Hatchling Eye problem - help us out!

[Redstrike]

Hi all,
One of my hatchlings is keeping its eyes shut a lot. They also seem a bit swollen. I'm not sure what the cause of this problem is (all cypress substrate, humidity 70-90%, Ambient temps 75-90), but I'm going to get some Terramycin eye ointment and treat it today. The tortoise is rubbing its face a lot too as if its eyes are itchy. I attached a pic of one eye. I soaked both in tepid water this morning, but they despise this! 30 seconds and they're trying to get out.

This particular hatchling seems to spend a lot of time under the basking light, which puzzles me. I have them in my sunporch, which runs between 85-90 at midday, this morning it is 75. I have a heat rope running under the cypress mulch to boost humidity and a small portion in their hide to keep them warmer at night.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

What kind of light do you use?

I've noticed that when hatchlings don't eat, their eyes are your first indication that something's wrong. Have you seen this baby eat?

I opt for the baby food soak.

 

[Redstrike]

What kind of light do you use?

I've noticed that when hatchlings don't eat, their eyes are your first indication that something's wrong. Have you seen this baby eat?

I opt for the baby food soak.

The hatchling ate collard greens this morning and hasn't misssed a meal yet. After eating, it promplty resumed its position under the heat lamp. I'm using a Zoo Med basking spot lamp (50W), it hangs about 15 inches from the top of their table.
I don't know if the lamp is drying it out and causing the tort to keep its eyes shut or if something else is up.

I don't know where to find Terramycin opthalmic ointment in Syracuse, NY and I'm still puzzled as to why one of my hatchlings is glued to the heat lamp with ambient temps at 80+. So frustrating!

I've attached some pictures of the table (4.5x2.5ft) so folks can see and provide any input. Should I just give it some Visine eye drops for now and order Terramycin? I don't like that it's been rubbing it's face/eyes...

 

[terryo]

You can get Terramycin opthalmic on Amazon.com. Very fast delivery. Is that light your only source of heat?

 

[Redstrike]

You can get Terramycin opthalmic on Amazon.com. Very fast delivery. Is that light your only source of heat?

I found some Terramycin at Tractor Supply, phew! I'm going to put some on just to be safe, but I'm thinking the little tort just has dry eyes from being under the heat lamp. It's not currently under the lamp. I usually open a couple windows so the room doesn't get too hot during the day and it may be leading to inconsistent temps (i.e. when the sun is out it's hot, but if any clouds roll in it may become cooler as less sun comes through the windows).

I haven't needed to heat the room much as it's currently ~88ºF, so yes, the heat lamp and the heat cord are the two sources of heat currently. I have a Zoo Med Habitat Heater (18''x18'' pad) that I was planning to use in cooler weather, but I guess I ought to invest in a CHE or something similar? I keep hearing from folks that under-heat is not the best option, but CHE's are a bit pricey and not cheap to run. I was hoping to save some money with the 40 watt heat pad mentioned above and the heat rope (25W).

---

I forgot to ask anyone if they've ever used visine or anything similar in their tortoises eyes? Any thoughts?

 

[ascott]

I would not use visine on a reptile....actually it should only be used on humans. Murad has a drop which is artificial tear that is better than visine

If it were me....I would simply soak your tortoise and while soaking gently cup some water in your hand and drizzle over each of the eyes to rinse and make feel better

 

[Redstrike]

I would not use visine on a reptile....actually it should only be used on humans. Murad has a drop which is artificial tear that is better than visine

If it were me....I would simply soak your tortoise and while soaking gently cup some water in your hand and drizzle over each of the eyes to rinse and make feel better

I'll give it a shot, they just hate being soaked - after 30 seconds they're trying to tear their way out of the container! We'll see what I can do...

 

[HipsterTorts]

I have also have a hatchling that rubs her face a lot. The first two weeks I had her she kept her eyes closed all the time, but that just ended up being because she was scared of my other hatchling. Now that I've separated them her eyes are open all the time.
Her eyes are still itchy and I did take her to the vet for it. He said that dirt/dust is just collecting around her eyes easier then my other tort. We've been using eye drops that he gave us for the past week now, which have helped a lot. And his biggest suggestion was keeping the substrate very moist all the time.
So if you want to spare yourself a visit to the vet, like everyone else has said use the Terramycin.

