My tortoise gets red swollen eyes

[Sa Ga]

Sometimes Vit A deficiency can cause eye swelling. Look up foods that have it but if it's this severe, perhaps an injection would be in order.

Poor baby! Keep us posted!

 

[Jsanford]

Thank you for your response. I’ve taken him to the vet and they gave him a vitamin A injection. I’m feeling very defeated because nothing seems to help. I just don’t want to loose the little guy, I’ve become very attached and love him so much!

 

[Tom]

Hi, I was on here over a week ago talking about my tortoises red swollen eyes. I took all the advise everyone gave me, I put my baby in a new habitat by himself. He seemed to be doing a little better but now his eyes are back to swelling (really bad) and turning red (the 3rd eyelid) again. Does anyone have any other ideas what might be causing this or anything I can do to help him/her. We’ve already been to the vet.

I didn't see a reply to my two questions:
What type of bulb is your UV bulb and what distance from the tortoise is it?

Is the eco-earth kept a little bit damp?

Additionally, how often do you soak him/her?

Also, the foods you are feeding are not a very good tortoise diet. Seems doubtful that your eye issue would be a nutritional thing, but it need to be corrected none the less. You tortoise needs grass, weeds, and spineless opuntia in the diet. Grocery store greens are not great and need a lot of amendments if you must feed those items.

What is your supplementation routine? Vitamins? Calcium? How much and how often?

 

[Jsanford]

I believe it’s a zoo med 10.0 bulb, it’s 12” away from the bottom. The substrate is damp, but maybe I need to do it more. I soak them once a day. They do get grass, weeds, and dandelions when they are outside (When the weather is nice). I sprinkle their vitamins/calcium on their food once a week (as advised by the vet and the
Lady I got them from). As for their diet, I feel like I mix it up quite a bit and I follow all the dietary guidelines I read in books and online. I really try and do my research, and I appreciate any and all advise! Thank you!

 

[Tom]

I believe it’s a zoo med 10.0 bulb, it’s 12” away from the bottom. The substrate is damp, but maybe I need to do it more. I soak them once a day. They do get grass, weeds, and dandelions when they are outside (When the weather is nice). I sprinkle their vitamins/calcium on their food once a week (as advised by the vet and the
Lady I got them from). As for their diet, I feel like I mix it up quite a bit and I follow all the dietary guidelines I read in books and online. I really try and do my research, and I appreciate any and all advise! Thank you!

What type of ZooMed 10.0? Long tube, HO, cfl? They make several types, and one type is known for causing corneal burns.

If the substrate is damp, then we can eliminate dust irritating the eye...

Sounds like a good supplementation routine.

Can we see a pic of the current enclosure? I'm not seeing any glaring errors that would cause this, and if they are now separated, then we can eliminate the cage mate as the culprit too.

Ants or crickets in the enclosure?

Just a note about "research" for this species. Most of what is out there is old, out-dated and wrong. Since you are soaking daily, it sounds like you are on the right track and not following the wrong info.

I just went back and re-read the whole thread. Did we ask what substrate they are on? My apologies if you said it and I missed it. What substrate are you using? Any sand? Soil?

 

[Jsanford]

What type of ZooMed 10.0? Long tube, HO, cfl? They make several types, and one type is known for causing corneal burns.

If the substrate is damp, then we can eliminate dust irritating the eye...

Sounds like a good supplementation routine.

Can we see a pic of the current enclosure? I'm not seeing any glaring errors that would cause this, and if they are now separated, then we can eliminate the cage mate as the culprit too.

Ants or crickets in the enclosure?

Just a note about "research" for this species. Most of what is out there is old, out-dated and wrong. Since you are soaking daily, it sounds like you are on the right track and not following the wrong info.

I just went back and re-read the whole thread. Did we ask what substrate they are on? My apologies if you said it and I missed it. What substrate are you using? Any sand? Soil?

 

[Markw84]

That looks to me like photo kerato conjunctivitis That is cauesed by overexposure to UV.

it has been asked several times but we still don’t know what type of UVB light. You did say you think a 10.0 and 10” high. This is important. If that is a T5 HO 10.0 and it is 10” above substrate the tortoise could easily get its eyes within 7” of the light. That is way too close and would burn its eyes

please find out exactly what bulb you are using and show a picture of how it is mounted in the enclosure with a tape measure for reference. This could very well be your issue

 

[KronksMom]

Everyone else on here is much more experienced than I am, so I would definitely listen to their advice first. But... I tried that eco earth substrate briefly in Kronk's enclosure and it seemed to bother his eyes. When I notices him blinking excessively several days in a row, I looked at it very very closely and it looked like there was something like sand mixed into it. Since I am very over protective, his excessive blinking was enough for me to say "no more," and switch substrates completely.
I've seen a lot of people on here use and recommend eco earth, but I figure since nothing else has been figured out yet, it's worth mentioning. Wishing you and your little one the best.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Sorry this picture is blurry. But you can see how swollen his eyes are.
View attachment 285740

Yes.
Sorry I don't have an answer for you.
I've never seen that before.
Perhaps @Markw84 is on to something.

 

[Sa Ga]

Everyone else on here is much more experienced than I am, so I would definitely listen to their advice first. But... I tried that eco earth substrate briefly in Kronk's enclosure and it seemed to bother his eyes. When I notices him blinking excessively several days in a row, I looked at it very very closely and it looked like there was something like sand mixed into it. Since I am very over protective, his excessive blinking was enough for me to say "no more," and switch substrates completely.
I've seen a lot of people on here use and recommend eco earth, but I figure since nothing else has been figured out yet, it's worth mentioning. Wishing you and your little one the best.

Yes, the particles are so small, they sometimes get on her eyelids. I just dribble water over them (drop by drop from my fingertips) to wash them out. When I mix it with (bagged) soil, it helps immensely to keep it from being so "sandy." (25% dirt/75% Eco Earth)

It isn't my favorite stuff, but without EE, the soil dries out so fast (and they do need quite a bit of humidity!). It's also safe to ingest, and so light that I just brush her off (I use a silicone basting brush--reg bristles are too rough) and lightly blow on her to get it off when I get her out of her enclosure. (It doesn't stick and stain like dirt can).

If anyone can invent something safe to ingest, keeps humidity well without being WET, and is relatively clean (does not stick to/stain surfaces), I'm buying it!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

This stuff.
Orchid bark.
It's GREAT.