Radiated tortoise red around the neck and a bit on eyes! [HELP]

[pixelPro]

Should i be concerned? I have 2 rad tortoises and one of them started showing signs of redness around the neck, and its seems like its getting worst. I dont think it hurts because i touch it and he/she is fine with it, just concerning to see. he/she is still eating and popping just fine imo, and the other tortoise looks to be in perfect condition so its just this one. Does anybody have any idea on what it could be? It started out with a bit of redness on his neck, and now it has spread a bit to his eyes.

 

[wellington]

@Yvonne G

What is the substrate?
What are the temps at tort height?
What are you using to read temps?
Housed Indoor or outdoor?

 

[Tom]

Should i be concerned? I have 2 rad tortoises and one of them started showing signs of redness around the neck, and its seems like its getting worst. I dont think it hurts because i touch it and he/she is fine with it, just concerning to see. he/she is still eating and popping just fine imo, and the other tortoise looks to be in perfect condition so its just this one. Does anybody have any idea on what it could be? It started out with a bit of redness on his neck, and now it has spread a bit to his eyes.



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Its likely a bite from the other one. They should never be housed in pairs.

 

[zovick]

Should i be concerned? I have 2 rad tortoises and one of them started showing signs of redness around the neck, and its seems like its getting worst. I dont think it hurts because i touch it and he/she is fine with it, just concerning to see. he/she is still eating and popping just fine imo, and the other tortoise looks to be in perfect condition so its just this one. Does anybody have any idea on what it could be? It started out with a bit of redness on his neck, and now it has spread a bit to his eyes.



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Redness is never a good sign in tortoises. It is generally a sign of infection. If the redness gets any darker red and/or more widespread, I would recommend seeking out a good tortoise vet.

Meanwhile, I would separate this tortoise from the other one (if they aren't housed separately anyway) and soak it for about 20-30 minutes once or twice daily in fairly warm water (95F or so) deep enough so the neck gets into it. You will probably need to watch the tortoise while it soaks to be sure it doesn't inhale any water.

 

[cork_screw]

Its likely a bite from the other one. They should never be housed in pairs.

Just take the tortoise to the vet. You don't want that central area to get infected, it looks like that's what started happening and now the neck is being infected.

 

[TammyJ]

I agree that you should see a reputable tortoise vet. It seems to me it's possibly bruising from the sharp edges of his shell, which then became infected. Probably needs antibiotic treatment.

 

[cork_screw]

I agree that you should see a reputable tortoise vet. It seems to me it's possibly bruising from the sharp edges of his shell, which then became infected. Probably needs antibiotic treatment.

Yes, a reptile specialist is best or an a vet facility that specializes in exotics. Didn't realize this but there's a lot of vets that only deal with common animals. Anything reptile/aviary is usually referred by others. If you don't know of one, ask your local vets and they should refer you to some. But I would guess that someone at the very least needs to put iodine on that area so it doesn't get infected. And the healing process can begin. Sometimes open sores like that don't heal once they get infected and it can spiral out of control.