Eye problem (attached 3 pictures)

[LeaderSama]

Hi there.

Since 2 ~ 3 weeks ago, my male Russian has opened a left eye slowly, slept and not eaten all day. In the end, he can't open a left eye since yesterday. and start to open a remaining right eye slowly.

For cure his eye, I bought saline solution (salty water) and dropped mixture (with water at a one to one) into the eye, for a week. In remaining time, I used artificial tear solution which I bought at pharmacy.

Temperature : 30C ~ 35C (low at night, high at day)
Humidity : 40~60%
Bulb : UVB 25W, PHILIPS Reflector

I have two tortoise. a female is still strong and they live in isolation.

Do I buy a medicine, terramycin?

For cure my sick one, What do I check and do?

I attached three pictures of sick one.

Thanks for reading.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome

Are these two kept together? If so they must be separated immediately. They are solitary creatures that don't need want or particularly like company. Bullying, both mental and physical, is common with the subordinate tortoise becoming withdrawn, stopping eating and likely to become very sick indeed.

I think you have been given outdated information regarding their care.

The indicator is the pellets that you have as substrate. The humidity is too low for young Russians. These are not suitable. Your tortoises need an earthy type substrate like coco coir or fine grade orchid bark that can be mixed with water and raise humidity.

Please can you post pictures of the entire enclosure and lighting.

Eye problems are frequently caused by compact coil (CFL) type UVB bulbs. If you have one that looks like this, turn it off now. Your torts will be fine without UVB for a few days


Please read the following guides to care of Russians. They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Russian Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
What she said.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

That looks like a *very* dry baby. Are you soaking in warm daily for 20-40 minutes? If not, you need to be. Adding carrot baby food (for the vitamin A) to the soak water may help with the eyes and lack of eating. I second the need to replace that substate for one that will maintain humidity.

30C isn't your lowest temperature, right? Russians need to be able to get out of the heat more than that.

@Yvonne G has a lot of experience with Terramycin and injured eyes - hopefully she can advise further.

 

[LeaderSama]

Thanks for the comment @JoesMum.

Before four days, they were kept together. But since that, they have been separated by a divider.

I show you my enclosure. On the right side of the picture, sick one is living. On the left side, healthy one is living.

Now, she's sleeping after taking the hot water cure. She can not open left eye herself. It seems to be white and swelled.

I would stop UVB from now.

I attached three pictures.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Carrot baby food is cooked, puréed carrots. Looks like this:

You need to add water bowls your tortoises can actually use. Plastic lids from yogurt containers will work fine for now. Your hatchlings can't safely get into either of those bowls you have currently - water dishes need to be easy for them to climb in and fit their entire body.

If 30C is your low, don't increase the heat. Russians actually need cool and hot temperatures- not all hot.

How long are you soaking them for?

 

[LeaderSama]

Thanks for the comment @SarahChelonoidis.

Does carrot baby food mean a carrot made cut into thin slices?

30C is currently lowest temperature in my enclosure.

Should I increase the heat?

I have soaked in warm water every day since one week ago.

Terramycin is sold out in my country. I would find salable one.

 

[LeaderSama]

Thanks for the comment @JoesMum.

Before four days, they were kept together. But since that, they have been separated by a divider.

I show you my enclosure. On the right side of the picture, sick one is living. On the left side, healthy one is living.

Now, she's sleeping after taking the hot water cure. She can not open left eye herself. It seems to be white and swelled.

I would stop UVB from now.

I attached three pictures.

I had a mistake. Sick tortoise is male.

 

[JoesMum]

There is a lot of work to do on that enclosure. In fact you need two completely separate enclosures.

Please read those threads earlier as it is easier than me repeating everything.

Points for urgent attention:

- The substrate needs to be changed (see earlier) and needs to be around 10cm/4" deep so your tort can dig and burrow. It also needs to be damp. Babies need humidity of 80%

- Each tortoise needs more space.

