Irritated eyes

[ChiKat]

I was soaking my 7-month old RT Nelson today and I noticed that his eyes seem a bit red and irritated.
I had him out earlier this morning and didn't notice it then.

He always tries to climb up the sides of his enclosure so it would be easy for him to get dust or substrate in his eyes with how much flailing around he does

They look extra red in this picture because of the flash. My mom can't even tell his eyes are red

Should I run out and buy some Terramycin? Is there anything else I can do for my poor guy?
It hurts me to look at his poor irritated eyes

 

[chadk]

Do you have good moist substrate? Sometimes they can get puffy, itchy, watery eyes (one or all the above) from dry substrate... Could also be a sign of parasites. And then it could also be the lighting. What do you use? (example, coil uvb bulbs have been known to cause eye issues).

How did they look before the bath? Does he ever try to rub or stratch at them?

 

[ChiKat]

His substrate is getting a little dry so I'll have to mix in some more water. He's on coir/sand and I keep it moist. I usually keep it more dry on the cool side, but maybe I'll have to start misting that side as well.
I use the T-Rex Active UV Heat 100 watt.
He was rubbing at his eyes in his bath so I knew they were bothering him

He's eating now and I just peeked in and I don't even see any redness anymore...in fact I would think I had been imagining things earlier if I hadn't taken a picture!
I will be sure to moisten his substrate after this post. Do you think I should still purchase some Terramycin? I know it would be a good thing to have anyways.
Thanks Chad!

 

[spikethebest]

i use contact lens solution on my tortoises eyes, and that clears them right up. that was recommended years ago by a vet, and if its safe enough for human eyes, then its safe enough for tort eyes.

 

[GBtortoises]

I would suggest trying a substrate without the sand in it for a month so and see if the irritation stops.

This is one of the reasons that I stopped using sand in the substrate with my young Mediterranean and Russian tortoises. They were constantly covered with it and it was often in their eyes and around their mouths. I still use the other components as I always have (organic potting soil, coconut coir, sphagnum & leaf litter mix) with very good sucess.

To maintain a proper moisture level for Mediterranean and Russian tortoises a substrate with sand is neither wet enough or dry enough to keep the sand from sticking as it would be in a tropical or arid set up. In both other extremes I haven't had a problem with the sand.

Dryness in the tortoises environment could be a potential cause too but typically the tortoise's eyes would appear somewhat sunken in and I've never seen swelling due to dehydration.

I have used various liquid eye moisteners made for humans with good success on tortoises with dry eyes.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Oh, no, not Nelson!

Get him fixed up quickly, we cannot have one of our favorite "model" tortoises marring his photogenic qualities with red eyes!

 

[ChiKat]

GBtortoises you've had luck using plain coconut coir? I just ordered 6 bricks online for when I build the little man's new tort table. I'll have to try just plain coir and see how he does
I have seen tiny grains of sand stuck to his face near his eyes before and it makes me nervous.

Oh, no, not Nelson!

Get him fixed up quickly, we cannot have one of our favorite "model" tortoises marring his photogenic qualities with red eyes!

I know, what would I do?! I would have to start taking his pictures in black and white

 

[GBtortoises]

I don't use coconut coir alone as a substrate. I use ZooMed Eco-blocks and mix it with Miracle-Gro Organic potting soil, sphaghum moss and leaf litter. The ratio consists of about 65% potting soil, 20-25% coconut and the rest is the sphagnum moss and leaf litter. There's usually a hand full or two pea gravel thrown in to give some hard spots and a few flat stones on the surface for solid footing and basking.

 

[ChiKat]

Ohh I misread your post, thanks for clarifying!