Is My Baby Sulcata Tortoise Getting blind! PLEASE HELP

[Shourav Mandal]

Hey Guys, I am Shourav and I am a new tortoise keeper. Recently I have got a baby Sulcata tortoise from Tortoise supply. His about 2 months old. The day I got him he was very active and had a great appetite, but after 2 weeks he's not as active as he was, even doesn't eat much and sleeps almost the whole day. But now, i saw him his eyes are closed and whenever his moving a little and even eating his eyes are close. I thought that his environment is very dry so i started keeping him moist and his environment very humid, by spraying water every day, but it has done no change. My baby Sulcata has his eyes shut and something white substance is inside his eyes, which i have seen today, when i put a lot of water over his eyes an he opened a little, but couldn't open his eyes completely, i saw something white over his lenses that is blocking him to open his eyes. I am very worried about my baby, i think he will become blind, please help me.

1) Food= I give him everyday broccoli, tomato, lettuces, spinach and carrots. Also a little water in a small plate where he can sock himself and drink a little.
2) substrate= i have used organic soil and coconut skin to create the substrate.
3) Hiding place= i have 2 hiding places for him and a huge area where he can run around and also a climbing area where he can exercise.
4) lighting and U vb. I don't know about his lighting but i keep him beside my window were he can bask from the sunlight and also for night i have a 22 bulb light (40 watt), the light gives little heat.
5) water supply) i sock him every 3 days in water.

Please guys i am really worried for him, don't know what to do, but i won't give up. Thinking of going to a tortoise vet , but need a lot of help and courage from you guys, please help me.

 

[tortdad]

His eyes are swelled shut because his set up is completely wrong so is the food you're giving him.

He needs heat from a CHE or basking light. I doubt them bulbs you're using are doing any good and he's not getting any uvb from being next to your window, the glass blocks all the uvb.

I'm going to go link a few threads for you to read

Read them a few times then ask your questions.

 

[tortdad]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Gillian M]

Hi @Shourav Mandal and welcome to the forum.

Very sorry to know that your tort might be getting blind.Let's hope he/she is NOT. Have you taken him/her to a vet?

I'm not a tort expert, therefore I cannot help here - sorry.

@Yvonne G

@JoesMum

PLEASE help! Thank you both.

 

[tortdad]

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

 

[Shourav Mandal]

Thank you so much tortdad, i really appreciate your help....

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much tortdad, i really appreciate your help....

After you read those threads, compare your set up and see what you need to do to fix things. Try to do it today. Babies cannot wait.

A few immediate tips:
Soak every day.
Don't let the night temp drop below 85 for a couple of weeks.
It needs to be dark at night, so get a CHE and a thermostat.
Here are the correct foods:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

I hope we can help.

 

[Yvonne G]

He doesn't have a "white substance" over his eyes. . . his eyes are stuck shut and you are seeing his eyelids. My guess is you aren't keeping the baby warm enough. He needs to be in a covered container that's NOT made out of cardboard, so you can moisten the substrate, and the temperature inside the covered container should be 80-85F degrees day and night. If you don't fix this immediately, the baby is going to die.

 

[Shourav Mandal]

After you read those threads, compare your set up and see what you need to do to fix things. Try to do it today. Babies cannot wait.

A few immediate tips:
Soak every day.
Don't let the night temp drop below 85 for a couple of weeks.
It needs to be dark at night, so get a CHE and a thermostat.
Here are the correct foods:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

I hope we can help.

Thank you so much, for your help

 

[Shourav Mandal]

He doesn't have a "white substance" over his eyes. . . his eyes are stuck shut and you are seeing his eyelids. My guess is you aren't keeping the baby warm enough. He needs to be in a covered container that's NOT made out of cardboard, so you can moisten the substrate, and the temperature inside the covered container should be 80-85F degrees day and night. If you don't fix this immediately, the baby is going to die.

Thank you so much Yvonne G. I really appreciate your concern. again thanks for giving me some important advice, i will try my best to fix the indoor enclosure.

 

[tortdad]

Have you read those threads we linked in detail? Got any questions?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Guess we lost that one. (I actually meant the keeper) The best reason for not recommending a Sulcata baby for a newcomer is right here in this thread.

 

[Shourav Mandal]

Guys, Thanks for helping me out, but i still have some problems with my baby Sulcata.
After you guys told me to change his diet and his lighting equipment, I got some new stuffs for my enclosure. I changed my Lights and got a UVB 13 watt light from Exo-TERRA and also got a bulb light, which provides a huge amount of heat for him. After that i checked his enclosure temperature it was about 91 degree Fahrenheit, which i thought is a good temperature. I also got some different kinds of nutritious veggies in his diet and also for extra calcium i got him a calcium block. After a few days i have seen that he has gotten little active, but still he has no appetite and his eyes are still shut tight. Please guys give some advice to improve his heath.

 

[Bee62]

Hi,

I see you changed some things, but your changes are not enough.

1. Your sick baby needs day and night temperature of 91 F, but at night it must be dark, so you have to use a CHE for the night temps.

2. Your sick baby needs long daily soaks in warm water. You should add baby carrot food to the water.
The humidity in the enclosure must be high: Try to reach 80 % but keep the temps high !

3. Cover your enclosure. In your open enclosure ( which is much to small for a tortoise baby ) you can`t keep the warmth and the humidity in .

If you don`t change these 3 important things ASAP your baby tort soon will be dead. There is no more time left.

