how would i know if my tortoise is blind

[nikita]

hello everybody,

i'm very concerned about my hermann tortoise shelly, it looks like she has been really down these last few weeks. when i wake her up in the morning i have to open her eyes for her with some cotton wool dipped in cooled boiled water, then when the are open they are like slits and watery, some times it looks like the water forms bubbles on her eyes.

she is not very active lately she hardly moves, when my hand approaches her, she used to flinch and her head would go into her shell, but that doesn't seem to happen anymore.

when she does walk around she only ever walks around to edges of her tortoise table, i have to put her on her food myself and even the she just sleeps on it, and hardly eats anything.

i have a horible feeling she might have gone blind or even worse on her way out, can anybody help me or give advice? here is some basic information about her:- she is only 1 year old, she is fed on fresh greens and tomato or melon once a week wilth reptile multivitamin dusted on it every other day, we bath her at least once a week.


please help,
Nicki

 

[nikita]

here is a photo of her tortoise table and one of her old bedding pellets and her new bedding aspen

 

[Yvonne G]

Please read this care sheet:

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-1000.html

and make any adjustments to your care of your tortoise and his habitat. I think a visit to the vet is in order. It sounds like your little tortoise is pretty sick.

 

[Isa]

What is the temps in the enclosure? And what kind of light do you use? Is there Aspen in the enclosure or Rabbit pellets?
As Yvonne says, you should see the vet ASAP.
Keep us updated!

 

[nikita]

What is the temps in the enclosure? And what kind of light do you use? Is there Aspen in the enclosure or Rabbit pellets?
As Yvonne says, you should see the vet ASAP.
Keep us updated!

the temp is 20c in the cool end and 31.5c under the heat lamp, i know this is i little low but we only have 100w heat lamp and the pet shop has ran out of 150w heat lamps and hasn't had deliveries due to the snow we've had the last few days, its just a exoterra red spot lamp it doesn't give off uva or uvb or anything, we have a strip lamp for that.

we have an apointment at the vets today but its not a specialist, he just said he'll see what he can do

 

[Isa]

Can you buy a little safe room heater to put in your tortoise room? I am glad you hav e an appointment at the vet, he a reptile vet?
What is the distance between your tort and the light?
What is the substrate in the enclosure? Aspen?

 

[nikita]

no he isnt a reptile vet, there is no vets anywhere near where i live that deals with reptiles, he says he has a small knowledge in reptiles which is better than nothing! he said he may be able to give her antibiotics which you put in her water but she hardly drinks a thing so i dont know how i'll give it to her!
the substrate in her enclosure is now aspen, it was pellets but we've changed it.
the distance between the light and shelly is aprox 12-14 inchs.

nicki

 

[Isa]

Maybe you could put the light nearer your little one, what about 12 inches between the light and your tort's carapace?
If the vet gives antibiotics to Shelly, tell us what it is, I am curious.
Good luck at the vet

 

[nikita]

just go back from the vets and he said it looks like she has a respitory infection, he's given her antibiotics called baytril 2.5% which is given orally once a day. he said if shes no better in 2 weeks i need to take her to an exotic vets, fingers crossed this will work!!
thanks everyone for your advice, its been really helpful.

nicki

 

[Yvonne G]

It helps to clear up a respiratory infection if you raise the temperature in the habitat during the antibiotic regimen. both day and night.

 

[nikita]

i know this sounds like a stupid question but how do i raise the temperature? i only have 1 heat lamp which is 100w which is switched off at night, should i leave the lamp on at night too? should i put another lamp in her habitat? its really cold in england at the moment so i'm sure that doesnt help! she does have a heat mat under her habitat too.
sorry if this is a really silly question.

 

[Isa]

Good luck, let us know if Shelly gets better

---

Can you buy a ceramic heat hemiter for the night?

 

[nikita]

i don't even know what one of them is, i'll do some research on them, thanks for the sugestion

 

[Yvonne G]

Please don't ever think that questions are stupid. If you don't know something then its certainly NOT stupid to ask in order to learn.

I like to use a red or black incandescent bulb at night to keep up the heat. But they also make a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) that gives off heat and no light.

One way to keep the heat from your 100 watt bulb inside the habitat is to cover the habitat. It doesn't look very pretty, but I tear of a couple long strips of aluminum foil, fold them together to make one sheet and place it over the top of the habitat, light and all. I have the front open because it was getting too hot inside:

Please remember that the opinions we offer here on the forum are suggestions and not something that is set in stone. We all have different ways to take care of our tortoises. This way works for me.

 

[nikita]

well she went to bed at 5pm today its very early i guess but i thought i best leave her to it incase its the anti-biotics making her tired, but what i've done is move the heat lamp in front of her hide and angled it to point into the entrance, i might leave it switched on all night, but i thought the temperature was supposed to drop at night.

also wouldn't the foil restrict the amount of fresh are entering her habitat, we had a vivarium at 1st but we bought this tortoise table because we was advised by the pet shop that they need lots of fresh air and the vivarium wasn't very good for that