Baby sulcata not opening it’s eyes

AZmom23

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Hello everyone! We got 2 baby tortoises about 1 month ago. The person said they were born around February this year. The slightly smaller one has not opened its eyes from day 1. It moves all over its enclosure, eats, drinks & we give them warm bath once a week. The ONLY times this tortoise has ever opened its eyes is when we’ve used a wet q-tip & wiped its eyes gently for a minute. It has not reacted to my fingers in front of its face when it’s eyes are open. It’s eyes are not swollen. The shell is not soft. It’s slow moving which I assume is normal for a tortoise. These are the first tortoises we’ve ever had. I’m hopeful this tortoise was just born blind & not sick since it gets around fine & has survived the last month just fine. Would love any help, advice, or similar problems if anyone has anything. Thanks!

61A52AA6-7316-4FEE-B5B7-75EB39D0F1DB.jpegA59331AB-7B8D-43AD-BD94-40D1DAA037AA.jpegCA2BF8D6-9D7B-4023-A7AB-ABC3FCB9F7ED.jpeg
 

Tom

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They should never live in pairs.

What type of UV bulb are you using?

Are you soaking daily?

Here is the current and correct care info. Most of what is out there is wrong:
 
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AZmom23

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They should never live in pairs.

What type of UV bulb are you using?

Are you soaking daily?

Here is the current and correct care info. Most of what is out there is wrong:

i had not previously read that they should not live in pairs. Why is that?
I am soaking them in a warm bath once a week as that is what I read online (I read several online articles from various sites & they all said almost exactly the same information).
I can’t remember what the UV bulb is called, but again it was the kind recommended by several (5+) articles I read online. The same goes for their other 2 bulbs.
Thanks for replying btw!!
 

Hamiltondood

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i had not previously read that they should not live in pairs. Why is that?
I am soaking them in a warm bath once a week as that is what I read online (I read several online articles from various sites & they all said almost exactly the same information).
I can’t remember what the UV bulb is called, but again it was the kind recommended by several (5+) articles I read online. The same goes for their other 2 bulbs.
Thanks for replying btw!!
once a week is not enough, daily is best
any pictures of the bulbs? the coil bulbs (that are almost always recommended by pet stores) can burn their eyes.
 
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Tom

The Dog Trainer
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i had not previously read that they should not live in pairs. Why is that?
I am soaking them in a warm bath once a week as that is what I read online (I read several online articles from various sites & they all said almost exactly the same information).
I can’t remember what the UV bulb is called, but again it was the kind recommended by several (5+) articles I read online. The same goes for their other 2 bulbs.
Thanks for replying btw!!
They are solitary creatures. Its bad for their health to live as pairs. Low grade long term stress hammers their immune systems. One is dominant and the other submissive and its bad for both of them. Do a search for "pairs" here on the forum and you can read hours of discussion about it.

You've found the usual wrong info. We've been doing it wrong for decades, and most of the tortoise world is still doing it wrong. That is why your baby is failing. The other one is not far behind, Im sorry to say. At 9-10 months old they should be at least 300-400 grams if they were slower growers. Yours are still hatchling size.

Some UV bulbs burn their eyes and should not be used. You need to know what type you have. This is, again, common incorrect info given.

Here is the thing: Even if you start doing everything correctly tomorrow, it might be too late. All you can do is try and hope for the best at this point. If ever you try again, I hope the threads here will help you. The correct care info is in the thread I linked. The other 5+ care sheets or sites you've found are giving you the old, incorrect advice that so many of us followed for years before we knew better.

Your questions are welcome. I've hatched and started hundreds of sulcatas. Mine all thrive. I did it their way for almost two decades. It doesn't work. Here is a thread I did on some recent babies so you can see what I mean:
 

AZmom23

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once a week is not enough, daily is best
any pictures of the bulbs? the coil bulbs (that are almost always recommended by pet stores) can burn their eyes.

I feel so terribly that all the information we’ve read is outdated & harmful to our poor tortoises. We’re going to do our best to help these babies using the information you’ve given. Took pics of their current set up, which I thought was ok from reading. We got this breed because of their size & temperament after some research into different breeds. I read they’d be ok to live outside once they’re bigger & at least 5 years old as long as we created a safe space where they couldn’t burrow out. I’ll take whatever information you’re willing to give. Since they’re desert tortoises, is humidity still much of an issue?

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Hamiltondood

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I feel so terribly that all the information we’ve read is outdated & harmful to our poor tortoises. We’re going to do our best to help these babies using the information you’ve given. Took pics of their current set up, which I thought was ok from reading. We got this breed because of their size & temperament after some research into different breeds. I read they’d be ok to live outside once they’re bigger & at least 5 years old as long as we created a safe space where they couldn’t burrow out. I’ll take whatever information you’re willing to give. Since they’re desert tortoises, is humidity still much of an issue?
humidity is important
you should definitely get a grow tent for them, its only 90-120 dollars for a pretty big grow tent
just flip it on it's side, lay a tarp inside/outside, and hang the lights.
you can also buy an enclosure from @Markw84 :)
best to separate them ASAP
 

AZmom23

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Stokesdale, NC
humidity is important
you should definitely get a grow tent for them, its only 90-120 dollars for a pretty big grow tent
just flip it on it's side, lay a tarp inside/outside, and hang the lights.
you can also buy an enclosure from @Markw84 :)
best to separate them ASAP

were getting everything tomorrow to set up another enclosure so they can be separate. Never heard of a grow tent but I’ll look into that as well. I posted pics of the bulbs in my last post, hopefully those are the correct kinds. Thanks again for your help
 

Hamiltondood

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were getting everything tomorrow to set up another enclosure so they can be separate. Never heard of a grow tent but I’ll look into that as well. I posted pics of the bulbs in my last post, hopefully those are the correct kinds. Thanks again for your help
just saw the pictures. get rid of the coil bulb in the last pictures. it's burning your tortoise's eyes right now, which causes it to not eat.
is the bulb next to your coil/cfl bulb a bulb that provides uvb and heat?
i'd replace it with an incandescent floodlight (65w). because you don't know what bulb it is, i'd replace it anyways.
better to know if the bulb is the correct kind instead of using a harmful bulb w/o knowing..
 

Yossarian

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were getting everything tomorrow to set up another enclosure so they can be separate. Never heard of a grow tent but I’ll look into that as well. I posted pics of the bulbs in my last post, hopefully those are the correct kinds. Thanks again for your help

Grow tents are used for indoor plants, but they function well for torts as well. The key for any enclosure you get is that it needs to be enclosed, to hold in humidity.
 

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