Greek tortoise eyelids appear swollen, advice?

[Sagey]

Hi all,

I posted the other day, but I don’t think I posted in the right area.
I’m new to the forum and I have a Greek tortoise.He was given to me by a store because he was born with missing half his beak.

I got him for my son and have him for more then 21 years.Hes about 33 now.I just noticed the other day that his eyelids were swollen and white in cold.Which could be from the swelling.It was something I just noticed but I can’t remember what they looked like before.He gets baths but not too often.He eats like a pig and drinks and comes when I call him.He appears very happy lol.

Yesterday I gave him a bath and went to the store and bought eye drops and vitamins, just in case it’s a vitamin A deficiency , which I’ve heRd in the past can cause swollen eyelids.

If anyone has anymore suggestions, I would appreciate them.I love him as a pet and although it was s gift for my son when he was nine.He is now 30 and “Slash”has stayed with me. His nNe is from his birth defect in his mouth and beak.
He eats fine with it, it just takes him a little longer to eT then a normal turtle.
He’s sleeping here
It looks worse from this pic
But his eyes are bright and clear when open
I’ll post a better pic later


Thank you,
Sagey

 

[Gillian M]

A warm welcome to the forum, @Sagey .

I'd suggest your taking your tort to a vet asap.Better be safe than sorry.

Any pics of your tort's enclosure?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Good Afternoon...

From a quick look at your tort, id agree that something is drastically wrong with the eyes.... AND ur tortlooks very very very dry. Id get him soaking in a nice warm water bath for a good 20-30 mins daily for a long time. Also, those pine shavings really are not a good substrate. Did you re-do anything lately that might have caused eye irritation? New bulbs....the new bedding?

Take a look through all of the Greek care info here.. https://tortoiseforum.org/forums/greek-tortoises.83/

And give a nice soak today too.

Best of luck..

 

[Sagey]

Good Afternoon...

From a quick look at your tort, id agree that something is drastically wrong with the eyes.... AND ur tortlooks very very very dry. Id get him soaking in a nice warm water bath for a good 20-30 mins daily for a long time. Also, those pine shavings really are not a good substrate. Did you re-do anything lately that might have caused eye irritation? New bulbs....the new bedding?

Take a look through all of the Greek care info here.. https://tortoiseforum.org/forums/greek-tortoises.83/

And give a nice soak today too.

Best of luck..

Thank you Mari,


The only thing I can think of is that his lightbulb broke and I bought a uva uvb bulb that was darker , it was red in color.That was the only change.He has always had aspen shavings for 25 years.
He has a varied diet and eats great.His skin does look dry to me , so I will soak him.He never really has been soaked.I will bathe him once in awhile.So maybe I’ll do that more often.He has never been sick in 30 years so to change anything too much is kinda scary.I set up a humidifier in the room near his tank.
He’s eating carrots now to up his Vit A too.
He has his light like he use to have a white light and will see how he does.

If his swelling does not improve I’ll take him to vet.
Thank you for your advice,

Sagey

 

[Sagey]

This is Slash’s tank

 

[Maro2Bear]

Ok.. good luck. Good that they are aspen vice pine shavings, good to know.

From the Greek Care Sheet by Hermanni Chris
Substrate
The best possible substrates for housing Greek tortoises indoors are a 50/50 mix of top soil and play sand, cypress mulch and aspen wood shavings. When using aspen it is very important to make sure the tortoises stay hydrated because it tends to be very dry. Rabbit pellets will suffice but do not hold humidity well and mold will grow quickly in soiled areas. Cedar and pine bedding are an absolute NO, as they are toxic to tortoises.

Good luck and hope tort gets better.

Having now seen the enclosure, I would definitely suggest a much larger enclosure, more soaking, replace substrate, a check on the lights.

 

[Sagey]

Thank u
I definitely will come back on here
A postca pic when his eyes improve


Sagey

 

[Bee62]

This is Slash’s tank

Please tell me that your tortoise don`t lived all days, weeks, months and years in her life in that little tank !
The tank is much too small and the aspen shavings make it dry. This is no good substrate for any tortoise.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sagey, and welcome to the Forum!

You're to be congratulated for being caring enough to take in a tortoise with such a deformity, and to be able to keep it alive all these years. Now I'm going to ask you to throw out all the care information you've been storing in your brain these past some 20 odd years, and take in this new information with an open mind.

Just because the tortoise has been living the way it has for 20 plus years, doesn't make it right. Like Bee62 has said, the tank is much too small, the shavings are much too dry. If Slash were a wild tortoise he would be wandering great distances every day. This gives him exercise, and aids in digestion of his food. Then, when he stops wandering, he shelters in a shaded spot, maybe even in a cave or under a bush where the earth may be a little damp.

Slash's eye problem may be from the new light. It might be too harsh or too close, but I feel if you give him a larger space and a substrate you can moisten a bit, it will also help his eyes.

Here's an idea of what I'm talking about:



For Slash you wouldn't need so many hiding places, two would be fine, then some substrate you can moisten, and a plant saucer for water. A couple of plants either real or fake to give him a feeling of little more safety.

Here's a link to our very good Greek tortoise care sheet:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-testudo-graeca-care-sheet-overview.87146/

And here's a couple pictures of eye ointment you can use once you get rid of that new light: