cherryhead eyes shut. Help please?

[tortsmom]

Hello, Can anyone help me? I am taking care of my 10 year old sons cherryhead tortoise while he's away for the weekend. I first noticed that there were three plates of food in his cage barely touched. My son is obviously feeding him, but hasn't told me he isn't eating. When I soaked him in warm water he was squeeking a little and trying to get out. From what I remember, he loves to be soaked. I noticed his eyes were not opened. I thought I'd try to wipe them with a soft cloth and he hissed at me (has never done that before). I'm thinking he is either scared of me or there's something wrong. I'm going to find a vet Monday, but is there anything I can do today that you know of?

 

[Yvonne G]

Make sure he's warm enough. Because he's ill, the regular temp of his enclosure isn't good enough. Get him warmer and keep soaking him.

Yvonne

 

[Madkins007]

I would not worry about the vet quite yet. I would work on improving the overall cares and diet- following the basic plan of a site like http://www.redfoots.com and offer daily soaks until it is better.

If the proper temps, humidity, diet, lighting, and other cares do not show an improvement in a few days, then you can find a vet. The 'state resources' section of http://www.austinsturtlepage.com lists known reptile vets in each state.

You do not describe the cares, but I would bet that there are some problems in some way- these guys should not leave three plates of uneaten food if things are done right.

Oh- in case you did not know, a Cherryhead is just a Brazilian color-phase of the Red-foot Tortoise.