My torts eyes often take a while to open especially one particular eye. He is fine once theyre open and if hes bathing he'll dunk his head under and wash it and its ok. Im just worried its a too dry substrate? He has a brand specifically for russian tortoises its a sand soil mix.

Being dry causes this, needs more humidity

Silly question how do i make it more humid for him? Spray the substrate?

lawren3105 Wrote:Silly question how do i make it more humid for him? Spray the substrate?

Yup, whar substrate do you have though?

Its prorep tortoise life. For russian tortoises

(07-13-2012 10:22 AM)lawren3105 Wrote:  My torts eyes often take a while to open especially one particular eye. He is fine once theyre open and if hes bathing he'll dunk his head under and wash it and its ok. Im just worried its a too dry substrate? He has a brand specifically for russian tortoises its a sand soil mix.

RT's DO NOT require Humidity higher than "normal"; Normal being around 30%.
Refer to russiantortoise.org for proper info.

My russian once had a problem like that. I took her to the vet and they gave me an eye cream. The vet thought something got into her eye and irritated it to the point where it was closed a lot. She was better after two days of the cream. I'd probably take your tortoise to the vet to get that checked out.

Sorry i didnt see a reply lol but now i see it, well humidity is not thr problem, yea having something in its eye probably the problem

Argh well then why is someone telling me i need more humidity when i dont?!
But thank you i will take him to the vet, seems like place where id get a definitive answer!

Your substrate may be to sandy. I don't keep my Russians on any sand at all. Sand can irritate their eyes and cause impactions. I use a combination of coco coir and cypress mulch. If the eye is not swollen or weepy at all then the tort is probably fine. I would soak every day, then watch and make sure it is eating properly, and your temps are good. Russians are very hardy and keeping them clean and warm is all they usually need to bounce back from a minor problem.

(07-13-2012 10:58 PM)lawren3105 Wrote:  Argh well then why is someone telling me i need more humidity when i dont?!
But thank you i will take him to the vet, seems like place where id get a definitive answer!

This is a forum, people are just trying to help you and your tortoise. Sometimes, it's hard to get across what you're asking on a forum or sometimes things are easily misread. I think everyone is just trying to help and no one is trying to mislead you. Good luck with your tortoise. I too, would suggest a vet visit by the way.

I worked with a Russian that had this problem and the vet gave me some droplets to put the eye every 12hrs took about a week to see major improvements......due mostly to the eye being irritated for a while......darn pet stores.

I think your problem is the substrate. Yes, it is manufactured for tortoises, however, sand just is not a good substrate for tortoises. It irritates their eyes and some are allergic to it. For the time being, just remove all the sand and put a towell down in the habitat. Then try to find either cypress mulch, orchid bark or Bed-A-Beast to use as substrate.

Im just really confused as to why they'd sell it primarily for russian torts when its not good for them. Il sort something out for him today, get something new. Thanks

(07-14-2012 07:17 AM)lawren3105 Wrote:  Im just really confused as to why they'd sell it primarily for russian torts when its not good for them. Il sort something out for him today, get something new. Thanks

It seems to be an unfortunate lack of care on the manufacturers, this
seems to be an issue across the board for all reptiles. I was told Zoo med vita calcium sand was good for my geckos because if they eat it the will pass it and get trace amounts of calcium "so it can't hurt them" Wrong!. I have a gecko with a really bad impaction and she may not make it because it is so bad. It was sold as a great substitute for sand and perfect for my geckos. I knew plain old sand was bad but being assured that it was right for my geckos I used it...and I'm paying for it both emotionally as well as financially. All I can say is do your research and don't trust company claims even if they say it's right for your tortoise...I hate to believe it but these company's don't seem to care a whole lot about the animals, they just want to make money.