Puffed up eyes

[KdeeA]

My DT sometimes get really puffy eyes, where it looks like the third eyelid comes out and puffs up like a piece of chewed up gum (I don’t know how else to describe it). It seems to happen when he is stressed or if he doesn’t feel well for a few minutes. Then it goes away. Often I can just rub his head and he puts them back in, sometimes it’s just a waiting game. I’ll sometimes put some saline solution to keep it moist so it goes back in more easily when ready.
Does this happen to anyone else? Is this a problem that needs to be seen by a vet?

 

[Crush da Baum]

My tort’s third eyelid comes out when he get water in it. It will sometimes happen when he is soaking him.

 

[Tom]

My DT sometimes get really puffy eyes, where it looks like the third eyelid comes out and puffs up like a piece of chewed up gum (I don’t know how else to describe it). It seems to happen when he is stressed or if he doesn’t feel well for a few minutes. Then it goes away. Often I can just rub his head and he puts them back in, sometimes it’s just a waiting game. I’ll sometimes put some saline solution to keep it moist so it goes back in more easily when ready.
Does this happen to anyone else? Is this a problem that needs to be seen by a vet?

Is he outdoors full time?
Does he have a burrow to escape the temperature extremes on the surface?
Do you soak him? How often?
What do you feed him?
In your avatar pic I see a puppy pen. Is that how he is contained?

 

[KdeeA]

Is he outdoors full time?
Does he have a burrow to escape the temperature extremes on the surface?
Do you soak him? How often?
What do you feed him?
In your avatar pic I see a puppy pen. Is that how he is contained?

He is currently housed indoors, the pen is just for outdoor time and usually has some form of shade and is supervised. I keep his temps around 75 except for his basking area. He is getting soaked every other day and has a mix of coco coir and orchid bark for substrate,

 

[Tom]

He is currently housed indoors, the pen is just for outdoor time and usually has some form of shade and is supervised. I keep his temps around 75 except for his basking area. He is getting soaked every other day and has a mix of coco coir and orchid bark for substrate,

Are you using a UV bulb in the indoor enclosure? What type?

 

[KdeeA]

Are you using a UV bulb in the indoor enclosure? What type?

No UV bulb at this time, just outdoor time 3-4 times a week for a few hours

 

[Tom]

Here are three possibilities to consider and eliminate:
1. Torts need a visual barrier around the bottoms of their pens. He could be rubbing his eyes on the puppy pen. Make an outdoor enclosure with something opaque, or make that one opaque by adding some panels of plywood or corrugated plastic to the bottom 12 inches.
2. Dehydration. Soak him more often and for longer periods of time. Wet the food before feeding it to him. Feed more opuntia pads as these have a a lot of water in them. Your every other day soaks should be sufficient, but try 5 or 6 days a week for a while and soak for 30-40 minutes. Keep the water warm for the whole soak. You can't soak too much. 6 hours a day wouldn't be too much. You certainly do not need to soak 6 hours a day, but I'm saying it would do no harm.
3. Malnutrition. What do you feed him? Sometimes eye problems can come from vitamin deficiencies.

 

[Yvonne G]

My DT sometimes get really puffy eyes, where it looks like the third eyelid comes out and puffs up like a piece of chewed up gum (I don’t know how else to describe it). It seems to happen when he is stressed or if he doesn’t feel well for a few minutes. Then it goes away. Often I can just rub his head and he puts them back in, sometimes it’s just a waiting game. I’ll sometimes put some saline solution to keep it moist so it goes back in more easily when ready.
Does this happen to anyone else? Is this a problem that needs to be seen by a vet?

Some tortoises are just more sensitive to stress than others. As long as it's just a temporary thing, there's nothing to worry about. I had a box turtle with inflamed nictitating membrane on both eyes almost every day. I adopted him out to an experienced keeper who (after quarantine) put him into a breeding situation. He never had the eye problem again.