Indian Star Tortoise - sticky eyes

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George

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I have a four month old Indian Star tortoise called George - she has suffered on and off with sticky eyes since i got her a month ago. I have received conflicting advice from a vet i visited and her breeder. vet said remove cocnut chips and replace with newspaper as could be dust but breeder said that would be to dry so just wet everynight where she sleeps. As i said the sticky eyes comes and goes. i bathe her weekly and wipe eyes when stuck.

Any advice would be great!
 

egyptiandan

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Welcome to the forum George :)

How are you keeping her? Lighting? Temperatures? Diet? Supplements?
These will help us figure out whats going on.

Danny
 

George

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egyptiandan said:
Welcome to the forum George :)

How are you keeping her? Lighting? Temperatures? Diet? Supplements?
These will help us figure out whats going on.

Danny
She is in a vavirium, she has a 60 watt bolb, a uv light, her temp during day is 35 - 38c with heat mat at night 24-27c i also have a portable radiator on a timer during the day. She seems to only like danelions, tried clover, kale, cabbage but just eats the danelions. She has calcium on food five days a week, vitamin supplement twice a week. will also give her a weekly bath a spray her sleep area morning and evening.

I speak regularly to her breeder and she has been to the vet, vet said he did not want to inject her, if possible, as she is so young?

any use?
 

Millerlite

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For a baby i just had reptile carpet and hey on top of that with no substrate. I found it best for babies. Your temps seem pretty good, but i would make the 35-38C to about 33c 34c which is about 91ish i suck at conversions, ha. Your night temps seem pretty good. I would soak him every other day just to be safe especially with a hot basking area like that. For misting i never did, but i hear a little humidity is a good thing. Oh calcium cut it back to like 2x a week and put cuttle bone in there so he can eat it when ever he wants. Those are few suggestion, but i'm sure others can add it it. It been awhile since i had my stars.

Kyle
 

George

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i have a cuttle bone but she - sorry not he - just walks around it. i read that a humid hide might be a good idea? she gets distressed when soaked so have been spraying her and in particular her sleep area am and pm.
 

egyptiandan

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Hi George,
Your day time temperatures are a bit high like Kyle said. Under the basking lamp can be 35C, but the warm end should be 30 to 32C and cool end 25 to 27C. I wouldn't use the heat mat during the day. You can though use it at night to keep the temperatures up.
Your night time temperatures are fine.
You need to vary your diet a bit more. My girlfriend in the UK has a Star hatchling and feeds her's, grass, plantain, sowthistle, chickweed, small amounts of dandelion, mallow, dead nettle, romaine lettuce, Florette's crispy salad, Flowers of hollyhock, dandelion, pansy, petunia and mallow.
I would keep doing the same with the calcium, 5 times a week or at every feeding.
For substrate she uses organic topsoil for the whole table, than Graze on on top of that for the dry end (cool end) and coconut bark on top for the humid end (warm end).
This has worked out really well and her Star is going great. :)

Danny
 

callum-dixon

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egyptiandan said:
Hi George,
Your day time temperatures are a bit high like Kyle said. Under the basking lamp can be 35C, but the warm end should be 30 to 32C and cool end 25 to 27C. I wouldn't use the heat mat during the day. You can though use it at night to keep the temperatures up.
Your night time temperatures are fine.
You need to vary your diet a bit more. My girlfriend in the UK has a Star hatchling and feeds her's, grass, plantain, sowthistle, chickweed, small amounts of dandelion, mallow, dead nettle, romaine lettuce, Florette's crispy salad, Flowers of hollyhock, dandelion, pansy, petunia and mallow.
I would keep doing the same with the calcium, 5 times a week or at every feeding.
For substrate she uses organic topsoil for the whole table, than Graze on on top of that for the dry end (cool end) and coconut bark on top for the humid end (warm end).
This has worked out really well and her Star is going great. :)

Danny

Danny, do you know where your girlfriend gets the topsoil from?

Callum

George,

If you dont mind me asking ... where did you get your Star hatcling from? You live in the UK right?

Callum
 

George

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Hi Callum
Yes i live in the UK - George was a surprise present from my colleagues at work, they got her from Marcus Langford in Southhampton - never met him but have conversed via many emails and on the phone. He has a website www.startortoiseuk.co.uk
He has been a great help, even to the point of saying he is happy to take her back for a little while and try to make her well!

Thanks Danny - i have reduced her temps and eyes are alot better, obviously smothering her with too much love!!!

Leanne
 

egyptiandan

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Hi Callum,
She gets it from B & Q. It's their own brand and it's the one in the blue bag.

I'm glad George is doing better, Leanne

Danny
 

callum-dixon

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George said:
Hi Callum
Yes i live in the UK - George was a surprise present from my colleagues at work, they got her from Marcus Langford in Southhampton - never met him but have conversed via many emails and on the phone. He has a website www.startortoiseuk.co.uk
He has been a great help, even to the point of saying he is happy to take her back for a little while and try to make her well!

Thanks Danny - i have reduced her temps and eyes are alot better, obviously smothering her with too much love!!!

Leanne


I'M GETTING MINE FROM MARCUS LANGFORD TOO :D
Would you reccomend him then?
 

George

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callum-dixon said:
George said:
Hi Callum
Yes i live in the UK - George was a surprise present from my colleagues at work, they got her from Marcus Langford in Southhampton - never met him but have conversed via many emails and on the phone. He has a website www.startortoiseuk.co.uk
He has been a great help, even to the point of saying he is happy to take her back for a little while and try to make her well!

Thanks Danny - i have reduced her temps and eyes are alot better, obviously smothering her with too much love!!!

Leanne


I'M GETTING MINE FROM MARCUS LANGFORD TOO :D
Would you reccomend him then?

He has been there for me from the beginning as you can imagine it was a surprise so was not prepared for her but george is great, very charismatic and as a novice marcus has been and i believe (even though i think he thinks i'm mad) will continue to be on hand to help - he has a three month guarentee on his tortoises as well - if you are prepared to hand your baby back - i wasn't, another one would not have been george! I have taken his advice everytime and like kyle he thought my temps were too hot and i was drying her out - so he seems to know what he is talking about. i am going to try and add a pic of george so you can see what you are going to get!
 

callum-dixon

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George said:
callum-dixon said:
George said:
Hi Callum
Yes i live in the UK - George was a surprise present from my colleagues at work, they got her from Marcus Langford in Southhampton - never met him but have conversed via many emails and on the phone. He has a website www.startortoiseuk.co.uk
He has been a great help, even to the point of saying he is happy to take her back for a little while and try to make her well!

Thanks Danny - i have reduced her temps and eyes are alot better, obviously smothering her with too much love!!!

Leanne


I'M GETTING MINE FROM MARCUS LANGFORD TOO :D
Would you reccomend him then?

He has been there for me from the beginning as you can imagine it was a surprise so was not prepared for her but george is great, very charismatic and as a novice marcus has been and i believe (even though i think he thinks i'm mad) will continue to be on hand to help - he has a three month guarentee on his tortoises as well - if you are prepared to hand your baby back - i wasn't, another one would not have been george! I have taken his advice everytime and like kyle he thought my temps were too hot and i was drying her out - so he seems to know what he is talking about. i am going to try and add a pic of george so you can see what you are going to get!

Oh that would be excellent, thank you :D

I'm picking up mine in January ... a baby boy and girl! Cant wait!

Callum
 

George

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Callum - how do you add pics? keeps saying each pic is too big ?
 

callum-dixon

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George said:
Callum - how do you add pics? keeps saying each pic is too big ?

Lol - I have no idea :rolleyes: We're a right pair!
I'm afraid my talents dont stretch to techinal uses :)

Can anyone else help?!?
 

krissy2288

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go to your pictures then resize them and save,,, then it should let you upload them :)
 

George

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krissy2288 said:
go to your pictures then resize them and save,,, then it should let you upload them :)

Thanks Krissy - there are now photo's on the photo board it's called george!
 

callum-dixon

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George said:
krissy2288 said:
go to your pictures then resize them and save,,, then it should let you upload them :)

Thanks Krissy - there are now photo's on the photo board it's called george!

OOOOOHHH George is SO cute :D I'm a million times more excited about getting mine now!!! As soon as they arrive i'll post pics so you can see.

ps. I'm glad George's eyes are better
 

George

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callum-dixon said:
George said:
krissy2288 said:
go to your pictures then resize them and save,,, then it should let you upload them :)

Thanks Krissy - there are now photo's on the photo board it's called george!

OOOOOHHH George is SO cute :D I'm a million times more excited about getting mine now!!! As soon as they arrive i'll post pics so you can see.

ps. I'm glad George's eyes are better

SHE'S BEAUTIFUL ISN'T SHE! she was more yellow in colour when she first arrived but she seems to be getting darker, her shell has a good dome shape. Can't wait to see your pics of george's possible (half?)brother and sister!!
 
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