not opening eyes

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1000

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My tortoise has been closing his eyes for around 2 weeks. not eating too. i bought an eye drop but it just refuse to open his eyes, any idea how to make him open his eyes so i can put the eye drop?:(
 

Stazz

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Hi 1000. What kind of tort have you got? How do you house it, indoors or outdoors? What substrate have you got him on? Have you got a UVB and heat light for him? Just a few questions to help us figure out whats up, but with his eyes not opening I agree with Betts, definitely take him to a reptile vet who knows tortoises.
 

Yvonne G

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Your tortoise is sick. One of the first symptoms of illness in tortoises is that their eyes swell and stick shut. He isn't keeping them closed on purpose...he CAN'T open them because they are stuck shut.

You are going to have to find out what you are doing wrong that has made him ill in the first place, but in the meantime, soaking him will help un-stick the eyes.

Put him in some warm water that comes only half-way up the side of his shell. Not too deep so that he has to strain to keep his head out of the water. Leave him in the water for at least 15 minutes.

While he's soaking, tell us how you have this tortoise set up, and what kind of tortoise it is. Different types of tortoise require different care.

Yvonne
 

DoctorCosmonaut

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You need to get into a vet asap. I hope he starts getting better. Good luck!
 

1000

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Thanks all~ i wanna bring him to a reptile vet but i'm from a small town, only vet for dogs & cats available. I'm worrying here too.

Em..i don't know what kind of tortoise is it. I rear it since 13 years ago when my relative gave it to me. It has sunken shell, not sticking up/round shell. rather flat.

I always put him indoor, its only when last year after i shifted house, i put him outdoor. I'm not sure whether it's due to the hot whether. Now i put him indoor again. I change the water everyday.

Yvonne, about soaking, you mean the water level should not over/higher than his eye level?

Thanks a lot again...
 
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Maggie Cummings

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I know you are trying to help this tortoise, but different tortoises need different type of care, so you need to know exactly what kind of tortoise it is in order to know how to care for it correctly and what to feed it.
Yvonne means that you should put warm water up to the bottom edge of his top shell. It's called the 'bridge' where his bottom shell and his top shell meet. Put him in slightly warm water to where his shell starts. Put water up to his bridge. Can you post a picture of him for us? Maybe we could tell you what he is and we'd be able to help you better... What city do you live in, maybe I could find a reptile Vet for you around there somewhere. I'm pretty good at that...We are trying to help you...
 

Yvonne G

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I think 1000 is in Malacca, Malaysia, Maggie. Chances of finding a reptile vet there aren't very good.

Yvonne

1000 said:
I change the water everyday.

After reading this sentence, now I'm wondering if this is a tortoise or a turtle. We really do need to see a picture of your tortoise to be sure what kind of animal it is.

Yvonne
 

1000

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thanks all~ i'll get the picture soon. Meanwhile, is it ok to apply the eye drop on outer layer of his eyes, since he can't open the eyes.
 

1000

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1000 said:
thanks all~ i'll get the picture soon. Meanwhile, is it ok to apply the eye drop on outer layer of his eyes, since he can't open the eyes.

oh.. mine is Red-Eared Slider.
 

Crazy1

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If your turtle is a Red-Ear Slider here is a couple of sites that talk about them not being able to open their eyes, and not eating. How old or large is your turtle?
http://redearslider.com/physical_conditions.html This site talks about lots of things like water quality, nutrition, lighting, heat, basking ability, Habitat, Parasites, Repiratory infection,

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/eyeprobs.htm

I do not know what type of eye drops you have could you let us know before using them.

In order to get it to eat you need to figure out what is wrong - I'd check the water temp. chemicals in the water can cause eye problems you should be able to get a tort water conditioner. You could try and place a drop of codliver oil on each eye. Often a turle that can not see will not eat. Try soaking a couple of its pellets in some tuna water from a can of tuna.

You could try some boiled chicken shredded very small. You could try feeding it in its tank.
The amount is estimated to be the number of pellets that would fit inside its head. Vegetables should be offered daily while treats and live prey should be offered once or twice a month (or even less frequent). It's not often a RES will pass the opportunity to eat, but changes in eating habits may be an indication of a serious illness.
 

Stazz

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Hi there 1000. How do you keep your red ear slider, what do you house it in etc? That will help the pro's to help you!
 

1000

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Hi everyone, sorry for late reply. I sent him to a vet (not specialize reptile vet) for a look. The vet say his eyes is ok, the more serious problem is he's not eating, til now. He's having respiratory problem where he breath through mouth, causing some sound. May be he caught a cold during rainy days. So the vet gave him an antibiotic injection.

Now every morning he open his eyes and keep crawling out of the tank. So i will give him a walk before i go to work. However, i'm still worry since he's not eating at all. I think i will ask for multivitamic supplement from the vet. Thanks all for being so helpful~~~
 

Yvonne G

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I think your turtle's problem is heat. He's cold. They won't eat unless they can warm up their body temperature to at least 80 degrees. Is there a light for him to sit under and warm up?

Yvonne
 

1000

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O.. no, i didn't set any special lighting for him. I put him indoor, not too far from the skylight(window on ceiling). I thought the soft sunlight will be sufficient for him. Besides, the whether here is always humid. Do i still need set other lighting for him? Thanks a lot..
 
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Maggie Cummings

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If you can't get a UVB bulb that also provides heat then just use a regular bulb that will warm him up. Heat is necessary for tortoises, he could die without heat. His body should be about 85 degrees...that is necessary to metabolite the food. If he is not hot enough he won't eat.
 
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