Watery eyes

[vickyb]

Hello,

Yesterday I noticed that it was very very wet around her left eye, almost like it was water sprayed on. Note. Her EYE itself looks normal. ie:

- same as the right eye (which appears normal and not wet around)
- Not puffy/swolen
- Nothing else around the eye to suggest infection....

Today, when I lifted her out in the morning, there was a slightly LESS wet circle around her left eye... when I tried to clean it, she closed her eye and retreated in the shell for a second (as would be normal behaviour) and then came right back out again....

Any suggestions? I really want to avoid going to the vet if I have to for personal reasons, nothing to do with expense.

Thanks

 

[kimber_lee_314]

In my experience, eyes that are overly wet are caused by too dry of conditions and not enough humidity. Unless the eye is swollen or injured in some way, I would increase the humidity and see what happens before going to the vet. Good luck!

 

[vickyb]

In my experience, eyes that are overly wet are caused by too dry of conditions and not enough humidity. Unless the eye is swollen or injured in some way, I would increase the humidity and see what happens before going to the vet. Good luck!

The humidity is driving me up the wall. I spray about 300ml of water in the encl, I even put in a fogger... humidity WILL NOT rise above 55%

 

[kimber_lee_314]

How are you keeping her - enclosure, substrate, and temperature?

 

[Yvonne G]

I have to pour a whole great big "whopper-sized" drinking cup over my substrate. A light misting doesn't do it. I pour about 20 oz of water over the substrate every morning then I mix it all up with my hands and smooth it out.

 

[Madkins007]

Humidity is kind of a personal thing. Some people can do a light misting, others almost have to drown things.

You can moisten the substrate (but avoid too much wet contact to the belly, and don't let the substrate actually get cool), use some form of humidifier in the room or habitat, cover the habitat partially (which also holds in temps), etc.

One useful tool is the humid hide. Take a plastic box with a lid and cut a hole in the side big enough for the tortoise. Add some lightly dampened long-fibered sphagnum moss, and add a moss bag as well if you need it (moss bag- sew a handful of moss in a linen bag, soak in warm water, hang in the hide). Park the whole thing in a warm part of the habitat or heat it separately to about 85-88F.

Also make sure her food is moist (store-bought greens loose a lot of water, so soak them or at least spritz them heavily before feeding) and she has a good water dish.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

You can put plants in the enclosure to help keep humidity up (when you water them), just make sure they don't take up a lot of space a bury the pots under the substrate. Also how open/covered is your enclosure? Where do you live?

 

[vickyb]

I live in Toronto. Canada. My encl (which is an aquarium!!) has a wire mesh at the top. the current temp is about 74 in it with the night light on.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Sounds like a decent night temperature, don't go higher really.

 

[terryo]

If you get some little tropical house plants and just bury the pots in the substrate, when you water the plants and mist them they keep in a lot of the humidity. Also cover the screen top where there is no light fixture with clear wrapping tape, that will also hold in humidity.

 

[Candy]

Madkins you never fail to amaze me with your information. You read a lot I take it. One of the things that I used to do for Dale when he was in an aquarium was to put a wet towel over part of the wire top. It worked well for me. I would just spray the enclosure everyday and then I would also wet the towel everyday. What's the temp. during the day if you don't mind me asking?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Also - try a cover for the top - to keep the humidity in.

 

[K9KidsLove]

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