SUNKEN EYES OR NOT?

KaapoTheHorsfieldii

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Hi. I've owned my russian for under a month now, and I'm not sure if his eyes are sunken or normal. i know his lower beak is very owergrown and we are going to the vet to trim it. But his eyes, are they normal? He soaks himself in the water dish almost every day and gets fresh and dry food. I know from a reptile specialist that you dont need to soak them so I don't since he does it himself. ( I know some may disagree but not your business). I haven't damped the substrate, should I do so? I have plantation soil as substrate and slate rocks and things he can climb on. Plus the shallow big water dish he loves. He's 23 years old I think! I don't know for sure.P_20200716_194223.jpgP_20200716_194219.jpg
 

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Yvonne G

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Yes, he also has an over shot bottom jaw/beak. This MAY be from lack of calcium. Is the tortoise indoors or out? Real sun or artificial UVB light? (the calcium he eats won't work without UVB) Start working on that beak now before it gets any worse. Gently file it down or lightly clip the edge, and keep after it until it starts growing the way it should.
 

KaapoTheHorsfieldii

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I am way too scared to clip or file it myself, i tried and the poor tortoise was also so scared even though i was very gentle and careful. He is indoors. Fake uvb.
 

stevenf625

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I noticed my tortoises eyes seemed more prominent (non sunken) after I had him outside regularly to get some sun each day.
 

zovick

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Hi. I've owned my russian for under a month now, and I'm not sure if his eyes are sunken or normal. i know his lower beak is very owergrown and we are going to the vet to trim it. But his eyes, are they normal? He soaks himself in the water dish almost every day and gets fresh and dry food. I know from a reptile specialist that you dont need to soak them so I don't since he does it himself. ( I know some may disagree but not your business). I haven't damped the substrate, should I do so? I have plantation soil as substrate and slate rocks and things he can climb on. Plus the shallow big water dish he loves. He's 23 years old I think! I don't know for sure.View attachment 300178View attachment 300181
Your tortoise appears very dry. I would recommend soaking it for about 15 to 20 minutes daily for a month or so to help get it more well-hydrated. This will help its eyes return to a more normal (less sunken) appearance in addition to helping the tortoise digest its food and will also take stress off its liver and kidneys as they process the waste products of digestion.

After the month or so of daily soaks, you can revert to 2 or 3 times weekly. If you see its eyes beginning to look sunken in again, then go back to more frequent soaks.
 

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