Tortoise eye problem

willee638

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I’ve been trying to figure out what species it is , i think it’s a greek tortoise, we’ve had it for almost half a year I think, it doesn’t seem to be eating much so we’ve been trying different greens , it was eating iceberg lettuce but i heard that wasn’t nutritious, we tried rocca and we give it some sweet potato’s occasionally , I live in Jordan and people here don’t have much knowledge about tortoise care , most people i asked say feed it any kind of greens so i really don’t know what to do . Also for the enclosure, we put in a plastic storage container but we don’t have a light currently, there’s a sunny area in my house so we put it there and make sure there’s also an area that’s in the shade and the only time it doesn’t get light is in the night.
Hi, you said it's one eye doesn't open I heard a YouTube tortoise breeder uploaded a video of his rescue tortoise with a similar situation where the tortoise's had one eye completely shut, and he discovered the previous owner didn't soak him much or not long enough so he was able to remedy the problem by soaking it at least twice per day for 15 minutes at a time & it wasn't a medical condition. Have you ever fed it with Mazuri tortoise feeds? I think you have sufficient light from direct natural sunlight but must not be filtered through a glass window and only directly.
 

Zohranas

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I agree. Unless they are specific reptile or tortoise vets you shouldn't take the risk. I live in Pakistan [No reptile vets l know of here!] and gave my previous tortoise who wasn't opening it's eyes to a good, normal vet and with the shots and everything, the vet just gave him an infection and killed my little tortoise :(
I took it to a vet and I think I'm regretting that. She’s been giving it shots and she gave me an eye dropper but today my tortoise isn’t moving much after the shot and I’m scared it’s gonna die?
 

TeamZissou

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Do you know what the shots contained? Often vets give 'vitamin shots' that are little more than a waste of money, and may be harmless.

What drug is in the eye dropper?

Keep in mind that tortoises take a lot longer to get over things than humans do. I don't remember the exact amount, but it can be 3-4x longer.
 

csheikh

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I took it to a vet and I think I'm regretting that. She’s been giving it shots and she gave me an eye dropper but today my tortoise isn’t moving much after the shot and I’m scared it’s gonna die?
Don't worry too much! I hope that 1 shot is fine. Maybe just avoid getting more shots. I had 2, and one survived! Just soak regularly, and wash its face, and l remember dropping some oil on their eyes. Castor or black seed oil l think. I'm not sure if l should've done that but it helped one open it's eyes. If l'm wrong someone please correct me.
 

Zohranas

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Do you know what the shots contained? Often vets give 'vitamin shots' that are little more than a waste of money, and may be harmless.

What drug is in the eye dropper?

Keep in mind that tortoises take a lot longer to get over things than humans do. I don't remember the exact amount, but it can be 3-4x longer.
She said it’s an antibiotic as for the eye dropper I really don’t know for some reason it isn’t written on the bottle?.
 

Zohranas

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Don't worry too much! I hope that 1 shot is fine. Maybe just avoid getting more shots. I had 2, and one survived! Just soak regularly, and wash its face, and l remember dropping some oil on their eyes. Castor or black seed oil l think. I'm not sure if l should've done that but it helped one open it's eyes. If l'm wrong someone please correct me.
We are soaking it but she never acted like this before, she’s really not responsive even when i pick it up , I believe she’s still alive just beverage there are little movements. I went in because of an eye problem but how tf did it turn into this?
 

willee638

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I took it to a vet and I think I'm regretting that. She’s been giving it shots and she gave me an eye dropper but today my tortoise isn’t moving much after the shot and I’m scared it’s gonna die?
That's horrible to hear, yes people don't understand an ordinary vet for mammals isn't the same as a reptilian vet & often prescribed medicines or anti-biotics that are fatal. Actually I learnt many of what we thought are ailments is actually not enough hydration, unclean enclosures, not enough humidity & the wrong foods, if everyone just correct these few things & with a little patients wait a few days they will probably see their tortoises' conditions has improved.
 

