One of my babies keeps rubbing his face against his front legs, like there is something there irritating him but I can't see anything. At first I thought something may be bothering his legs so I've gently scrubbed them with a new, clean toothbrush hoping that would dislodge or clean off whatever was bothering him. It didn't help. It's been about 24 hours since I first noticed the behavior and he is still doing it. Any thoughts out there?
Why is he doing that?
- Thread starter Justin81
- Start date
Hello and Welcome
. We need a lot more info in order to help. Temps, humidity, substrate, soakings, type of heat, type of bulbs. Btw, if your using a coil type bulb, that's probably the problem, they have been know to cause eye problems.
. We need a lot more info in order to help. Temps, humidity, substrate, soakings, type of heat, type of bulbs. Btw, if your using a coil type bulb, that's probably the problem, they have been know to cause eye problems.
My turtles do that when they eat or right after they wake up, but if he's doing it constantly then it's probably something else going on.
Trying to keep my temps within the range that Tom suggests. Don't have a humidity meter (yet) but I'm keeping their hide humid with moss and misting their enclosure when it seems appropriate. Soaking them daily for about 20 minutes (or more). Substrate is organic top soil with coco mixed in. They spend a lot of time outside. When not outside, they bask under a lamp with a regular incandescent bulb, no coil type bulb.Hello and Welcome
I have not checked the inside of his mouth. Is there a proper way of doing that?
When I had to open my leopards mouth to file the beak, I took a bamboo stick and carefully stuck the middle of it, not an end, under the upper beak and applied a little pressure until she opened her mouth and then I slid the stick a little further back to keep her mouth opened. @Yvonne G i think had a post on how to open, maybe she can explain how she does it.
Would having coil-type lights in part of my house possibly be bothering him and that's why he keeps rubbing his eyes? I was aware not to use the coil lights for their enclosure but I hadn't thought about the general lighting in my house causing problems. Any input out there?
Coil bulbs elsewhere in the house should not be a problem.
What species and age?
Where did it come from?
Where are you?
How much time outside every day?
What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and overnight low?
How are you maintaining night temps?
What species and age?
Where did it come from?
Where are you?
How much time outside every day?
What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and overnight low?
How are you maintaining night temps?
mini_max
Well-Known Member
If you are heating your enclosure with only an incandescent, unless you are living somewhere very hot, I'm not sure that maintaining Tom's suggested temps would be possible. If the enclosure is rather humid, I'd like to throw out the possibility that he's got some nasal congestion building up. I had the same experience and the cause of the rubbing eventually manifested in nose bubbles. His temps were raised considerably for a week or two and the problem was solved.
I'm always on here singing the same tune about how your enclosure is probably not as warm as you think when you are adding moisture into the equation. It wasn't until I got a good temp gun and actually measured substrate temp where he burrows/basks that I realized I wasn't keeping up the temps I thought I was at all.....and I was making my tortoise sick!
On the other side of the coin, coco coir gets really dry, dusty and pokey unless you are adding water via pouring and mixing it up. This can also cause eye and respiratory irritation for sure.
Sorry if this is not relevant to your situation, but I always feel the need to throw it out there
I'm always on here singing the same tune about how your enclosure is probably not as warm as you think when you are adding moisture into the equation. It wasn't until I got a good temp gun and actually measured substrate temp where he burrows/basks that I realized I wasn't keeping up the temps I thought I was at all.....and I was making my tortoise sick!
On the other side of the coin, coco coir gets really dry, dusty and pokey unless you are adding water via pouring and mixing it up. This can also cause eye and respiratory irritation for sure.
Sorry if this is not relevant to your situation, but I always feel the need to throw it out there
Sulcata, we've had them for about a week but young (2-2.5 inch)
Breeder from California
Southwestern Utah
Anywhere from 1-5 hrs (or more)
Warm side- 90 Cool side- about 72-73 Basking- about 100 overnight- 72-73
Maintaining night temps through household temperature.
I appreciate your input! I've been using a quality laser thermometer as well as those stick on gauges to monitor the temps. I live somewhere quite hot, very similar to Las Vegas (a few degrees cooler).If you are heating your enclosure with only an incandescent, unless you are living somewhere very hot, I'm not sure that maintaining Tom's suggested temps would be possible. If the enclosure is rather humid, I'd like to throw out the possibility that he's got some nasal congestion building up. I had the same experience and the cause of the rubbing eventually manifested in nose bubbles. His temps were raised considerably for a week or two and the problem was solved.
I'm always on here singing the same tune about how your enclosure is probably not as warm as you think when you are adding moisture into the equation. It wasn't until I got a good temp gun and actually measured substrate temp where he burrows/basks that I realized I wasn't keeping up the temps I thought I was at all.....and I was making my tortoise sick!
Sorry if this is not relevant to your situation, but I always feel the need to throw it out there
mini_max
Well-Known Member
Gotcha. You could always get some plain saline eye drops and drizzle a few over his eyes/ nose. Might help rinse out something that may be troubling him.
spud's_mum
Well-Known Member
My spud does this when he gets substrate in his face. However it makes it worse has he has it on his legs and just rubs more on his face, I put him on a towel and with a spray bottle spray his legs and the dirt comes off.
My little tort was doing this the other day and upon closer inspection I noticed she had a long cat hair wrapped around her mouth. No idea how she got it (seems cat hair is everywhere here) but once I carefully pulled it out she calmed down considerably.
Hi there, I was just wondering if he was rubbing the front of his face in the nose mouth area, the middle around the eyes, or the back around the 'ears'.
Or just generally all over.
Nobody's mentioned an ear infection yet, but it depends where he's irritated exactly.
Or just generally all over.
Nobody's mentioned an ear infection yet, but it depends where he's irritated exactly.
Maybe he just gets irritated when he gets water in his eyes when taking a soak.
Tidgy does the same sometimes, if so it's probably nothing to worry about.