 

[Geochelone_Carbonaria]

Hi all,
One of my hatchlings is keeping its eyes shut a lot. They also seem a bit swollen. I'm not sure what the cause of this problem is (all cypress substrate, humidity 70-90%, Ambient temps 75-90), but I'm going to get some Terramycin eye ointment and treat it today. The tortoise is rubbing its face a lot too as if its eyes are itchy. I attached a pic of one eye. I soaked both in tepid water this morning, but they despise this! 30 seconds and they're trying to get out.

This particular hatchling seems to spend a lot of time under the basking light, which puzzles me. I have them in my sunporch, which runs between 85-90 at midday, this morning it is 75. I have a heat rope running under the cypress mulch to boost humidity and a small portion in their hide to keep them warmer at night.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Take your RF and go see a vet !

 

[terryo]

Hi all,
One of my hatchlings is keeping its eyes shut a lot. They also seem a bit swollen. I'm not sure what the cause of this problem is (all cypress substrate, humidity 70-90%, Ambient temps 75-90), but I'm going to get some Terramycin eye ointment and treat it today. The tortoise is rubbing its face a lot too as if its eyes are itchy. I attached a pic of one eye. I soaked both in tepid water this morning, but they despise this! 30 seconds and they're trying to get out.

This particular hatchling seems to spend a lot of time under the basking light, which puzzles me. I have them in my sunporch, which runs between 85-90 at midday, this morning it is 75. I have a heat rope running under the cypress mulch to boost humidity and a small portion in their hide to keep them warmer at night.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Take your RF and go see a vet !

I agree!

 

[allegraf]

Chris,

First, I would suggest that you close those windows or cover the enclosure better. Since you are in NY, it is a lot drier up there than here in Florida and you may need to adjust accordingly. With the open windows, there also may be temperature and humidity fluctuations that you may not be catching since it is an open enclosure. Since its eyes are swollen and seem irritated, I would start soaking that tort daily to make sure it is getting enough moisture and that its eyes are not sealed shut by being too dry. I am not sure if the heat lamp is contributing to the problem since I only use the heat cords and no overhead heat source. That tort may not be used to it and likes getting heat from above but it may also be drying it out. It is good that the hatchling is still eating, once you spray the tort or soak it, does it open its eyes? Is the shell soft in any way? Are you spraying down the torts themselves directly?

I prefer to keep a tighter hold on controlling the environment. My hatchlings are inside the house with central A/C but the enclosures are 90-95% covered to control the temps and humidity in the enclosure. It makes for a boring sight since all you see is almost closed boxes, but when you open them, you see happy little faces since their environmental conditions are being met. Central A/C dries out the inside of the house, and I compensated by trying to create mini humid enclosures with the extensive cover over the enclosures. You may need to keep tweaking your setup/location/environment to find out the best way to keep everything even (temps, humidity, etc.). Just keep a close eye on the softness of the shell and whether your tort stops eating. The swollen eyes are worrisome but may just be irritation since he still has a healthy appetite. The ointment should also help. Also consider feeding a bit of fruit to help get more moisture into him or spray their greens as well before feeding to get more moisture into them. Keep us posted.

Allegra

 

[Kristina]

I absolutely positively agree with Allegra. I do not see any benefit whatsoever from taking this baby to a vet. Up your humidity, cover the enclosure, soak more often, and you should see a definite improvement. The teramycin will not hurt to use either.

 

[Redstrike]

Chris,

First, I would suggest that you close those windows or cover the enclosure better. Since you are in NY, it is a lot drier up there than here in Florida and you may need to adjust accordingly. With the open windows, there also may be temperature and humidity fluctuations that you may not be catching since it is an open enclosure. Since its eyes are swollen and seem irritated, I would start soaking that tort daily to make sure it is getting enough moisture and that its eyes are not sealed shut by being too dry. I am not sure if the heat lamp is contributing to the problem since I only use the heat cords and no overhead heat source. That tort may not be used to it and likes getting heat from above but it may also be drying it out. It is good that the hatchling is still eating, once you spray the tort or soak it, does it open its eyes? Is the shell soft in any way? Are you spraying down the torts themselves directly?

