Gopherus agassizii sporadic puffy eyes

[ChloeRagusa]

Hello, all!
Thank you everyone for helping my baby Skrink with all your advice. I am now having an issue that has me stumped.

Skrinks eyes are puffy! But, they are only puffy when they are closed and he is a little bit pulled into his shell. When he is awake, his eyes are flat and normal against his head. See the photos below. The puffy eye photos and normal eye photos were taken SECONDS apart.
He is eating a ton, pooping and peeing daily, having a 30 minute soak once a day and 40 minutes or more of sunshine outdoors.

I have tried the turtle eye drops that have vitamin A thinking he has a deficiency. I tried carrot baths. I wetted and mixed the substrate. I made sure he has 68-95 degree tank and about 60% humidity. He drinks daily. I cut his diet back to romaine and tortoise chow, afraid he is having organ issues (will resume escarole, endive, dandelion greens, bok choy, cilantro, mustard greens, etc. once he is well). He gained 7 grams since 2 weeks ago, has no nasal discharge or wheezing. At times he clicks in the bath, but I know his nose is clear and can see his breath moving the water.

I will say, after he digs a hole to sleep in his eyes look their worst. They also look worse after the drops and when he pulls his head into his shell. His pee has lots of little urates, unsure if this is an issue. I have seen little bits of the substrate get into his eyes at times and I have seen him rub his eyes. I have noticed him opening his mouth in the bath and yawning a bit lately. Does his type do anything like this as a form of self defense? Is he allergic to the substrate but the allergies only began to show after 3 weeks?

Any help is appreciated. I am in Lakewood, CA. Any recs for a good vet down here are appreciated. If the issue is not resolved within the week we will be going to the vet.

 

[Tom]

I don't see anything unusual. The yawning is a little alarming. I would warm up the night temps to 70-75. You can use a CHE set on a thermostat to do this.

Torts don't have allergies like people and domesticated animals. Wild animals die if they have any sort of weakness like that.

You need more real tortoise food and less grocery store foods. Weeds, grasses, mulberry and grapevine leaves, hibiscus and rose leaves and flowers, opuntia pads and so many more.

If you must use grocery store food, amend it with soaked grass hay pellets, dried leaves from Kapidolo farms, herbal hay from tortoise supply, and things of that nature.

 

[ChloeRagusa]

I don't see anything unusual. The yawning is a little alarming. I would warm up the night temps to 70-75. You can use a CHE set on a thermostat to do this.

Torts don't have allergies like people and domesticated animals. Wild animals die if they have any sort of weakness like that.

You need more real tortoise food and less grocery store foods. Weeds, grasses, mulberry and grapevine leaves, hibiscus and rose leaves and flowers, opuntia pads and so many more.

If you must use grocery store food, amend it with soaked grass hay pellets, dried leaves from Kapidolo farms, herbal hay from tortoise supply, and things of that nature.

Hi Tom! Thanks for the reply!

I took your advice and warmed up the temps at night to around 75 degrees inside his hide. I hope this will help my boy! I will order some food from Kapidolo today and make sure that Skrink eats a better diet and feed him more soaked pellets/leaves/weeds than veggies from the store.

Tom, I don't mean to second guess the opinion you gave at all, but I am wondering why his eyes have suddenly become puffy when they are closed? They used to be flat when he closed them and now they are rounded and convex. What do tortoise eyes normally look like when they are closed? Additionally, when I am watching him close his eyes and pull into his shell, I can visibly see his eyes get more swollen instantly and immediately de-swell when he comes back out and opens them. The lid skin looks stretched and shiny and I can see he is blinking with some force while his eyes are closed.

He yawns a few times a day right now, usually when he is under the basking light. At this point with the combination of swollen lids and yawning do you think I should take him to the vet for respiratory infection? apply terramycin ointment? Continue the eye drops?

Thank you! Apologies in advance for the new tortoise owner hysteria.

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom! Thanks for the reply!

I took your advice and warmed up the temps at night to around 75 degrees inside his hide. I hope this will help my boy! I will order some food from Kapidolo today and make sure that Skrink eats a better diet and feed him more soaked pellets/leaves/weeds than veggies from the store.

Tom, I don't mean to second guess the opinion you gave at all, but I am wondering why his eyes have suddenly become puffy when they are closed? They used to be flat when he closed them and now they are rounded and convex. What do tortoise eyes normally look like when they are closed? Additionally, when I am watching him close his eyes and pull into his shell, I can visibly see his eyes get more swollen instantly and immediately de-swell when he comes back out and opens them. The lid skin looks stretched and shiny and I can see he is blinking with some force while his eyes are closed.

He yawns a few times a day right now, usually when he is under the basking light. At this point with the combination of swollen lids and yawning do you think I should take him to the vet for respiratory infection? apply terramycin ointment? Continue the eye drops?

Thank you! Apologies in advance for the new tortoise owner hysteria.

No apology necessary. It is wonderful and fantastic that you are so tuned in and paying attention. Second guess me anytime you want.

I suspect he might be fighting a RI. You don't need a vet. A vet would likely kill him with the wrong stuff. RIs are typically caused by cool temps. The cure then, is to warm things up a bit. Make everything around 10 degrees warmer, day and night and I would keep that up until the warmer temps of spring return. Be sure to continue daily soaks with the increased electrically generated heat.