Hello all! I've got a new tortoise, who while he wasn't a technical 'rescue' I also couldn't leave him where he was with poorly informed owners.
I am concerned that he has poor vision, but I am not a tortoise expert yet and I wanted to get some baselines from folks. Here's a rundown of how he has been kept his whole life according to the previous owners.
Hatchling - 2 Years - Raised dry and fed a high animal protein diet. Housed mostly indoors with no UVB lighting.
2 years to 7 Years - Still dry, still no soaks, lives in a 40g breeder tank without hides and wood chip floor. Kept under a 10.0 coil bulb (Just our luck, eh?) Fed lettuces, kale and dry "woodland" tortoise diet (not soaked) Offered calcium and vitamin supplements and allowed some outdoor time in a grassy play pen.
In the last week: Soaks, soaks, soaks! All the nutritionally balanced food he wants and a nice 6x8ft outdoor playpen (The indoor poor weather cage is under construction, I really wasn't prepared for him) and lots of time roaming our 5 acres with me. He's getting head rubs and some minor first aid on some cuts. There are places to dig and hide and just be a tortoise.
Now for my suspicions: When we are out If I get more than about 6 feet away he starts to have what looks like a tortoise panic attack. He looks around back and forth swaying his head and then huffs and puffs and wont move. He extends his neck all the way and sort of sways around. If I talk to him he can hear me and orient himself toward me, but he still wont walk to me. If I get back within 6 feet he will happily run up to me and continue to follow me around. He also seems to only see bright colors and motion within this range - anything dull or stationary he seems to walk into/over. I don't know if this is because he is a tiny tank or if he can't spot things until he's on top of them.
Note: His eyes are clear, though they can be pretty watery. He leaves them open all the time and I don't see any swelling. There may be some redness, I just don't know what is "right" I'm attaching a close up for you.
All in all he is a really sweet boy, I just wanted to know if this is normal or if he's been damaged by a hard life and an evil UVB coil bulb. - I over exposed slightly so you can see the delineation between pupil and iris.
Thanks in advance from myself and Vern!
I am concerned that he has poor vision, but I am not a tortoise expert yet and I wanted to get some baselines from folks. Here's a rundown of how he has been kept his whole life according to the previous owners.
Hatchling - 2 Years - Raised dry and fed a high animal protein diet. Housed mostly indoors with no UVB lighting.
2 years to 7 Years - Still dry, still no soaks, lives in a 40g breeder tank without hides and wood chip floor. Kept under a 10.0 coil bulb (Just our luck, eh?) Fed lettuces, kale and dry "woodland" tortoise diet (not soaked) Offered calcium and vitamin supplements and allowed some outdoor time in a grassy play pen.
In the last week: Soaks, soaks, soaks! All the nutritionally balanced food he wants and a nice 6x8ft outdoor playpen (The indoor poor weather cage is under construction, I really wasn't prepared for him) and lots of time roaming our 5 acres with me. He's getting head rubs and some minor first aid on some cuts. There are places to dig and hide and just be a tortoise.
Now for my suspicions: When we are out If I get more than about 6 feet away he starts to have what looks like a tortoise panic attack. He looks around back and forth swaying his head and then huffs and puffs and wont move. He extends his neck all the way and sort of sways around. If I talk to him he can hear me and orient himself toward me, but he still wont walk to me. If I get back within 6 feet he will happily run up to me and continue to follow me around. He also seems to only see bright colors and motion within this range - anything dull or stationary he seems to walk into/over. I don't know if this is because he is a tiny tank or if he can't spot things until he's on top of them.
Note: His eyes are clear, though they can be pretty watery. He leaves them open all the time and I don't see any swelling. There may be some redness, I just don't know what is "right" I'm attaching a close up for you.
All in all he is a really sweet boy, I just wanted to know if this is normal or if he's been damaged by a hard life and an evil UVB coil bulb. - I over exposed slightly so you can see the delineation between pupil and iris.
Thanks in advance from myself and Vern!
