Help: Russian tortoise can't open eyes (pinkish / sunken)

Geng

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Two weeks ago my Russian tortoise had a vet visit. He was very inactive and not eating aside hand fed dandelions (like for a month). The vet noted calcium defficiency, so after a calcium injection, new MVB and hand feeding him calcium powder rich dandelions and banana he got better and very active.

The past 2 days I've noticed that the left eye of my Russian tortoise looks irritated. Yesterday his left eye seems to get a bit worse (teary and pinkish eye lid). I though it was the dry substrate, so I moist it. I also gave him lots of soaks, and he seemed better, although the pinkish eye lid stayed.

Tonight I came home from work and I see my tortoise sleeping above his hide (really a weird spot to sleep I think). However, when I picked him up and he can't open his eyes. Worse his eyes seems to have sunken in, and I'm dead worried !

Some things to note:

- I do not use those coil bulbs
- Lamps are MVB 80W and heat lamp 65W
- Substrate is coco coir
- Because my tortoise was really active he would climb up his hide and fall down with his face straight into the substrate. He's been doing this alot yesterday, so could his eyes be irritated by the substrate? (I notice bit of substrate in the eye lids)
- Daily warm soaks 45 min

Please help!
 
Last edited:

wellington

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Post a pic please. In the mean time give a warm soak with puréed babyfood carrots in the soak you can add piedialyte too.
Also let us know how much calcium you are still giving? Too much is as bad as too little.
@Yvonne G might be able to add more.
 

Geng

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Post a pic please. In the mean time give a warm soak with puréed babyfood carrots in the soak you can add piedialyte too.
Also let us know how much calcium you are still giving? Too much is as bad as too little.
@Yvonne G might be able to add more.

I will post pics tomorrow because he is sleeping now, don't want to stress him. Also I have to note I have overdone the calcium powder intake. The vet advised me to give him more calcium then a little pinch. Yesterday night I gave him a little piece of banana with calcium powder on top. I also did this once with dandelions. Now I'm really dead worried that too much calcium might be fatal for him?

Also, I gave him a soak a hour ago. I used some chopped carrots, but tommorow I will buy some of that babyfood carrots.
 

Geng

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Here is a picture of his eyes...
 

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daniellenc

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They look bloodshot so maybe saline rinses to clear out the coir still in her eyelids. Also find a hide she can’t climb coir stuck to her eyes will cause an infection if constant. You may also consider a bark substrate which is less messy.
 

Geng

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They look bloodshot so maybe saline rinses to clear out the coir still in her eyelids. Also find a hide she can’t climb coir stuck to her eyes will cause an infection if constant. You may also consider a bark substrate which is less messy.

What kind of saline rinses must I use? People talk about terramycin, but I'm afraid I can't get it from some drug store, unless I order it online. What about rinses for contact lenses?
 

daniellenc

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Yes just plain old saline rinse until it’s completely clean and new bark type substrate. No more face planting in tiny coir.
 

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