Hatchling with no eyes

Janelle Green

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He will be 2 weeks old this Saturday. He is active when I soak him, and seems to be eating. He is smaller than his clutch mate still though. I figured with his shell deformations he will always be a little bit smaller. He isn't shy at all like other hatchlings, I guess it's because he can't see me watching him like the others.

I have kept him in the incubator a little longer than normal to help ensure he is staying humid. I plan on moving him to a small enclosure with a good humid hide this weekend so I can keep an eye on him and see how he does in a bigger area.
Glad to hear he's doing good ☺️
 

Janelle Green

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Girl I'm buying a Russian from has a 15month old hatchling with an underbite he's very small has not grown much but is doing good. I would love to see more pics of your baby as well!
 

Lu_x85

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Bless him! Hope he continues to do well and looking forward to updates on his progress!
 

LRZtorts

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Here are some pictures of him enjoying some food. 2 weeks old yesterday. I have moved him out of the incubator in a small enclosure with his other sibling who hatched just before him. They have been actively eating, exploring and burying themselves like baby Russian tortoises should. IMG_0343.JPGIMG_0341.JPGIMG_0342.JPG
 

GingerLove

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He's adorable! Is it difficult for him to find food and water? Do you think his eyes are underneath the skin, or just plain gone?
 

GingerLove

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Sounds like he's going to be one smart tortoise, I'm glad he's with such a great owner! :)
 

Diamond

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So happy the little one is eating. His other senses will probably be stronger to make up for the loss of his eyes. This made me smile to see him eating!
 

motero

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My experience with the blind hatchlings, they seem more prone to flipping and not being able to right them selves, this is a problem when you have hot basking spots and can't check on them often. Good luck with Ray.
 

Arizona Sulcata

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I had a Sulcata Hatchling born with no eyes last year. It took a lot of hands on effort to make sure he ate. What really helped him out the most though was getting him into a routine and not changing anything in the enclosure or it would mess up everything he knew. Get in a habit of regular soakings and each time he is done set him in the food facing the direction of his hide. At least that's what worked for me. It took some learning, coaxing, and trial and error but eventually his instincts kicked in and he knew what to do. I would also suggest raising him alone without any other hatchlings in the enclosure as it becomes an unfair competition over resources.
 

leigti

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My experience with the blind hatchlings, they seem more prone to flipping and not being able to right them selves, this is a problem when you have hot basking spots and can't check on them often. Good luck with Ray.
You just need to modify the environment. No big drop off's, no pokey plants, don't move things once you put them in there. Always put him back in the exact place and facing the same direction when you take him out or pick him up for any reason. Talk to him, let him get used to your voice. No reason he can't live a long healthy life as long as there's nothing else wrong. You may have to modify his diet a little bit because of the underbite but that's OK. And Helsing him alone be the best option for him. You can also have various Turpines, different substrates etc. in the enclosure so that he knows easier that there are different regions instead of just a mass of one type of footing. And don't avoid "furniture" like rocks and plants, again it will give him some orientation to where he is.
He would have difficulty writing himself because he doesn't have vision to give him any orientation two up or down.
 

LRZtorts

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I have him in a small enclosure now so I can keep a good eye on him and make sure he can get around. Some he is still small I don't have any obstacles in the enclosure, worried about him running into things and possibly getting flipped over.

Thanks for the advice, so far he is doing well!
 

LRZtorts

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He's so cute! Is he for sale?
I am planning on keeping him because of they fact that he doesn't have eyes and I would like to see how he grows. I do have one of his clutch mates that has no deformities that will be for sell if you are interested.
 

Wolfie

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I am planning on keeping him because of they fact that he doesn't have eyes and I would like to see how he grows. I do have one of his clutch mates that has no deformities that will be for sell if you are interested.

Ya sure? I'd pay extra for him.
 

Gillian M

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GOD bless him. He's so cute.

Glad he's doing so well.
 

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