I prefer to keep a tighter hold on controlling the environment. My hatchlings are inside the house with central A/C but the enclosures are 90-95% covered to control the temps and humidity in the enclosure. It makes for a boring sight since all you see is almost closed boxes, but when you open them, you see happy little faces since their environmental conditions are being met. Central A/C dries out the inside of the house, and I compensated by trying to create mini humid enclosures with the extensive cover over the enclosures. You may need to keep tweaking your setup/location/environment to find out the best way to keep everything even (temps, humidity, etc.). Just keep a close eye on the softness of the shell and whether your tort stops eating. The swollen eyes are worrisome but may just be irritation since he still has a healthy appetite. The ointment should also help. Also consider feeding a bit of fruit to help get more moisture into him or spray their greens as well before feeding to get more moisture into them. Keep us posted.

Allegra

I'm thinking closing the windows would be a bad idea as it may become too hot in the sunporch, I don't want to come home to baked hatchlings! I may seal them up and it's very likely that I'll move them into the main portion of the house. I hate to take away such a great natural lighting and heating source, but obviously current conditions aren't working.

I mist both everyday 2-3 times. Soaking is a bit more problematic as they both seem to despise it. I'll play the "tough love" card on this one, perhaps they'll eventually see it as pleasurable...? Shells on both still feel firm. My hygrometer has been reading 70-90%, but this is only on the cool side and it may be misleading as the moisture could be rising out the open top and through the windows. I fed them some cantaloupe at the beginning of this week, led to some runny poop... So far no feces have precipitated uric acid, which I take as a good sign!?

I'm curious what lighting you provide in their 90-95% encapsulated enclosures? I know you're busy, but any pictures would be helpful! I have a heat rope & pad (18"x18") that I can use to heat the enclosure for the time being.

I did make a vet appt. for Tuesday of next week, just in case things don't improve. I have put Terramycin in its eyes as a safe play as well.

Thank you all for your guidance and support, I don't know how I (or my two hatchlings) would fare without this resource! Will keep you all posted

 

[Redstrike]

I absolutely positively agree with Allegra. I do not see any benefit whatsoever from taking this baby to a vet. Up your humidity, cover the enclosure, soak more often, and you should see a definite improvement. The teramycin will not hurt to use either.

I spent the afternoon altering my tortoises habitat. I've sealed most of the open top with pieces of thick shower curtain (it's clear, might not show up well in the photos). I also brought the enclosure inside and left the sunporch for our plants, exclusively.

I also put new substrate at the base, it's the Bioactive mix that Mark raves about. TerryO in NY also uses a soil base in her enclosures and it seems to help with humidity. I have a base of lava rocks, covered with organic compost, and topped with a good layer of Cypress mulch. The hygrometer is reading 80-90% consistently. The center portion of the table is still a bit exposed, but I think this is an improvement.

Also learned that placing a top on the soaking containers helps keep the torts calm while receiving their morning soaks. Seems to deter them from the "grass is greener" mentality.

Will continue with Terramycin tonight, probably not tomorrow (is two days enough?).

 

[Redstrike]

Since making the above changes, things have improved! Both are looking healthy, thank you all for your help!

 

[allegraf]

Chris,

That is wonderful news! Sorry I have not posted pic of my hatchling enclosures, the husband and I have been sick this entire weekend, dratted cold! I am so happy they are doing good!

Allegra

 

[Redstrike]

Chris,

That is wonderful news! Sorry I have not posted pic of my hatchling enclosures, the husband and I have been sick this entire weekend, dratted cold! I am so happy they are doing good!

Allegra

Hope you guys feel better soon! I'd still be interested in seeing your hatchling enclosure when you feel up to it...? Thank you for all your help!

 

[allegraf]

Chris,

I know this has been long overdue, but here are pics of my hatchling enclosures. As you can see it is very bare bones but efficient. There are heat coils under the enclosure that covers about 1/4-1/3 of the pen. The hatchlings bury themselves in the cypress mulch. Also, the enclosures are almost all the way covered. Some keepers keep the entire enclosure closed tight but drill holes in the plastic near the rim to allow the air flow. The only light they get is from the windows, that have curtains, so no direct sunlight. I supplement their diet with calcium with D3. The hard part about these enclosures is that they can see you coming and are not cooperative with taking pictures. I only managed to take 2 good pics of 2 of the hatchlings this morning. The rest were not happy with the camera. I hope this helps.

Allegra

 

[Redstrike]

Very helpful, Allegra, thank you! I've fully sealed the top with plexiglass, they seem to be doing much better! I'll post pictures when I can.