White scales around the tortoise's eye

[donatello-the-yf]

Hello, I'm new here!

So, I have a 17 years old male Yellow-Footed Tortoise named Donatello. So, generally there is white foam in his eyes that I think may be due to the enclosure's humidity. His enclosure, I've to admit, is not appropriated for a tortoise yet. The floor is made of cement and has just a little earth bowl for him. I'm trying to modify his enclosure to have more earth in the future. For elevating the humidity, I water his enclosure twice a day.

Last week, probably three days ago I noticed some white stuff around Donatello's right eye (as can be seen in the photo). It looks like scales. I think it might be just old skin coming off. Also, when I put water in Donatello's eye, it doesn't come out.

I think it might be just old skin coming off, but I fear it could be a fungus or worse. What do you think, people?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Interesting. I zoomed way in to look. Hard to tell exactly if it is a layer of mucous or something else. Perhaps a very good long soaking in deeper warm water might help. @zovick might have some sage advice

 

[zovick]

Interesting. I zoomed way in to look. Hard to tell exactly if it is a layer of mucous or something else. Perhaps a very good long soaking in deeper warm water might help. @zovick might have some sage advice

View attachment 343356

It could possibly be a bacterial or fungal colony on the eyelid, although it looks like it is made up of skin cells to me. Have you tried rubbing it off with a wet cotton swab (thoroughly moistened with warm water)? Doing that isn't easy, because the tortoise will keep moving its head when you touch the area near the eye, but I have done this to some tortoises over the years and it has worked when the spot was dried mucus.

If it doesn't rub off, it may be skin tissue which has become overly thickened due to some type of chronic (long-standing- irritation from tears running out of the eye.

Either way, it is probably bothering you more than it bothers the tortoise as the eye does not appear inflamed or otherwise irritated at this time.

Does the tortoise have anything similar on the opposite side?

 

[donatello-the-yf]

Hello!

Perhaps a very good long soaking in deeper warm water might help.

Thanks, @Maro2Bear! I'll try to follow your advice by tomorrow as now it's late where I live.

It could possibly be a bacterial or fungal colony on the eyelid

Thanks, @zovick! In this worst case, would I need antibiotics?

Have you tried rubbing it off with a wet cotton swab (thoroughly moistened with warm water)? Doing that isn't easy, because the tortoise will keep moving its head when you touch the area near the eye, but I have done this to some tortoises over the years and it has worked when the spot was dried mucus.

No, because of the difficulty you said and because I was afraid of hurting him. But I will try it after doing the soak recommended by @Maro2Bear.

Does the tortoise have anything similar on the opposite side?

I've already seen foam in both eyes, as I said, but this white thing I've seen only in the right eye.

 

[zovick]

Hello!

Thanks, @Maro2Bear! I'll try to follow your advice by tomorrow as now it's late where I live.

Thanks, @zovick! In this worst case, would I need antibiotics?

No, because of the difficulty you said and because I was afraid of hurting him. But I will try it after doing the soak recommended by @Maro2Bear.


I've already seen foam in both eyes, as I said, but this white thing I've seen only in the right eye.

As I said, this is most likely not causing the tortoise any problem or discomfort, so I would not bother trying to treat it with systemic antibiotics.

The most I would possibly do would be to try putting veterinary ophthalmic drops in the eye twice a day for a week or ten days to see if it had any effect (which I don't think it will). The drops you would want to use are called Neo-Poly-Dex drops.

 

[donatello-the-yf]

Sorry for just responding by now...

So, yesterday (April 18th) I had put Donatello in a warm soaking, as suggested by @Maro2Bear, and tried to use a wet cotton swab, as suggested by @zovick. I managed to only remove part of it, as I run out of swabs and was very afraid of hurting him, as can be seen in this image:


@zovick, you said about this medicine. As Donatello presents normal behavior, eyes without puffiness, normal appetite, I was thinking about not using medicine, as here were I live a wild animal vet may be very expensive (I don't want to and shouldn't be stingy, but given the circumstances...). But I wanted to get away with this thing. Would the medicine be the only way, besides swabs?

Also, I'd like to present you an example of the foam I said (the bubbles in the right side of the image):


Finally, as I found taking these type of photos from Donatello, I want to add a high-contrast photo that may help visualizing the thing in his eye:


Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[zovick]

Sorry for just responding by now...

So, yesterday (April 18th) I had put Donatello in a warm soaking, as suggested by @Maro2Bear, and tried to use a wet cotton swab, as suggested by @zovick. I managed to only remove part of it, as I run out of swabs and was very afraid of hurting him, as can be seen in this image:
View attachment 343467

@zovick, you said about this medicine. As Donatello presents normal behavior, eyes without puffiness, normal appetite, I was thinking about not using medicine, as here were I live a wild animal vet may be very expensive (I don't want to and shouldn't be stingy, but given the circumstances...). But I wanted to get away with this thing. Would the medicine be the only way, besides swabs?

Also, I'd like to present you an example of the foam I said (the bubbles in the right side of the image):
View attachment 343469

Finally, as I found taking these type of photos from Donatello, I want to add a high-contrast photo that may help visualizing the thing in his eye:
View attachment 343470

Thank you so much for all your help!

The bubbles in the corner of the eye are not unusual. I have seen them in many different tortoises over the years.

I think it is fine to just leave everything alone from what I am seeing. If you wanted to use those drops I mentioned, it wouldn't hurt anything. Here in the US, a bottle of them is about 20 US dollars, so not all that expensive. Maybe you can ask a vet to just sell you the drops without having to examine the tortoise.

 

[donatello-the-yf]

Once again, sorry for just responding by now.

Thanks a lot, @zovick!

Just for curiosity, what do you think the bubbles are? Until this event, I thought it was the dry enclosure Donatello lives, but now I don't know...

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Don't worry about responding after a bit. Were all living our lives, and we correspond when we can.
And . . . there are a lot of folks in here . . and it's just you there.
So, what I'm saying is reply as best you can.
Were here to help.😊

 

[zovick]

Once again, sorry for just responding by now.

Thanks a lot, @zovick!

Just for curiosity, what do you think the bubbles are? Until this event, I thought it was the dry enclosure Donatello lives, but now I don't know...

I believe they are just air bubbles in the lacrimal fluid which are caused by the normal blinking action of the eyelids. Nothing to worry about, IMHO.

 

[donatello-the-yf]

I believe they are just air bubbles in the lacrimal fluid which are caused by the normal blinking action of the eyelids. Nothing to worry about, IMHO.

Ok, thanks a lot again!

Don't worry about responding after a bit. Were all living our lives, and we correspond when we can.
And . . . there are a lot of folks in here . . and it's just you there.
So, what I'm saying is reply as best you can.
Were here to help.😊

Thanks for your kindness! Do you think I should improve more my explanations?