Hi just looking for some help I have a Russian tortoise and his eyes have been swollen lately

Dan108

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Hi my name is Daniel
I have a 4 year old Russian tortoise and his eyes have been swollen for about 2 months now.

I have tried everything from bathing him to eye drops just wondering what could be the cause of the problem.

8859DF68-AC84-4C06-92ED-6B7DA4694505.png1DD3DE81-7313-484F-B12E-9724F805139F.jpegHere’s some pictures
 

Dan108

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I have a Arcadia MVB bulb 150w at a high of 45cm and reptile turf as the substrate
The basking spot is around 37c
 

SasquatchTortoise

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You may have to change out that bulb. I have never had problems with MVBs, but I have heard that they have lots of variation from bulb to bulb. I recommend a flourescent UV light and a 100 or so Watt basking lamp.
Second, he needs a new soil. I would say you could use cypress mulch from a pet store and make sure it is wet, but not soaking. Dry dust could be getting in his eyes.
 

Ddflinn

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OMG that looks bad. Make an appointment at the exotic vet ASAP. Buy carrot baby food and put that and warm water for soak.
 

Dan108

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You may have to change out that bulb. I have never had problems with MVBs, but I have heard that they have lots of variation from bulb to bulb. I recommend a flourescent UV light and a 100 or so Watt basking lamp.
Second, he needs a new soil. I would say you could use cypress mulch from a pet store and make sure it is wet, but not soaking. Dry dust could be getting in his eyes.

He had the eye issue before I installed the new mvb bulb and the substrate was originally a mix of sand and soil by habitat. I only changed it to reptile turf recently to see if that was the issue.
 

Dan108

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OMG that looks bad. Make an appointment at the exotic vet ASAP. Buy carrot baby food and put that and warm water for soak.

She has a appointment booked so for Tuesday so hopefully I will find out the cause thanks for the advice
 

Yvonne G

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I think 150watts is WAY too strong for that tiny enclosure.

Soak daily in 50/50 warm water/Gerber strained carrots for at least 45 minutes each day. If you do this faithfully you'll see the swelling go down and the eyes open on the third day. Use a bowl with a small footprint and tall sides and put it back into the aquarium NEXT to where the light hits the floor.

BUT if you don't correct your husbandry it's just going to happen again.
 

Dan108

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Thanks for that advice I’ll definitely give that a go .
So all I need to do is change the bulb to a lower wattage ?
 

Yossarian

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You also need to find a way to give your tortoise a larger enclosure. I understand limitations on space but our care sheets for these guys call for a minimum of 4ft x 8ft. 4 yrs old isnt full grown but even a juvenile russian needs way more space than your tank provides. Being able to roam around there enclosure is an important part of their metabolic process.

I have linked the caresheet for Russians, pls have a good read, if you have questions please ask, and dont disregard things because it is inconvenient, we are literally talking about the animals wellbeing.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise | Tortoise Forum
 

Dan108

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You also need to find a way to give your tortoise a larger enclosure. I understand limitations on space but our care sheets for these guys call for a minimum of 4ft x 8ft. 4 yrs old isnt full grown but even a juvenile russian needs way more space than your tank provides. Being able to roam around there enclosure is an important part of their metabolic process.

I have linked the caresheet for Russians, pls have a good read, if you have questions please ask, and dont disregard things because it is inconvenient, we are literally talking about the animals wellbeing.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise | Tortoise Forum

Thanks for that advice I definitely will upgrade his enclosure .

the current enclosure was recommended to me when I purchased him so I definitely will be changing that .
 

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