csheikh

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Um i think shes dead??? her good eye is open but there hasn’t been movements, I don’t understand was it from the shot that the vet gave her? She was moving normally this morning
Oh no! Can you share a picture of the eye and the tortoise? If her head is completely out and her legs are sticking out, you might want to double check if the is still alive, by flipping her over for a second and seeing if she reacts, or wiggling her side to side. Also, just hydrate hydrate hydrate! Keep on soaking, and put some of her favourite food in front of her, or something new like petunias or rose petals, she might get attracted by that.
 

willee638

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Sorry, this doesn't sound good. I'm afraid your tortoise might have already passed, the eye infection could have been caused by bacteria.
 

csheikh

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The worry is natural, but try to remain calm. Here are some ways to check if your tortoise is hibernating or dead.

One way to check on your tortoise is to simply pick him up. If he retains muscle control, then he is fine. That means even if his head and limbs are still tucked in his shell, he’s got control and he’s just snoozing. But if the tortoise’s legs and head droop and wobble, then the tortoise is likely deceased.

Next, you can poke or gently wiggle his legs. If they are resisting and moving away from you, then your tortoise should be fine. If she doesn’t respond or she feels flaccid and loose when you poke her, she may have passed away.

Another way to tell without disturbing the tortoise is to hold up a feather to the tortoises nose. No, we don’t want you to play tickle time with her. Just watch for any movement in the feather. If the tortoise is breathing, the feather should just barely move. This method works best in a breeze-free area.

Essentially, if your tortoise does not seem to be breathing or he is droopy, floppy, and unresponsive, then your tortoise is most likely dead.


I found this article and hopefully this helps
 

Zohranas

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Jordan
The worry is natural, but try to remain calm. Here are some ways to check if your tortoise is hibernating or dead.

One way to check on your tortoise is to simply pick him up. If he retains muscle control, then he is fine. That means even if his head and limbs are still tucked in his shell, he’s got control and he’s just snoozing. But if the tortoise’s legs and head droop and wobble, then the tortoise is likely deceased.

Next, you can poke or gently wiggle his legs. If they are resisting and moving away from you, then your tortoise should be fine. If she doesn’t respond or she feels flaccid and loose when you poke her, she may have passed away.

Another way to tell without disturbing the tortoise is to hold up a feather to the tortoises nose. No, we don’t want you to play tickle time with her. Just watch for any movement in the feather. If the tortoise is breathing, the feather should just barely move. This method works best in a breeze-free area.

Essentially, if your tortoise does not seem to be breathing or he is droopy, floppy, and unresponsive, then your tortoise is most likely dead.


I found this article and hopefully this helps
Heyy thanks for all your help, we waited a day because we wanted to make sure if she’s dead or not but she’s completely unresponsive , we ended up burying her today? i blame myself taking her to the vet, I should’ve waited but when i saw blood i got scared and acted too quickly . I just lost a new born kitten too this week and I never would’ve expected that I’d lose the tortoise too?
 

willee638

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Sorry to hear of your tragic double lose, it was no fault of yours because most novice tortoise owner would have responded exactly the same way. If there's anyone to blame it must be the vet who tried to treat an animal species that wasn't in his field of expertise....
 

csheikh

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Heyy thanks for all your help, we waited a day because we wanted to make sure if she’s dead or not but she’s completely unresponsive , we ended up burying her today? i blame myself taking her to the vet, I should’ve waited but when i saw blood i got scared and acted too quickly . I just lost a new born kitten too this week and I never would’ve expected that I’d lose the tortoise too?
I'm so very sorry for your loss, losing these cuties is not easy at all, l still cry when l think of my previous tortoise. It is the vets fault for even thinking about doing anything to your tortoise, she could have admitted she is not a reptile vet.
 

Cathie G

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That's why I love my exotic vet so much. He takes care of my rabbit and he's really good. But when I asked him about my tortoise he said no. "I've never done one before." I just respected him even more... the vet should have said no.
 
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