Watery eyes?

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Sometimes my Russian tortoises develop dark rings around their eyes, similar to the stains around their mouth after feeding on moist greens. This suggests to me that their eyes are watering, but I'm not sure why. Their eyes remain bright and clear, their behavior doesn't really change, and they seem to be staying healthy. But I'm just wondering why their eyes might water from time to time.

I seem to see these rings after they've been trudging through thicker vegetation, so maybe it's a response to getting thwacked in the face by undergrowth. Also, sometimes I seem to see it when I am transporting them in their carrier, so maybe it's a response to stress.

Has anybody else noticed this? Does anybody have any thoughts on what I'm seeing here?

 

[dmarcus]

I think its because they miss us so much... just kidding..

Mine does it every now and then, sometimes it happens after he has been working on his burrow and other times it just happens out the blue. Like yours behavior doesn't change and he is healthy so I am unsure why it happens...

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I think its because they miss us so much... just kidding..

Mine does it every now and then, sometimes it happens after he has been working on his burrow and other times it just happens out the blue. Like yours behavior doesn't change and he is healthy so I am unsure why it happens...

Working in the burrow might mean he is getting dust in his eyes. Tortoises seem to have amazingly tough eyes. I've seen them get poked in the eye by food or twigs, and even get accidentally clawed in the eye by another tortoise, but these things only seemed to be minor irritations to them. Maybe they evolved durable eyes because they lack the agility to avoid offenses to them. I've heard of turtles getting intentionally bitten by other turtles in the eye, which does cause permanent damage, but other than that, their eyes seem amazingly resilient. I guess that's why I'm surprised to seem them watering ... but then, maybe that's part of what makes them so resilient.

 

[dmarcus]

I closed of my torts old burrow and he has started on a new one underneath his inslulated house an I saw thay he broke through a huge root and until I can get it cut out I worry he will poke himself in the eye with it...