any idea how to get her to eat more. She was my zippy tiny one when I got her and now she sleeps a lot.

 

[Robertchrisroph]

Have you tried to moisten the Mazuri pellets. Try mixing a little wet mazuri wet with her spring mix. Just a little and add more each time. Wet

 

[Kvmommy]

I will try that! Thanks.

 

[FujiBaird]

@Kvmommy Which Mazuri did you get? There's two formulations, one that's long thin pellets (LS, the one they sell at Petco), and one that's short, stout pellets. It seems that many tortoises prefer the short stout one. Might be worth trying if your tortoise doesn't come around on the long thin one...mine will only eat the short stout ones. I get it at Kalihi Pet -- just got some yesterday and it was $7 for a 2 lb bag -- and I think they also have it at Koolau Pet and Petland. Oh, and the Mililani store I recommended is a Petsmart, not Petco -- it's the only one on the island. Worth checking out the next time you need something that Petco doesn't stock. I hope the drops come in soon and give your baby some relief!

 

[Kvmommy]

I moistened the pellets and then put a little beet juice on it and Sprinkles went nuts. She really seemed to perk up and then today she's doing even worse!!! I'm so sad and desperate. She's a month and a half old and weighs 35g. Her sibling weighs 54g!! It's such a big difference.