worried my tort may have eye prob

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kidderagain

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i just bought a sulcata a day ago and he isn't very active. he also seems to keep his eyes closed a lot, and when they are open he rubs them a lot. he is only a hatchling. i would appreciate any advise any one could offer. thanks.
 

TKCARDANDCOIN

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What temperature are you keeping him at?Also you may want to soak him in luke warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.He will probably drink a little and it may help with his eyes.The water level should not be too high,just enough so the water level is just below his chin.Good luck,tom.
 

tortoisenerd

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Some pictures of your set-up can greatly help us. What kind of lighting/heating do you have?

Bulbs should have their faces parallel to the substrate, not shining at an angle into the tort's eyes. What is the temperature range in the enclosure? Substrate type? Humidity? Sorry for all the questions but it is very difficult for us here on the forum to guess what is going on without more information. Dehydration and lights shining in eyes are some of the more common ideas of why a tort is having eye problems though.

Is the tort eating? How old is it? Where did you get it from?

If it is very young you may run into hatchling failure to thrive syndrome.
http://www.sulcata-station.org/hatchfail.html

Some of the more experienced members here have recommended an eye ointment in the past for cases like this called terramycin. If you do a forum search you can get more information about that. Here's a quote (thanks Yvonne!):

"There's a wonderful product made by Pfizer called Terramycin Opthalmic Eye Ointment. If you put a dab on each eye two or three times a day, you WILL see drastic results in only a couple days. Here's just one link to buy it online. You can also find it at feed stores or buy it from your vet: http://www.drugstore.com/qxp87550_333181_sespider/terramycin/antibiotic_ophthalmic_ointment "

I would recommend a visit to a vet if at all possible ASAP.
 

Yvonne G

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Since you just bought the tortoise a day ago, I suggest you take it back and get a healthy one. Watch the babies for a while to see that they are all eating and moving around the enclosure. And be sure to pick one whose eyes are bright, clear and open. If there are no other babies to trade for, you probably have a long, troubling road ahead with this little baby. The problem with closed eyes usually isn't an eye problem. And like tortoisenerd posted above, we need to know more in order to help you.

Yvonne
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Take it back, it's already sick or it would be active with black beady eyes. Rubbing their eyes is just a really bad sign...you are better off taking this one back and getting a healthy one. If you keep this one lets us know so we can help you...oh and welcome to the forum!
 

Jentortmom

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I agree with Yvonne and Maggie take it back. If you decide not to, take a look at your setup and let us know so we can help. If you choose to keep it, my biggest suggestion would be to soak him in warm water up to the junction where the top shell and the bottom shell meet. Also get some bird vitamins (8n1 from vitasol) put a few drops in the water and mix it up and soak him/her in this. But your best bet would be take it back and get a different one, it may be hard to do, but it would be a wise decision in the long run.
 

TKCARDANDCOIN

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I would try to save the little guy.Try the soak and vitamin trick and turn up the heat a little.Also i would call the vet.If you take him back he is probably doomed!
 

kidderagain

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thank you all for the advise. it seemed like the best thing to do was to take the little guy back to the pet store. i wish i had the time and money to nurse him back to health, but i dont. so i brought him back and got another one. again thank you all.
 

Crazy1

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Kidderagain, Welcome and I hope this new little one does better for you. Please keep us updated, and any questions don't hesitate to ask.
 

smoke_kush

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My tortoise has been having eye problems too. His eyes are watering. what does it mean
? is he sick
 
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Maggie Cummings

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smoke_kush said:
My tortoise has been having eye problems too. His eyes are watering. what does it mean
? is he sick

A good number of times a Sulcatas eyes water when he is too dry. We keep them hot so we need to add humidity...
 
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