Swollen eye

[remonttireiska]

Hi, I noticed my tortoise keeps their eye shut. It seems a bit swollen and red. It was normal in the morning. What can I do? It’s getting a bit late where I live and they’re going to sleep soon. I already tried giving them a bath and gently washing the eye. Hoping it will be better in the morning.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Eye problem's can sometimes be linked to the type of substrate, or also the type of lighting in the enclosure.
Can you please tell us about her/his habitat?

 

[remonttireiska]

Eye problem's can sometimes be linked to the type of substrate, or also the type of lighting in the enclosure.
Can you please tell us about her/his habitat?

Topsoil. Uvb light and heat lamp. I have used the same substrate and lighting for seven years. Thinking he got some substrate into his eye while digging

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Oh, and BTW, WELCOME!
Welcome to TFO, (Tortoise Forum) you have come to the right place regarding the care of your lil buddy.
There are a lot of very smart folks here that have a lot of experience caring for and . . breeding tort's.
Please Note most Pet shop's give out incorrect information regarding the care of Tort's as they cater to mainly more common pet's.
One thing that will be brought up here is the Habitat & care your buddy is living in/getting. Humidity levels/ Temp's, Lighting, Substrate's, Feed, Enclosure . . it all kinda relies on each facet to attain a Happy & healthy lil Tort

And by all mean's Ask questions were all here to help!
Please tell us more about your Tort, Age, & species.
And any pictures you can provide will help too.
I've linked a couple of the smarter folks here, so they can chime in and help.
@Tom , @ Yvonne , @ Zovik

 

[MenagerieGrl]

There are some ophthalmic ointments that can be used on tort's. One that comes to mind is Terramycin

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Topsoil is not a recommended substrate for tort's. Typically Orchid Bark or Coir is used.
What type of UV light are you using, the Compact fluorescent UV bulbs are not recommended as they can cause eye problems.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Mis-typed a link for Yvonne & Zovick . . .@Yvonne G , @zovick

 

[remonttireiska]

Topsoil is not a recommended substrate for tort's. Typically Orchid Bark or Coir is used.
What type of UV light are you using, the Compact fluorescent UV bulbs are not recommended as they can cause eye

Topsoil is not a recommended substrate for tort's. Typically Orchid Bark or Coir is used.
What type of UV light are you using, the Compact fluorescent UV bulbs are not recommended as they can cause eye problems.

Just seems to be the most natural substrate for a russian tortoise. But I could mix some of that in there. The uvb is a long tube.

 

[Tom]

Just seems to be the most natural substrate for a russian tortoise. But I could mix some of that in there. The uvb is a long tube.

Soil is made from composted yard waste. There is no way to know what is in it. The manufacturer does not intend for small animals to be living on it, and it could be something toxic like oleander, azalea clippings, or yard clippings that have been sprayed with any number of toxic chemicals found at any hardware store.

There is nothing natural about bought in a bag soil. Outside dirt from your yard would be more natural, and likely safer.

What type of UV tube are you using and how far from the tortoise is it?

What foods do you offer?

What size is the enclosure?

Did your tortoise have some sort of previous injury to its face? The first picture looks off, and the tort's face is cropped out of the second picture.

 

[remonttireiska]

Ah sorry english is not my first language. I meant ”Peat also known as turf” . But I am changing to coconut as I think he got some of that into his eye. The eye is better now, almost normal. Just a bit red.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welclome,
This is the most up to date caresheet for your tort and it will give you all the best options for substrate, heating and lighting etc.

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

Soils and compost etc are not recommended because of not knowing if any plants that could be toxic to our torts have been used in the making of them.

Most of us have been given incorrect information when we started out so if you want to post some pictures of his enclosure and the sort of lamps you have, members can hep you make any changes if needed.