Tortoise will not open eyes

[John H1]

Hi,
I am new to the forum and hope someone may be able to help!

We have a small tortoise (Kiwi) about 18 months old. He (we think a male) lives in a tortoise table indoors but is given plenty of outside time in the summer when the weather is good.

The tortoise table has a mixture of tortoise soil and corn chip substrate. We have a combined UV/heat/ Light lamp which is 125 watt and mounted about 300mm above the surface as per manufacturers instructions. I measure the temperature which is about 29 to 30C. There is a dark "bedroom" area at the end which has a small heat mat 6 watt behind glass at one end. He is given food and water daily and regular baths.

Our tortoise "Kiwi" is eating normally but for the last couple on months refuses to open his eyes. We have taken him to the vets, a specialised exotic animal vets in Leeds several times and he has been examined by a tortoise specialist and samples of waste analysed. The first visit revealed pin worm which was only mild and treated by the vet. Subsequent tests show all clear and he is clear now. We took him to the vet again recently and no issues could be found, they gave some eye drops and recommended increasing vitamin A through a powder which we were using anyway but increasing frequency and regular warm baths which we do. Also recommended foods with vit A such as carrots. The vets examination was very thorough looking in mouth etc.

Despite all this, he will not open eyes. Sometimes the eyes look normal but closed, other times they look a bit puffy.

He seems happy enough but obviously cannot see.

Please can anyone advise?

Many thanks in anticipation.

John H1

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Ok....lets start with the basics: What species do you have? What are the humidity levels? What size enclosure? What are you feeding it? I can already tell you that the corn cob substrate is not recommended for torts ( too dry).

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Also, if you could upload some pictures of his enclosure and light set up. If you are using a coiled bulb as a light, that could be one of your problems.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi John, and welcome to the Forum!

Since you're in the UK, I'm going to assume we're talking about either a Greek or a Hermanns

When a baby tortoise stops eating, the first thing that shows up is swollen shut eyes. This is because vitamin A is very important to baby tortoises and when they stop eating, they're not getting the vitamin A the body needs. Baby food carrot soaks will be helpful for your baby. I can tell you how to get the eyes open, but then you MUST figure out why he stopped eating in the first place or it will just happen again.

Taking a bowl with a small footprint, but tall sides, add some Gerber strained carrots and warm water, about 50/50. You want the finished product to come up to the middle of the baby's sides. Then put the bowl back into the enclosure, right at the edge of where the light hits the substrate, so it stays warm. Leave him soaking in the solution for about a half hour, 45 minutes, but check on him frequently to make sure he hasn't tipped over. If you do this faithfully, daily, at the end of the third day his eyes should be open.

In the meantime, read the care sheet for Greek tortoises that's pinned at the top of our Greek section. I have a feeling that you're keeping your tortoise's enclosure too cold. Since a tortoise has to have his inner core temperature up to at LEAST 80F degrees, if he's colder than that, he won't eat because the food won't digest.

 

[JoesMum]

Hi John

I am in the UK too

Your temperatures don't sound warm enough.

It must be 35-37C directly under the basking lamp and no lower than 26C, day or night, anywhere else in the enclosure especially now this little one is sick. Lights must be on for 14 hours a day and there must be complete darkness at night. For additional night heat you may need a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) which is a used with a thermostat and provides heat without light.

You must soak your baby daily for at least 30 minutes in warm water while it isn't eating.

A warm " carrot soak" is a good way of helping a tort like yours. Mix cold carrot puree baby food with hot water so you have a warm carroty mix and soak your tort in that.

It is likely you have one of the Testudo and normally carrots would not be part of the diet. This is an exception. Your tort's diet should be a variety of weedy and leafy greens. It can't digest sugars properly, they cause digestive and kidney problems, so sweet foods like fruit, bell pepper, tomato and carrot should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally.

Photographs of the enclosure, lighting and your tort's eyes will help us to help you.

 

[John H1]

Thank you all for your help, I will definitely try the carrot baby food soak. The tortoise is a Horsfield and is eating well. The lamp is an Exo Tera All in one 125W giving UVA, UVB, light and heat and is on for 9 hours per day 9 Am to 6PM. I will upload some pictures of the table and tort tomorrow but the table is about 950 x 470 mm. Our tort is small 65 gram weight about the size of an average hand palm.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome hope little Kiwi is well soon.
Tescos sell pouches of carrot only baby food for his warm soak.

 

[JoesMum]

Thank you all for your help, I will definitely try the carrot baby food soak. The tortoise is a Horsfield and is eating well. The lamp is an Exo Tera All in one 125W giving UVA, UVB, light and heat and is on for 9 hours per day 9 Am to 6PM. I will upload some pictures of the table and tort tomorrow but the table is about 950 x 470 mm. Our tort is small 65 gram weight about the size of an average hand palm.

Horsfield, aka Russian.

In which case still Testudo and all our advice so far still applies.

It is winter now and the days are much shorter. Your tort will have detected this and will be thinking of hibernating despite being inside.. I suspect much of your tort's behaviour is down to this rather than any physical illness.

1. Lights must be on for 12 hours minimum - ideally 14 hours. Use a timer

2. You are trying to convince your tort that it is summer. You may need additional lighting to make it even brighter.

3. Household temperatures will likely drop too cool for a 1 year old tortoise at night. You will need a cover over the enclosure (some people rig up a garden "plant tent" type cloche over a table to create a closed chamber and a CHE (see earlier) used with a thermostat. If your tort gets too cold at night then he will take too long to warm up next day and that makes matters worse.

4. Daily soaks in warm water are essential (without carrot) Soak first thing in the morning.

5. Offer food straight after. Your tort's natural instinct is to eat early in the day and then snooze and bask to digest food before going off to browse for more. Some people try feeding later in the day only but this will not be successful.

6. Get yourself a temperature gun type thermometer that will most accurately measure spot temperatures in the enclosure. Like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermometer-Zanmax-Non-Contact-Temperature-Indication/dp/B07CJ1SJYX/

7. For overnight minimum temperatures you will need a digital min/max thermometer. Don't guess

You need to read the TFO guides on Horsfield Care which are written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and sadly from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Care of young Russians
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[John H1]

Thank you all for your help, I am adding the pictures as requested by some of you of the tortoise table set up and tort himself. I will take on your comments /advice and report back.

 

[JoesMum]

Very cute little Russian, but that environment is far too dry. You have been given outdated care information.

I am also concerned that neck seems puffy... oedema? But that might just be the photos.

Your tort needs an earthy substrate that can be mixed with water until all of it is evenly damp, top to bottom and right into the corners, which will raise humidity.

Fine grade orchid bark and coco coir are both popular. They are much cheaper when bought from a DIY/garden store or Amazon than from a pet store. Make sure there are no additives such as sand, fertilisers or white bits (water retention granules, calcium, vermiculite...) - it must be plain an unadulterated. Unfortunately some proprietary substrates for torts have added calcium which is ridiculous as the last thing you need is your tort eating the substrate.

You need to get a cover over the enclosure to keep temperatures and humidity up.

That water bowl is not suitable for torts; it’s a tipping hazard and hard to use. A terracotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate is safe and much easier to use.

Please see my previous post on the steps you urgently need to take.