 

[Eduardo Hernandez]

Guys, Thanks for helping me out, but i still have some problems with my baby Sulcata.
After you guys told me to change his diet and his lighting equipment, I got some new stuffs for my enclosure. I changed my Lights and got a UVB 13 watt light from Exo-TERRA and also got a bulb light, which provides a huge amount of heat for him. After that i checked his enclosure temperature it was about 91 degree Fahrenheit, which i thought is a good temperature. I also got some different kinds of nutritious veggies in his diet and also for extra calcium i got him a calcium block. After a few days i have seen that he has gotten little active, but still he has no appetite and his eyes are still shut tight. Please guys give some advice to improve his heath.

That coiled UVB bulb is not good for them. It has been known to hurt the eyes of tortoises. You either need a MVB or a strip UV light.

 

[teresaf]

For now a large fish tank or plastic tub with lid will work. He should never be exposed to less than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. That means all corners of his enclosure should also be 85 degrees. inside his hide should be 85 degrees, at least. He needs a basking spot of 100 degrees under the light. At night when you turn that off turn on your CHE. Confirm that the CHE is also keeping the entire enclosure at 85 degrees. CHEs are wonderful. They put off heat but no light. You have to wait an hour or so and then check the temperatures because it's a ceramic heat emitter and it takes awhile for the ceramic to get hot. A good temperature/hygrometer that would work would be a digital one or a temp gun. this is the one I use below. I also downloaded a picture of a good food and water dish just sink them into the substrate in your enclosure. They have slanted sides and are shallow so there is no tipping hazard. Also I have downloaded a picture of the Mazuri food that most tortoises like(make sure that you don't get the LS variety). I've downloaded a picture of calcium supplement that you can sprinkle over their food twice a week. Your ceramic heat emitter should be screwed into a socket that is also ceramic like the one in the pic I downloaded. @Yvonne G may be able to help with eye drops suggestion? Hope this helps. Oh, yes the coil bulb has been a blinding hazard in the past to many torts on this forum. We don't recommend them. I would suggest getting rid of that right away. I know it's a lot of work. I got my babies when I wasn't ready also and had to redo my enclosures several times to get it right but now they're healthy boogers at five pounds each...

 

[wellington]

This thread is confusing within itself members. Everyone is giving this person different temps.
80 minimum day and night. But for now because he is sick, keep the temp at 85 day and night until he is better, then you can drop it back down to 80. A basking spot needs to be 95-100. All this is with a humidity of at least 80%. Get rid of all those bulbs and get 2 ceramic heat emitters and one Mercury vapor bulb with UVB or one tube flourescent UVB bulb. The enclosure has to go and be made much bigger. At least a 2x4 foot but larger if you can. A large plastic tote box from Walmart or Home Depot. Cut holes in the lid. Line the rim of the holes with tin foil. Place the ceramic heat emitters and the UVB bulbs over the holes. Use just one ceramic heat emitter to start with and set it on a thermostat and set it at 80. Use orchard bark or coconut four for substrate and set it with warm water. Give your baby a low sided water dish he can fit into and a hide. Soak him in warm water every day. The baby food carrots can be added.
Do not buy a small enclosure. You can't get the temps correct in a small enclosure.
A lot of this should be in the links that were given to you above.

 

[Shourav Mandal]

THANKS FOR HELPING ME OUT!!!!!!!!!

 

[Shourav Mandal]

For now a large fish tank or plastic tub with lid will work. He should never be exposed to less than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. That means all corners of his enclosure should also be 85 degrees. inside his hide should be 85 degrees, at least. He needs a basking spot of 100 degrees under the light. At night when you turn that off turn on your CHE. Confirm that the CHE is also keeping the entire enclosure at 85 degrees. CHEs are wonderful. They put off heat but no light. You have to wait an hour or so and then check the temperatures because it's a ceramic heat emitter and it takes awhile for the ceramic to get hot. A good temperature/hygrometer that would work would be a digital one or a temp gun. this is the one I use below. I also downloaded a picture of a good food and water dish just sink them into the substrate in your enclosure. They have slanted sides and are shallow so there is no tipping hazard. Also I have downloaded a picture of the Mazuri food that most tortoises like(make sure that you don't get the LS variety). I've downloaded a picture of calcium supplement that you can sprinkle over their food twice a week. Your ceramic heat emitter should be screwed into a socket that is also ceramic like the one in the pic I downloaded. @Yvonne G may be able to help with eye drops suggestion? Hope this helps. Oh, yes the coil bulb has been a blinding hazard in the past to many torts on this forum. We don't recommend them. I would suggest getting rid of that right away. I know it's a lot of work. I got my babies when I wasn't ready also and had to redo my enclosures several times to get it right but now they're healthy boogers at five pounds each...

thank you so much for giving me some important advice for making even more better for my tortoise....

 

[Shourav Mandal]

This thread is confusing within itself members. Everyone is giving this person different temps.
80 minimum day and night. But for now because he is sick, keep the temp at 85 day and night until he is better, then you can drop it back down to 80. A basking spot needs to be 95-100. All this is with a humidity of at least 80%. Get rid of all those bulbs and get 2 ceramic heat emitters and one Mercury vapor bulb with UVB or one tube flourescent UVB bulb. The enclosure has to go and be made much bigger. At least a 2x4 foot but larger if you can. A large plastic tote box from Walmart or Home Depot. Cut holes in the lid. Line the rim of the holes with tin foil. Place the ceramic heat emitters and the UVB bulbs over the holes. Use just one ceramic heat emitter to start with and set it on a thermostat and set it at 80. Use orchard bark or coconut four for substrate and set it with warm water. Give your baby a low sided water dish he can fit into and a hide. Soak him in warm water every day. The baby food carrots can be added.
Do not buy a small enclosure. You can't get the temps correct in a small enclosure.
A lot of this should be in the links that were given to you above.

Thank you so much for helping me out....