Kaseybrunot
New Member
I was given two baby Sulcata tortoises in October 2018. I received them from a girl who said that her uncle is a breeder, and she gave me some very poor advice in caring for them.. I have watched various videos, and read various care guides, and have cared for them to the best of my knowledge.
They are in an open lid large concrete mixing bin, their substrate is a mix of coco coir and cypress mulch, they have a large hide which they love, which has a wet piece of sphagnum moss inside. I spray the enclosure at least once a day, but it admittedly does lose humidity due to it being an open top. They previously had two moonlight bulbs (one 100W and one 150W on a dial about halfway turned up) with no light or UVB bulb. I read that if you take them outside in the sun, they would not need a UVB bulb and I decided to do this instead since it was less expensive. However, I found that it was difficult for me to get them out as often as I would like so this past week I bought them a 100W murcury vapor bulb. It’s cutrently on a timer, along with the 150W moonlight bulb (the dial 75% turned up). The bulbs switch at 8PM and 7:30AM. I have read that coil UVB bulbs can hurt their eyes and cause blindness, so I avoided this type. Is it possible that the adjustment to the UVB caused the swelling of their eyes? The temps range from about 88-75 during the day, and about 75-82 at night, which I check with a radar thermometer gun. I feed them storebought greens, such as spring mix, collard greens, mustard greens, and chard. I soak them every few days and scrub their shells with a soft bristled toothbrush.
I picked them up today to soak them and noticed that their eyes were swollen shut. I soaked them immediately and their eyes have opened up, but ones left eye is still a bit swollen. I read to soak them with warm water and carrot flavored baby food, so I will do that in the next hour. They are currently eating and are pretty active, but I am still scared.
I understand that I am not an expert, and that many of you are. Please do not tell me to just go read a care guide, I have done that, and have seen many differing opinions and have cared for my babies with the advice of many care guides. If there is something I am doing wrong, please tell me what it is and how I can fix it. Is thereanything that I can do differently to help their eyes open up and prevent this from happening again? I just want to provide the best care for my babies as possible.
Thank you so much for your help
They are in an open lid large concrete mixing bin, their substrate is a mix of coco coir and cypress mulch, they have a large hide which they love, which has a wet piece of sphagnum moss inside. I spray the enclosure at least once a day, but it admittedly does lose humidity due to it being an open top. They previously had two moonlight bulbs (one 100W and one 150W on a dial about halfway turned up) with no light or UVB bulb. I read that if you take them outside in the sun, they would not need a UVB bulb and I decided to do this instead since it was less expensive. However, I found that it was difficult for me to get them out as often as I would like so this past week I bought them a 100W murcury vapor bulb. It’s cutrently on a timer, along with the 150W moonlight bulb (the dial 75% turned up). The bulbs switch at 8PM and 7:30AM. I have read that coil UVB bulbs can hurt their eyes and cause blindness, so I avoided this type. Is it possible that the adjustment to the UVB caused the swelling of their eyes? The temps range from about 88-75 during the day, and about 75-82 at night, which I check with a radar thermometer gun. I feed them storebought greens, such as spring mix, collard greens, mustard greens, and chard. I soak them every few days and scrub their shells with a soft bristled toothbrush.
I picked them up today to soak them and noticed that their eyes were swollen shut. I soaked them immediately and their eyes have opened up, but ones left eye is still a bit swollen. I read to soak them with warm water and carrot flavored baby food, so I will do that in the next hour. They are currently eating and are pretty active, but I am still scared.
I understand that I am not an expert, and that many of you are. Please do not tell me to just go read a care guide, I have done that, and have seen many differing opinions and have cared for my babies with the advice of many care guides. If there is something I am doing wrong, please tell me what it is and how I can fix it. Is thereanything that I can do differently to help their eyes open up and prevent this from happening again? I just want to provide the best care for my babies as possible.
Thank you so much for your help