Pale eyes

[Amaripop]

Hello tort fam!! Here i have my female Russian tortoise. I’ve noticed that her eyes and nose are pale. (Her nose was pale this morning but its back to its regular color as im typing this) what’s the reason her eyes are pale? I feed her all the right foods…could it be the well water that i have here at my house?

 

[wellington]

And what exactly are all the right foods?
What are the temps?
Humidity?
Type of lighting you are using?
Type of heat?
How often soaked?
Size of enclosure as she is an adult and needs a minimum of a 4x8, not a too small aquarium.
We can't really help without knowing the answers to the questions I asked.

 

[Amaripop]

And what exactly are all the right foods?
What are the temps?
Humidity?
Type of lighting you are using?
Type of heat?
How often soaked?
Size of enclosure as she is an adult and needs a minimum of a 4x8, not a too small aquarium.
We can't really help without knowing the answers to the questions I asked.

I feed her kale, collards, turnip, cucumbers, and little grasses from outside. Her heat temp is at 76 and the humidity is 66. This is a dome light that im using im not sure of the heat. I soak her every other day and she has a pool of water in her home and her enclosure is a 40 gallon

 

[Amaripop]

This is the meter for her heat and humidity

 

[Amaripop]

These are her lights. The one on the left is the heat and the other is cool light

 

[Ink]

I'm not an expert but your temperature is too low. Hopefully an expert will be able to help you more soon. Try to get your heat up. How long do you keep the lights on and what bulbs are you using? Welcome to the forum.

 

[Amaripop]

Thank you!! And i keep them on 8hrs and the bulbs are 250V 660W

 

[wellington]

Okay, the enclosure needs to be a lot bigger. That needs to be done ASAP!
The temp needs to be 95-100 as a basking temp or they can't properly digest their food. Use a incandescent flood bulb for this. The rest on the enclosure needs to be 75-80 during the day and if you don't brumate, no lower than 70 at night.
This is also why the larger enclosure is needed ASAP. The one she is in can't get correct temps as it's too small. She also needs room to roam to keep muscles built up or soon she won't be able to walk properly.
Get the care improved.
The humidity is good and the diet isn't bad, but add as much variety as possible.

 

[Amaripop]

Thank you so so much! Ill be sure to get one as soon as i can. For the incandescent light can that be found on Amazon?

 

[wellington]

Thank you so so much! Ill be sure to get one as soon as i can. For the incandescent light can that be found on Amazon?

Yes it can be found on Amazon.
If you Google search for pop up portable greenhouse or raised beds, you should find some great enclosures for not a lot of money.
Many use the greenhouses and love them. I have used several over the years.

 

[wellington]

This is the kind of greenhouse. Just have to add a tarp to the bottom for a floor. They come usually 3 feet wide, but can find them 9 and 12 feet long.

 

[Amaripop]

Yes it can be found on Amazon.
If you Google search for pop up portable greenhouse or raised beds, you should find some great enclosures for not a lot of money.
Many use the greenhouses and love them. I have used several over the years.

I appreciate all the information!! Ill be sure to get everything she needs!!

 

[Tom]

I feed her kale, collards, turnip, cucumbers, and little grasses from outside. Her heat temp is at 76 and the humidity is 66. This is a dome light that im using im not sure of the heat. I soak her every other day and she has a pool of water in her home and her enclosure is a 40 gallon

Those are not the right foods. Kale, turnip greens, and collards can be offered once in a while, but not regularly. Cucumbers offer very little nutrition and Russians are not grass eaters.

It needs to be 100 degrees directly under the basking bulb. Measure that by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the heat lamp and letting it cook for an hour. Adjust the height of the bulb as needed.

What is a "cool" light? Are you using a coil type UV bulb in that fixture?

40 gallons is way too small.

All the things you are doing are the typical pet store set up stuff. Is that where you got your tortoise advice? Are you also using a ramped water bowl?

Please read these thread for the correct care advice. Your tortoise will not remain healthy if you do not make some major changes.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Amaripop]

Those are not the right foods. Kale, turnip greens, and collards can be offered once in a while, but not regularly. Cucumbers offer very little nutrition and Russians are not grass eaters.

It needs to be 100 degrees directly under the basking bulb. Measure that by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the heat lamp and letting it cook for an hour. Adjust the height of the bulb as needed.

What is a "cool" light? Are you using a coil type UV bulb in that fixture?

40 gallons is way too small.

All the things you are doing are the typical pet store set up stuff. Is that where you got your tortoise advice? Are you also using a ramped water bowl?

Please read these thread for the correct care advice. Your tortoise will not remain healthy if you do not make some major changes.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

I did get my tortoise from a pet store. Im not sure of the light…it came with the tank. And she doesnt have a ramp water bowl…its like a deep dish

 

[mojo_1]

X

I did get my tortoise from a pet store. Im not sure of the light…it came with the tank. And she doesnt have a ramp water bowl…its like a deep dish

terracotta saucers work best for Water and food dishes. It's textured enough for them to get traction to get out. Also make them level with the substrate also.

 

[Tom]

I did get my tortoise from a pet store. Im not sure of the light…it came with the tank. And she doesnt have a ramp water bowl…its like a deep dish

Please read the care sheet I linked and make some changes. The pet store told you the wrong info and sold you the wrong products. We want to help you get it right and keep your tortoise healthy and happy.