Help preventing an eye infection

LiamJMcIntyre

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Hello, my little horsfield tortoise is having some eye troubles. Today I saw some small bubbles near the top of the eye but were gone a few minutes after. I know this is a clear sign of an eye infection and he has also been rubbing it. Is there anything I can do to stop this getting any worse. I will be doing daily soaks for a week to see if that helps also.
 

Lyn W

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You could try gently dripping a few drops of saline solution that contact lens wearers use over it in case it is something in her eye. I bought a decent size bottle in Tesco for about £2. Always handy for emergencies.
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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You could try gently dripping a few drops of saline solution that contact lens wearers use over it in case it is something in her eye. I bought a decent size bottle in Tesco for about £2. Always handy for emergencies.
Thanks I'll try that as soon as I can. If things don't get better at what staged I take her to a Vet (which unfortunately I can't seem to find a good enough one yet around where I live.)
 

Lyn W

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Thanks I'll try that as soon as I can. If things don't get better at what staged I take her to a Vet (which unfortunately I can't seem to find a good enough one yet around where I live.)
If it's something in the eye then hopefully it should flush out quickly, so if it persists I wouldn't wait too long as you may need some cream or it could be a symptom of something else. Have you done a search to see what the results throw out? I would make sure he is kept warm too just in case.
Where about are you?
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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If it's something in the eye then hopefully it should flush out quickly, so if it persists I wouldn't wait too long as you may need some cream or it could be a symptom of something else. Have you done a search to see what the results throw out? I would make sure he is kept warm too just in case.
Where about are you?

Just had a bit of a scare there, his eye was suddenly very inflamed, swollen and he was scratching frantically. Incase it was because his substrate was too dry I have dampened it immediately. I have washed him and his eyes have gone down but isn't wanting to stay inside his enclosure but thus isn't unusual for him
I am in Newcastle in the Uk
 

Lyn W

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Just had a bit of a scare there, his eye was suddenly very inflamed, swollen and he was scratching frantically. Incase it was because his substrate was too dry I have dampened it immediately. I have washed him and his eyes have gone down but isn't wanting to stay inside his enclosure but thus isn't unusual for him
I am in Newcastle in the Uk
Try the saline asap it is obviously bothering him, Do you have any supermarkets near you most will sell it?
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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Try the saline asap it is obviously bothering him, Do you have any supermarkets near you most will sell it?
He has settled down now he is dry and seems back to himself. His eye is no longer red or leaking. I wonder if he just had something in it and the bath has washed it out.
I use only top soil in the table, could this have causes the problem and if so how do I prevent it If you have any ideas
I have made contact with a vet but I'm not sue how good they are.
 

Lyn W

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Bathe it again with clean water in morning but still use the saline asap in case he has scratched his eye and it gets infected. Keep your own eye on it and if it recurs see the vet - did you do a search to see if it could be a symptom of RI? If you also do a search for eye cream there may be one you can buy in chemist that's suitable. I would always see a vet if any doubt.
Re the topsoil have a look at the caresheet for your tort to see what is recommended. make sure you are feeding on slate or saucers I have a biggish leopard so it may be different.
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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Bathe it again with clean water in morning but still use the saline asap in case he has scratched his eye and it gets infected. Keep your own eye on it and if it recurs see the vet - did you do a search to see if it could be a symptom of RI? If you also do a search for eye cream there may be one you can buy in chemist that's suitable. I would always see a vet if any doubt.
Re the topsoil have a look at the caresheet for your tort to see what is recommended. make sure you are feeding on slate or saucers I have a biggish leopard so it may be different.
I have had a bit of a search and not found anything as similar as it has gone away so quickly. Therefore I don't believe it is a respiratory problem which is a good thing.
I will definitely use the solution tomorrow and bath him at least once. Thanks a lot for your help and j'll post an update tomorrow with hopefully good news
 

Lyn W

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I have had a bit of a search and not found anything as similar as it has gone away so quickly. Therefore I don't believe it is a respiratory problem which is a good thing.
I will definitely use the solution tomorrow and bath him at least once. Thanks a lot for your help and j'll post an update tomorrow with hopefully good news
You only need to drip a very small amount of saline over eye, the tort will blink it in and hopefully all will be well. I have gathered a couple of things for a tort first aid kit for emergencies after reading the search posts which hopefully I won't need to use too often.
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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You only need to drip a very small amount of saline over eye, the tort will blink it in and hopefully all will be well. I have gathered a couple of things for a tort first aid kit for emergencies after reading the search posts which hopefully I won't need to use too often.

I think that will be a precaution I will be taking also
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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Update!

Gave Albert a bath this morning and used the saline solution and everything was back to normal. His eyes cleaned up and there's no bubbles, no redness or inflammation. I will bath him again tonight and tomorrow morning to make sure and keep an extra close eye on him over the next few days
 

johnsonnboswell

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Great! It may have been an irritation. Maybe something in the eye.

What kind of bulb are you using?
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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Great! It may have been an irritation. Maybe something in the eye.

What kind of bulb are you using?

I use the long uv bulb but unfortunately I can't remember the name, the box is packed up in the spare cupboard but I know I definitely got the right one.
And for a basking light I am using the Reptiland infrared heat spot light. I have recently been thinking about changing this because I'm not sure if it's actually as suitable as I though it was.
I so have the 75Watt version for when the weather is Colder as to maintain the correct temperatures.
 

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johnsonnboswell

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Can you show us a picture of the long bulb? Some bulbs cause eye irritation & even blindness. We want to make sure yours is okay.

Colored lights aren't good at all. Better to use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE ) when needed.
 

LiamJMcIntyre

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Can you show us a picture of the long bulb? Some bulbs cause eye irritation & even blindness. We want to make sure yours is okay.

Colored lights aren't good at all. Better to use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE ) when needed.

Is there a particular reason why the coloured bulb is bad? But I will definitely look into changing it once I get down to the shop near mine. What is the difference between a basking light and a CHE?
 

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johnsonnboswell

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Is there a particular reason why the coloured bulb is bad? But I will definitely look into changing it once I get down to the shop near mine. What is the difference between a basking light and a CHE?
Someone else will have to comment on your long bulb, I'm not familiar with those or their UVB output.

Red bulbs confuse the tortoises by changing color of everything. It leads them to eat substrate & not eat some good stuff. They don't need any night lights at all.

CHEs don't emit light, only heat. They aren't always needed. Some people use a thermostat for them. Your tortoise will do well with a nighttime drop in temps, down to 60 is fine.
 
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