Hatching Sulcata arrived with grey eye- help

margaret3

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Apr 14, 2018
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5
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Oklahoma
Hi!

My name is Margaret. I just got a Sulcata hatchling a couple days ago. Once she arrived I quickly noticed her L eye was grey. I’ve posted a picture of her eye that was taken shortly after she arrived.

53shsw.jpg


She currently is in a Zoo Med tortoise house. The substrate is 50/50 top soil and peat moss. During the day I use the Zoo med 10.0 Reptisun Fluorescent UVB bulb, and the 100W Zoo Med Repti Basking spot lamp. During the night I use the 100 W Zoo med ceramic infrared heater.

Ambient temperature is 85/90 during the day. 75 during the night. The humidity is only 60 on average during the day. But I have a log I soak daily in her dark spot and spray her cage and dark spot twice a day, when she burrows the substrate underneath her is slightly damp throughout the cage. The dark area humidity is around 70, today I am covering the dark spot with like part of shower curtain to increase humidity in there. I soak her daily for 20-30 minutes, and she drinks well during her soaks.

She’s eating well (dandelion greens, baby spring mix, cucumbers, etc.), with calcium sprinkled on every few days (but I’ve only had her since Thursday). Also giving her smooshed turtle chow on top of her greens every other day. She’s moving around a lot and is very active.

But her eye does not seem to be improving. It was like this when we received her- I cannot tell if she’s blind in that eye or not.

Do you think it’s due to dehydration? Congenital? I have a vet appointment but not till this next week.

I just want to make sure I’m taking care of her properly!
I have an outside area for her as well whenever it’s nicer outside.

Thank you!

BTW I named her Trudy
 
Last edited:

Yvonne G

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Trudy's eyeball is not grey, what you're seeing is her eyelid. The eye lid is either stuck shut or she's holding it shut. Because the tortoise arrived in this condition, I would take it back to the seller and trade it for a healthy animal. There's no telling what is wrong with that eye. It might be indicative of a larger problem.

In the meantime, or if you don't want to return the animal, about all you can do (besides making sure the animal is set up in optimal conditions) is put ointment on the eye and hope for the best.

These are the two I use:

eye ointment a.jpg eye ointment b.jpg
 

margaret3

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Apr 14, 2018
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Location (City and/or State)
Oklahoma
Trudy's eyeball is not grey, what you're seeing is her eyelid. The eye lid is either stuck shut or she's holding it shut. Because the tortoise arrived in this condition, I would take it back to the seller and trade it for a healthy animal. There's no telling what is wrong with that eye. It might be indicative of a larger problem.

In the meantime, or if you don't want to return the animal, about all you can do (besides making sure the animal is set up in optimal conditions) is put ointment on the eye and hope for the best.

These are the two I use:

View attachment 235987 View attachment 235988
Thank you so much! I don’t want to return her- i’m going to go get the ointments!
 

Bee62

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Nov 13, 2016
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Hi!

My name is Margaret. I just got a Sulcata hatchling a couple days ago. Once she arrived I quickly noticed her L eye was grey. I’ve posted a picture of her eye that was taken shortly after she arrived.

53shsw.jpg


She currently is in a Zoo Med tortoise house. The substrate is 50/50 top soil and peat moss. During the day I use the Zoo med 10.0 Reptisun Fluorescent UVB bulb, and the 100W Zoo Med Repti Basking spot lamp. During the night I use the 100 W Zoo med ceramic infrared heater.

Ambient temperature is 85/90 during the day. 75 during the night. The humidity is only 60 on average during the day. But I have a log I soak daily in her dark spot and spray her cage and dark spot twice a day, when she burrows the substrate underneath her is slightly damp throughout the cage. The dark area humidity is around 70, today I am covering the dark spot with like part of shower curtain to increase humidity in there. I soak her daily for 20-30 minutes, and she drinks well during her soaks.

She’s eating well (dandelion greens, baby spring mix, cucumbers, etc.), with calcium sprinkled on every few days (but I’ve only had her since Thursday). Also giving her smooshed turtle chow on top of her greens every other day. She’s moving around a lot and is very active.

But her eye does not seem to be improving. It was like this when we received her- I cannot tell if she’s blind in that eye or not.

Do you think it’s due to dehydration? Congenital? I have a vet appointment but not till this next week.

