Greetings

[Animalman87]

Greetings, my name is Scott and I just joined this forum. I have two bay cherryhead redfoot tortoises. One is older than the other, I think they are both under a year old but not sure. One problem I am having is eye issues. My one tortoise has a cloudy eye and sometimes has difficulties opening. My other tortoise is also having eye problems, no clouding, just not open all the way. Some days seem better than others, soaking seems to help but not always. I am using Zoomed Turtle Eye Drops and Vetericyn opthalmic gel. I am worried about vitamin C deficiency. However, BOTH tortoise are eating very well The eyes one my younger one seem kinda crusty but not excessive, no swelling and no obvious discharge. I know that humidity could be an issue but I'm not sure what else to do. I thought I had it humid enough, I have on the bottom of the tank Zilla Jungle Mix, on top of that I have ZooMed Reptibark and on top pf that some sphagnum moss, may need to add more moss though. I am fairly new to these tortoises. Any suggestions? I do want to take them to the vet as well but i also wanted to reach out to other people who also actually have cared for RFT's before. I appreciate any advice.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Scott, and welcome to the Forum!

Your tortoises' substrate isn't wet enough. Pour a whole pitcher of water over the substrate then mix it all up with your hand. Then cover or partially cover the habitat to keep the warm, moist air inside.

What kind of UVB light are you using? If it is the CFL spiral bulb, get rid of it immediately. And we would like to know which brand it is for a study that is being done about the bulbs. Those spiral bulbs concentrate harmful rays out the end of the bulb and cause a painful condition similar to snow blindness. The eyes soon start healing back to normal once the light is removed.

 

[peasinapod]

It would also help to know how close the UV bulb is to your tortoise, even anon-coil type bulb can cause problems if it is too close.

 

[Animalman87]

Thank you, I am not using the CFL but i am using the Zilla Slimline dual fixture (two bulbs 24") desert series 14W T5. They are 18" from the bottom of the tank. I will try using the pitcher technique as well.

 

[Yvonne G]

That might be too much UV for the redfooted tortoises. They don't need much. Take out one of the bulbs and see if that plus more water in the substrate does the trick.

 

[Animalman87]

Ok, thank you, I took one of the bulbs out and I also added more water to the substrate and added a whole bunch more sphagnum moss. Do you suggest or swear by any other substrate? Also,for a heat bulb I am using a Zilla Mini Infrared Halogen Bulb, either 15W or 25W. Would you maybe suggest using a ceramic heat emitter instead? I heard that these work better for enclosures in which humidity levels need to be higher. Sorry about all the questions, just want to be sure I am doing the right thing.