Young hatchling with possible eye and leg issues. Am I over-reacting??

[darlingtiffy]

Hello all! Now that my "Surprise! Here's a very tiny hatchling that you weren't set up for!" crisis is pretty well fixed, (see previous thread for details) I have had a day or so to really watch my new baby in action. I feel like such a worry wort, but I'm fairly certain my sully, Tiny Tim, has an issue with one eye and possibly can't see out of it. He also seems to have some leg splaying- when he stops walking he'll leave one leg splayed out behind him and when he isn't actively moving both legs are splayed out behind him, but maybe this is all normal for a young hatchling?

His eye is not swollen and it's not crusty, but he will leave it closed when waking up and it takes a while for him to open it all the way. He rubs it with his leg or pulls in his head a lot too. I first noticed it when they brought him home. I soak him twice a day and I have tried dribbling water over it to see if it will help soothe or flush out anything that may be in it, but I don't think it helped. The biggest tells for me are his avoidance of hides, his lack of flinching or hissing when we go to handle him, and his traffic patterns. He walks with his "good eye" facing the wall when he's moving and he will not walk around in the dark. The guy we got him from said he ran his Uvs 24/7 and just gave them lots of hides, so I thought maybe he just didn't know what dark was. Today though, I took out the big white hide from his tote as he refuses to stay in it even if he's put there. I replaced it with his log from inside and I buried the back half in the corner to give him an elevation change. It opened up a lot of the other corner and looks pretty cool. He was awake and eating when I did it.

He walked over and seriously looked confused at not being at the side of the big hide. He walked slowly up onto the buried part of the log and only stopped when his face was in the wall at the top. His "bad eye" was facing the way down for the other side. He turned around and went down the same side. He did this 4 or 5 times before finally walking down the other side. Then he walked closely along the wall (good eye facing the wall again) until he got to a straight line for the basking rock, and food, and then he went over there to eat some more.

He smells things a lot too, but I'm assuming this is probably normal. For example, when walking he will stop and sniff like a dog often. When eating, he will sniff through the pile before eating anything. While out in the yard to forage, he smells everything and will walk over food I know he loves if he doesn't smell it.

He literally sleeps anywhere except in a hide, I think he only used the moss "burrow" hide I made because it was shallow and he wasn't all the way under anything. Tonight I tried to put him in the log hide because it was warm and humid, (82 and very damp) from being outside, but he just sat and fell asleep just inside the entrance where I put him. He wouldn't walk in or out.

Some of this may be normal for a young hatching and I'm just still learning (and paranoid), but I really think he was sick or not right when we got him. My son said he had very runny poo twice on the hour ride home and he just didn't look very perky when I saw him for the first time. Then we had the issues getting his enclosure, temps and humidity right. The thought of him being blind in one eye scares the crap out of me. Am I over reacting???

***The pic of him in my hand is about 4 days old. I'll try to post a new pic of him and his face tomorrow.***

 

[Big Charlie]

The problem with the eye might have been caused by using the wrong kind of UV light, especially since the breeder said the UV light was left on 24/7. There are known problems with the curly fluorescent type bulbs causing eye problems. If this was the case, then it should clear up. Pouring water over his eyes is a good idea. There is an eye drop you can get at a pet supply. I can't remember at the moment what it is called, but I'm sure someone else knows.

When tortoises are relaxed, they often splay their back legs out. However, they shouldn't do this when they are walking. While this tortoise looks like a very young hatchling, you don't know how old he is and how long he was kept in poor conditions. If he is eating, that is a good sign. Are you using a calcium powder or cuttlebone?

 

[darlingtiffy]

The problem with the eye might have been caused by using the wrong kind of UV light, especially since the breeder said the UV light was left on 24/7. There are known problems with the curly fluorescent type bulbs causing eye problems. If this was the case, then it should clear up. Pouring water over his eyes is a good idea. There is an eye drop you can get at a pet supply. I can't remember at the moment what it is called, but I'm sure someone else knows.

When tortoises are relaxed, they often splay their back legs out. However, they shouldn't do this when they are walking. While this tortoise looks like a very young hatchling, you don't know how old he is and how long he was kept in poor conditions. If he is eating, that is a good sign. Are you using a calcium powder or cuttlebone?

Hello! His eyes seem a little better this am. He did open the "bad one" faster and he flinched a little as I went to get him for his morning spa time so that's an improvement, I guess. I did flush his eyes this morning as I am assuming it helped. I was thinking of picking up some terramycin ointment to use on him if I don't see any more improvement. Do you think that would help or should I just get the tear replacement drops to keep flushing them?

My husband didn't go into the place to see the set up as the gentleman brought the torts out to them in a tote. He said he used the uvs 24/7, fed "all kinds of mixed veggies" and let them out for grass, and used calcium powder daily along with cuttlebones. I guess he said he kept the temp at 80 and the humidity at 50 or higher. I can't remember exact. They didn't see anything to confirm this though. My husband didn't realize that Timmy was probably so young and that it would be an issue with our set up. lol. Timmy looked like he still had an egg tooth, and when they brought him home I noticed some dry tissue or shell stuff around what would have been his umbilical area. I'm thinking he's pretty young, but you're right, I'm not sure.

We are getting a cuttlebone for him, but he is outside in the sunshine and humidity pretty much all day and eating grass, aster, clover and spring mix salads voraciously, along with foraging 2-3 times a day, so we aren't using a calcium supplement. Should we be?

As for his legs, he walks okay. It's just if he stops walking mid-step, he'll leave his leg out the back and his foot will be turned. Splayed out, I guess. If he's resting his back legs are out and splayed. His back legs seem a little loosey-goosey. I don't know if that's a normal thing for a young hatchling though.

 

[Big Charlie]

It sounds like you are giving him good care. I bet he will continue to get healthier. I don't think you need an eye ointment unless you don't see any improvement and I would be leery of using an antibiotic without knowing if there is actually a bacterial issue.

 

[TriciaStringer]

He looks pretty small to be outside all day. It’s best for really young torts to be in a controlled closed chamber. Maybe let him outside for an hour or two a day. I think for sulcatas a good guide is one hour for each inch of shell.
Calcium, a small pinch should be sprinkled on his food twice a week.

Keep up with the daily soaks. I would do two a day for a while since you don’t know how well he was kept before you got him. Keep the water warm. Keep us posted too.