One of my Tortoises eyes won't open!

saginawhxc

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I know all of this can seem overwhelming right now, but almost every single one of us has been there.

I remember very vividly spending a nice chunk of money setting up my first habitat just to find out everything I did was wrong and having to redo everything.

The advice you are getting here is top notch though and they really will help you do what is best for your tortoise.
 

sibi

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Please don't take this added word of caution as even more doom and gloom. But it's been my experience that heat pads and glass tanks aren't a good match for a tortoise. I once had a heat pad explode the glass in a set up like yours when my tortoise flipped over his water bowl and the water seeped into the substrate and touched that hot area.
I have since used heat "ropes because they are just warm to the touch and not hot and when taped to the underside of a glass tank they can help a damp substrate get and stay warm. Damp substrate is heat conductive. Dry is not.

That happened to me too. One of my terrariums had the bottom glass cracks because the pad was so hot and when cool water hit it, it cracked. That was a $259 tank out the window! Also, the heat pads don't have a thermostat; so, there's no way to regulate temps. Once, even when the glass hadn't cracked yet, the pad had melted the cord nearest to the pad itself, and I got a small jolt when I was trying to adjust the pad. Not safe for you or your tort! Have someone build you an enclosure similar to what Tom and others have built for their babies. It's bigger, better, and can be used for a year or more depending on how fast your baby grows.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Leeann:

I use aquariums in the house and I also use plastic tubs. I have no trouble keeping them warm with only lights or CHEs. I prefer lights because they're cheaper to use. In my experience a CHE uses more electricity. Here's what my Christmas Tree Storage bin made by Iris looks like. It has baby desert tortoises in it:

christmas tree bin-1.jpg Christmas tree bin-2.jpg

The light in the middle is on a 7a to 7p timer and is a Mercury Vapor Bulb (heat and UVB in one bulb). The two lights on either end are black lights on 24/7.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Sorry if the replies come off as too much and too soon.
Once you get things set up and tweaked to work for you, it gets much simpler.
We're all just trying to help you avoid issues and some of the grief that we have encountered in the past.
 

LeeAnn Carpenter

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Can someone attach a picture of the light to buy for a uvb. I only have a petco in my town so if you can find one at pet I that'd be great
 

LeeAnn Carpenter

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Sunlight UVB cannot pass through glass. The only way uvb can be get to your tort is in the open outside. It's probably way too cold to have an open window, and you still have to deal with the glass tank. Please keep that in mind.
Can you attach me a photo of what light I should get to replace my coil UVB
 

Yvonne G

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Can someone attach a picture of the light to buy for a uvb. I only have a petco in my town so if you can find one at pet I that'd be great

This would be what the Mercury Vapor bulb looks like. I like this brand:

mercury vapor bulb.jpg

This is the tube type UVB bulb and it doesn't provide heat. Also, you need a reflector to mount it in:



48-t8-bulb-32-watt-.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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WHY won't it open

There's no way to answer that question. All we can do is tell the OP (original poster) what has worked for us in the past in getting stuck shut eyes open. then we listen to what they tell us about how the tortoise is set up and try to right any wrongs.
 

LeeAnn Carpenter

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That happened to me too. One of my terrariums had the bottom glass cracks because the pad was so hot and when cool water hit it, it cracked. That was a $259 tank out the window! Also, the heat pads don't have a thermostat; so, there's no way to regulate temps. Once, even when the glass hadn't cracked yet, the pad had melted the cord nearest to the pad itself, and I got a small jolt when I was trying to adjust the pad. Not safe for you or your tort! Have someone build you an enclosure similar to what Tom and others have built for their babies. It's bigger, better, and can be used for a year or more depending on how fast your baby grows.
The heat mat is already back at petco and we got a good old CHE bulb in a clamp lamp. The heat is up to 82 and the tortoise is enjoying it! His eye opens now which is good but it is still kind of a little weird. We got the new uvb bulb. If his eye is still not better by Thursday petco will pay to have a vet look at him so we will do that if he isn't better, or maybe even if he is just to be safe
 

sibi

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The heat mat is already back at petco and we got a good old CHE bulb in a clamp lamp. The heat is up to 82 and the tortoise is enjoying it! His eye opens now which is good but it is still kind of a little weird. We got the new uvb bulb. If his eye is still not better by Thursday petco will pay to have a vet look at him so we will do that if he isn't better, or maybe even if he is just to be safe
I really think that with the new bulb, daily soaks, and warm temps, your baby's eye will get better and better day by day. If anything, perhaps an ointment or eye drops will be prescribed for a short period. But, one thing I can assure you, it was that coil bulb that did this. Many members will confirm their own stories of the horror with the coil bulb. It ought to be banned in my opinion.
 
