Again? Sore Eyes week after A+ vet visit.

[goodsmeagol]

About a month ago, my Russian started having sore eyes, keeping them closed often not wandering to much, rubbing his eyes with his arms.
After a vet visit, he was diagnosed with an eye ulcer.
2 weeks of Baytril Oral and Tobrex Eye Drops he returned for a follow up.
Vet cleared his eyes as all better.

A week later, he is back at itching his eyes, and is keeping them closed just the same.
Below is a picture of his cage, indoors 6ftx2ft coir50/sand50, kept a little damp.
Under 160w MVB at 30" and Incandescent at 95o
He is feeding but that is all he is interested in doing other then 'sleeping' under his light.

Vet tab: $270 +$90 last week to say he is fine.
I know I gotta do what I gotta do, but I am seriously starting to be tapped out for vet visits.
The vet is familiar with torts, never handled a Russian, but has pictures of him with a Sully and a uhm Leopard maybe. Handles him as if he is familiar, and talks about them the same.
What can I do?!?!
Over-Counter eye drops? New substrate? No UVB?
Please help

 

[Yvonne G]

My first guess is the light is too close to the floor of the habitat. Then my second guess is maybe he's showing an allergic reaction to the substrate. Those are the two things I would change before going back to the vet. Do you have any eye drops left over? Also, try to find the Terramycin Opthalmic Ointment. I think there was some on eBay a while back. Its truly a wonder drug.

 

[terracolson]

I am having the same issue, right now.. I just adjusted my lights yesterday, but my outside Russian was doing the same.....

I agree with the lights, i moved my yesterday and they seemed a little better today.

 

[goodsmeagol]

I am having the same issue, right now.. I just adjusted my lights yesterday, but my outside Russian was doing the same.....

I agree with the lights, i moved my yesterday and they seemed a little better today.

I just had him out now under a bright light, his eyes are a little watery with little bubbles around his left eye.

I will need to get another incan for more heat on that end. Which I can do tomorrow, for now I will raise the lights some, I will try for at least 6" But will just go further up if I can.

He was on the same 50/50 substrate I use in his former home, as far as I am told.
But what are my other options?
Thanks again

 

[terracolson]

I got eye drops from the pharmacy for a sty.. one drop and there eyes are open for the day.

 

[goodsmeagol]

I got eye drops from the pharmacy for a sty.. one drop and there eyes are open for the day.

What kind of drops?

 

[spikethebest]

i use contact lens solution on my tortoise's eyes to disinfect and clean them up. that helps a lot for me. use a que tip and lightly rub the eye with the solution. when one of my tortoises had an eye infection, i would do it hourly, and it cleared up nicely in a couple days.

 

[goodsmeagol]

i use contact lens solution on my tortoise's eyes to disinfect and clean them up. that helps a lot for me. use a que tip and lightly rub the eye with the solution. when one of my tortoises had an eye infection, i would do it hourly, and it cleared up nicely in a couple days.

Contact lens is just a Saline solution I think, thats a good idea, Thanks
Light is now 38" from the highest point my RT can reach.
I dunno how much UVB penetration will reach him for now, but I got Calc+D3
And will have an outdoor play pen for him soon enough.

 

[stells]

Are you using sand... i have had eye issues with some of my Russians in the past when mixing sand in the substrate.... as have plenty of others i have spoken too... taking the sand out worked for me and others...

Its always Russians this seems to happen with too!!!

 

[goodsmeagol]

Are you using sand... i have had eye issues with some of my Russians in the past when mixing sand in the substrate.... as have plenty of others i have spoken too... taking the sand out worked for me and others...

Its always Russians this seems to happen with too!!!

Yeh he is on 50sand/50coir

What is my alternative?
Right now he has substrate 3-10" deep but,
He is not a digger, and sleeps in a single hide 90% of the time.
Can I use something less particle since he does not bury him self?

 

[2Paisan]

Just wanted to chime in. We are newbies so take it with a grain of - you guessed it- sand, but after having our russian develop eye infection and then upper respiratory our vet highly recommended going away from sand/coir and doing soil/coir. That is what we are putting in her new home. Previous owners recommended sand and we think it causes lots of issues for our tort, we think it got right in her eye as we put her back in vivarium after hibernation this year.

 

[goodsmeagol]

Just wanted to chime in. We are newbies so take it with a grain of - you guessed it- sand, but after having our russian develop eye infection and then upper respiratory our vet highly recommended going away from sand/coir and doing soil/coir. That is what we are putting in her new home. Previous owners recommended sand and we think it causes lots of issues for our tort, we think it got right in her eye as we put her back in vivarium after hibernation this year.

Soil should be really easy to get this time of year.
I think it is what I will do.

Top Soil yes? No vermiculite or anything, just plain soil.

 

[terracolson]

I got eye drops from the pharmacy for a sty.. one drop and there eyes are open for the day.

What kind of drops?

Contact saline solution would work..
i got Similason stye eye relief
link:
http://www.similasanusa.com/products-stye-relief.cfm

The ingredients on it vs some other sty eye relief looked better to me.

