My baby tortoise has a chunk missing from its eyes!

[GingerLove]

I hope your little guy is doing alright. I've never seen anything like that. Could it possibly be a birth defect? Maybe his eye is naturally indented? I hope the gel helps.

 

[Gillian M]

New babies like yours need warm soaks daily, and even two times daily.

Why twice a day?

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

How's your cute tort today. Hope to hear there's been an improvement.

 

[Yvonne G]

Because the eyeball is filled with vitreous gel, I really doubt there could be a missing chunk. What I'm guessing is that at one time there was something between the eyeball and the eyelid that made an indentation on the eyeball. If this is the case, I'm thinking that eventually it will plump back up and all will be well. Hopefully the ointment will help to soothe.

 

[TortoiseDoc]

What people have said about "chunks" is true- you can't have a chunk of an eyeball missing. It could be a laceration of the cornea. These typically heal themselves within 72 hours.

Has he changed the way he holds his eye open? Does it stay closed more often? Is there any discharge?

If it doesn't resolve on its own in the next day or two, it needs to see a vet. Eyes aren't something to mess around with.