M

Maggie Cummings

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Joe's Mum gave you some very good advice. I'd copy it and keep it handy so you can care for your baby correctly.
I agree with her except for one thing. I don't in anyway believe in CHE's they're dangerous. My family which has had tortoises for close to 40 years have always used black light bulbs. And everything that all the experts on here that will and do disagree with me and they'll tell you scientific things, has never been my experience. But just recently a CHE has killed 2 of my favorite animals. A black lightbulb never killed anything.You can get a black light bulb for $3.49 I have 5 tortoises and 15 box turtles and all have black light bulbs for heat at night. I live in the PNW and don't use the house heater. No one of my animals has ever acted like the bulb bothered them.
I have a young Sulcata in a closed chamber right now and that black bulb keeps a steady 87 degrees. No expensive timer or anything else.
Also if you only have one tortoise, I'm sure you are capable of walking over and turning on and off the light by hand. Don't waste money on a timer. The only timers I use are outside in the tort shed. There's 3 lights and a humidifier out there all on timers.
Be sure to make it humid and keep the soil damp. it will dry on the top, but be moist underneath creating the needed humidity.
 
M

Maggie Cummings

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PS. Heat mats seem to cause plastron problems in the young torts. I use one for large Sulcata but not for the smaller torts.
Oh and for a bit you might soak twice a day, but every morning a warm soak in strained carrots will be a good thing. Then just soak once a day. You soak too much and they poop too much and lose nutrients......
 
M

Maggie Cummings

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Oh my, you need to get rid of that coil bulb. It has been known to cause swelling and temporary blindness in many torts. See if you can return it and get either a uvb tubular bulb or a mercury vapor bulb 100w. The thing with the tube type is that it won't provide heat and you'll need to get another type of bulb to provide that. Also, the tube bulb will need a lamp to put it in. The Mercury Vapor bulb provides both heat and UV, but it's pricey. That's what I think is your baby's problem. It's that bulb! Stop using it and replace it immediately. Also, follow Tom's threads that he provided. It will help you raise your baby healthy and happy.

Please don't say they cause "temporary" blindness, that is not what I have seen or experienced. One yearling Sulcata of mine was blinded totally, another developed eye problems that never went away. Your advice is excellent, but in my experience the blindness is permanent.
 

saginawhxc

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Also if you only have one tortoise, I'm sure you are capable of walking over and turning on and off the light by hand. Don't waste money on a timer.
I think this is a personal decision anyone can make for themselves, but I couldn't read that not point out that everyone is different. I struggle strongly with ADHD and if I didn't use timers I would probably screw everything up all the time.

Heck, I set an alarm when I give soaks. The one time I didn't, I accidentally gave my baby a three hour bath.

So yeah, I love timers. I wouldn't ever set up any kind of enclosure without them. They are cheap (less then $10) and make life so much simpler.
 

Yvonne G

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Please don't say they cause "temporary" blindness, that is not what I have seen or experienced. One yearling Sulcata of mine was blinded totally, another developed eye problems that never went away. Your advice is excellent, but in my experience the blindness is permanent.

Maggie: That's because you had the bad experience with the lights at the very beginning, before we knew any better, and thus you left the light on a lot longer than most. If caught early enough, it's only temporary.
 
M

Maggie Cummings

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I think this is a personal decision anyone can make for themselves, but I couldn't read that not point out that everyone is different. I struggle strongly with ADHD and if I didn't use timers I would probably screw everything up all the time.

Heck, I set an alarm when I give soaks. The one time I didn't, I accidentally gave my baby a three hour bath.

So yeah, I love timers. I wouldn't ever set up any kind of enclosure without them. They are cheap (less then $10) and make life so much simpler.


I never thought about using one for soaking. What a good idea! I left a tortoise in the water overnight once when I was sick. Sure coulda used a timer then.....
 

cmacusa3

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I never thought about using one for soaking. What a good idea! I left a tortoise in the water overnight once when I was sick. Sure coulda used a timer then.....
I've done it too....
 
M

Maggie Cummings

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You people have to stop changing your names, how am I supposed to keep track of the people I like......Nobody says, Hey dumb a** I changed my screen name. Of course you know I do like the 3 part of your name....lol:<3:
 

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