 

[ChiKat]

Are you using sand... i have had eye issues with some of my Russians in the past when mixing sand in the substrate.... as have plenty of others i have spoken too... taking the sand out worked for me and others...

Its always Russians this seems to happen with too!!!

I used a 50/50 sand coir mix in Nelson's enclosure and it was great for a few months but then the sand started to irritate his eyes (he's a Russian too btw)
At the moment I just have plain coir in his enclosure but I'm mixing it with organic top soil this weekend.
Terramycin is the name of an eye ointment you can purchase at feed stores.

 

[2Paisan]

There is tons of info on substrates in the forum but for the coir/soil mix what we read is just a bag of organic soil...just no vermiculite (some of the pros here say they will eat it), no fertilizer additives.

 

[GBtortoises]

For the longest time I used sand/organic potting soil mix for a substrate, mainly with young tortoises. While I was fortunate to not have any of them develop eye problems I still did not like the fact that the sand would stick to everything that had the slightest bit of moisture in it including their eyes, mouth and food. After really looking at the situation I found no purpose for the sand except that it retains heat well. So do the flat rocks I use in their enclosures. So for me the possible problems with the sand outweighed the usefulness of it. I know use a substrate of 65% organic potting soil, 20% coir and the rest ground up sphagnum moss and leaf litter. It works very well for retaining substrate moisture and is still firm enough to give the tortoises good footing and allow them to burrow into it without it all caving in around them as the substrate did when it had so much sand in it.

 

[2Paisan]

goodsmeagol,

How has this gone? We are trying to figure out what is going on with our Frankie. She had a sore eye. We changed substrate and treated with antibiotic and it has been clear for a month and the same eye is looking sore again this week. I just wanted to know what you found out and if yours improved as we are trying to see what is causing this...

Nancy

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Cypress mulch is the best substrate going I have started adding aspen shaving to it and it holds moisture really well for me, also my small Sulcata was blinded by a compact UVB bulb so those of you that are having eye problems need to change your bulb if it's a compact UVb and get the Terramycin eye ointment like Yvonne sujested. It really is a wonder drug and will clear those eye problems up quickly.

 

[Tom]

I just found this thread. I've got two guesses.

1. Sand. Already been addressed. This is why I don't like it.
2. You said he "sleeps" under the light all day. This is an indicator that its too cold in the rest of his enclosure. Eye problems are a very common sign of a problem in turtles and torts. The 160 watt bulbs are usually a flood lamp. Is this the case? If so 30-38 inches is way too far. I run mine at about 16" for a very large female iguana. How are you measuring that temp? If you think its bulb related switch to a different bulb or a CHE and see what that does after a few days.

Try warming up the whole enclosure or the whole room for a few days and see if that improves things. I'm betting it will. If you've only got one thermometer try getting another for comparison sake. I've had them go bad and read way too low or way too high. I just don't think a 160 watt flood bulb is going to do much for heat from 30" away.

 

[goodsmeagol]

I just found this thread. I've got two guesses.


2. You said he "sleeps" under the light all day. This is an indicator that its too cold in the rest of his enclosure. Eye problems are a very common sign of a problem in turtles and torts. The 160 watt bulbs are usually a flood lamp. Is this the case? If so 30-38 inches is way too far. I run mine at about 16" for a very large female iguana. How are you measuring that temp? If you think its bulb related switch to a different bulb or a CHE and see what that does after a few days.

Try warming up the whole enclosure or the whole room for a few days and see if that improves things. I'm betting it will. If you've only got one thermometer try getting another for comparison sake. I've had them go bad and read way too low or way too high. I just don't think a 160 watt flood bulb is going to do much for heat from 30" away.

Cheers, I am one or two steps ahead of you tho.
You must have missed in a follow up post where I said I raised the lamp so high, I went the day after and got another incan to put closer(no high UVB).
I use 3 digital probe thermos, one dual hygro, 2 are fixed by me burying the wires under the substrate and poking the top 2" out where I want the temp. The third generally hangs or moves around the cage.
Day time lowest is 80ish, and a gradient up to an ambient of 88ish with a basking lhot spot of 95. When I say she leeps, he is normally around the outside edge of the bask spot, probably around 90 surface temp. He also sleeps on the low side of the cage where it is only 85ish.

Update:
I manage food and bev and have worked 3 13 hour days, and will get my first chance to get new substrate tomorrow am, before another 12. Lousy excuse, hard to help it with this being Easter weekend.
But in the mean time, I layered 50% of the cage in pepple tiles that I had around which forces the tort off the substrate in all his favorite roaming paths. And layered the bask with more slate pieces to do the same, and kept the rest of the path ways a little more moist to cut back more dust.
What I could with it being this week end
Tomorrow, I have until 3pm to fix it all up good for him.

I have also ordered Terramycin eye ointment as some have suggested, 4-6 days shipping, ordered 2 days ago.

Taking VOTES!
Coir/Soil ?
50/50?
75/25?
Cypress mulch w/(aspen shaving)?
Other?

I wake up at 9am to start my day, taking votes until then!
WHATS BEST FOR MY DOG(its name)!