- Each tortoise needs its own basking bulb. It must be 35C/95F directly under that bulb. If a tort cannot bask, it cannot raise its body temperature to digest food.

- Your UVB should be a tube lamp like this
View attachment 199768

- Those reptile bowls are not suitable for tortoises. They're a tipping hazard and hard to drink from. A terracotta plant saucer makes a much safer water bowl that your tort can climb into. A piece of flat rock or slate is a good food plate that also helps with beak maintenance.

You should be soaking both your tortoises for at least 30 minutes every day. I would recommend that the sick one is soaked twice a day.

- Soak them separately
- Use a high sided, flat-bottomed bowl that the tort cannot see through or over.
- The water needs to be warm, but not hot (think baby bath).
- Change the water if it gets cool.
- The water needs to be deep enough to come just up over the line between the shell and the plastron (undershell)

 

[JoesMum]

I'm not sure if my picture of a tube UVB light posted properly. I'm trying again

 

[LeaderSama]

Carrot baby food is cooked, puréed carrots. Looks like this:View attachment 199767

You need to add water bowls your tortoises can actually use. Plastic lids from yogurt containers will work fine for now. Your hatchlings can't safely get into either of those bowls you have currently - water dishes need to be easy for them to climb in and fit their entire body.

If 30C is your low, don't increase the heat. Russians actually need cool and hot temperatures- not all hot.

How long are you soaking them for?

Thanks. I would try to add Carrot baby in the hot water And have water bowls located in low places.

I usually soak them for 10~15 minutes.

A cover usually is opened so I repeatedly change the water for high temperature. (From now, I mean to close it for humidity)

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Increase the length of your soaks to at least 30minutes. Rehydrating these hatchlings is essential now.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I'll repeat what's already been said:

1. When soaking your babies, place them into a bowl they can't climb out of. The water should be shallow, but come up to the middle of the tortoises' sides (where the top shell meets the bottom shell)
2. Change the substrate away from alfalfa pellets and to something that can be moistened, even dirt is better than those pellets. I like to use orchid bark
3. Get rid of that light. Those compact fluorescent bulbs are harmful to baby tortoise's eyes

I don't think the swollen eyes are nutrition-related, so the carrot soaks won't be beneficial. I believe it is the light that is causing the swollen eyes.

 

[LeaderSama]

Thank you very much.
I have bought a tube bulb (Repti Glo 10.0), but In my country, It was hard to find a product(controller) for the bulb (t8/14w socket and ballast stabilizer and 220V plug). I could use the bulb, soon. Also, I would buy a new substrate. I still spray water on my enclosure to keep the humidity to 80 percent.

Is it a good substrate? (I attached the picture.)
I might mix it with old substrate.

And today, I have consulted a vet. but my tortoise opened left eye not once.
It still make me sad.

 

[LeaderSama]

@JoesMum Can you help me..?

My tortoise received an injection of antibiotics from the vet yesterday. despite having a eye opened (one bad eye is still closed), He and his eye doesn't react to my fingers or any object and is focusless.

Could he be blind? Did you see this?

Thank you for reading.

 

[Kasia]

@JoesMum Can you help me..?

My tortoise received an injection of antibiotics from the vet yesterday. despite having a eye opened (one bad eye is still closed), He and his eye doesn't react to my fingers or any object and is focusless.

Could he be blind? Did you see this?

Thank you for reading.

Your tortoise is very, very sick. Does it move/retract into its shell on touch? Did Vet tell you why antibiotics were given? Was it a one time injection or are you scheduled for more? If your tort is not moving go back to the Vet's office it could be a reaction from the shot or his getting worse and needs more attention. I do understand that you changed his coil UV bulb.

 

[LeaderSama]

Thanks.

My tortoise move a little. But, his eyes are more worse.

And A vet said antibiotic is for treatment when not eating and not opening a eye. It will be replaced with a medicine.

Every day, I'm soaking in warm water and feed a little food.

Is It okay to cover a plastic barrel with a lid a little when soaking?

To cover barrel seems to worsen his eye. This is just my personal opinion.