I just want to make sure I’m taking care of her properly!
I have an outside area for her as well whenever it’s nicer outside.

Thank you!

BTW I named her Trudy

Hello Margret, congrats for your baby and welcome to the forum.
Your Trudy is cute.
At first you have asap to bump up your temps. Night temps should never drop below 80 F for a sulcata baby or she will get sick. ( Respiration infect )
Basking spot should be at 103 F. The rest of the enclosure at 85 F at daytime.
For her eye I would try the ointment Yvonne recommended. You can also try during a soak to rub the eye gently with a wet cotton swab. You can pour water over Trudys head to make the eye wet too.
Have you read the threads on the top of the sulcata section of this forum ? There you have the newest and best advices how to keep your little baby.
Come back here with every question you have. We are glad to answer it.
 

teresaf

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Also her temp should never go below 80 in any spot of her enclosure at ANY time. Especially if she's sick. Increase that to 85 if she has a respiratory infection. Basking spot one inch above the surface underneath the lamp is 95-105. No coil bulbs! Ceramic heat emmitter(CHE) at night. Clay pot saucers are best for water. One big enough for her to walk into and self soak. Ramped water dishes are tipping hazards. Your going to go crazy trying to keep humidity and heat in a zoomed. Most here use closed chambers. You can use search bar above to see lots of examples. Basically anything that will trap air in is good. Large plastic tubs for example. Cut a whole to feed wire through top and hang lamp and CHE. Opening it each day to feed her exchanges the air enough. That's just an example. I'll attach a pic of my thermometer/hygrometer. Dial ones are intermittent in high humidity applications.
 

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wellington

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Hello Margret, congrats for your baby and welcome to the forum.
Your Trudy is cute.
At first you have asap to bump up your temps. Night temps should never drop below 80 F for a sulcata baby or she will get sick. ( Respiration infect )
Basking spot should be at 103 F. The rest of the enclosure at 85 F at daytime.
For her eye I would try the ointment Yvonne recommended. You can also try during a soak to rub the eye gently with a wet cotton swab. You can pour water over Trudys head to make the eye wet too.
Have you read the threads on the top of the sulcata section of this forum ? There you have the newest and best advices how to keep your little baby.
Come back here with every question you have. We are glad to answer it.
Basking temps 95-100 is fine. 103 is fine too but doesn't have to be that high.
 

margaret3

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Apr 14, 2018
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Oklahoma
Okay maybe I just am not understanding of tortoise anatomy— but when she shuts her
Trudy's eyeball is not grey, what you're seeing is her eyelid. The eye lid is either stuck shut or she's holding it shut. Because the tortoise arrived in this condition, I would take it back to the seller and trade it for a healthy animal. There's no telling what is wrong with that eye. It might be indicative of a larger problem.

In the meantime, or if you don't want to return the animal, about all you can do (besides making sure the animal is set up in optimal conditions) is put ointment on the eye and hope for the best.

These are the two I use:

View attachment 235987 View attachment 235988
Trudy's eyeball is not grey, what you're seeing is her eyelid. The eye lid is either stuck shut or she's holding it shut. Because the tortoise arrived in this condition, I would take it back to the seller and trade it for a healthy animal. There's no telling what is wrong with that eye. It might be indicative of a larger problem.

In the meantime, or if you don't want to return the animal, about all you can do (besides making sure the animal is set up in optimal conditions) is put ointment on the eye and hope for the best.

These are the two I use:

View attachment 235987 View attachment 235988
v337eu.jpg


I attached another picture because maybe it is because of ignorance of tortoise anatomy on my part, but when she shuts her right I understand it’s a lid but her L eye it doesn’t look like a lid. I can see her eye it’s just grey. But I got the ointments and have soaked her and gotten her eye wet.
 

margaret3

New Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Oklahoma
Hello Margret, congrats for your baby and welcome to the forum.
Your Trudy is cute.
At first you have asap to bump up your temps. Night temps should never drop below 80 F for a sulcata baby or she will get sick. ( Respiration infect )
Basking spot should be at 103 F. The rest of the enclosure at 85 F at daytime.
For her eye I would try the ointment Yvonne recommended. You can also try during a soak to rub the eye gently with a wet cotton swab. You can pour water over Trudys head to make the eye wet too.
Have you read the threads on the top of the sulcata section of this forum ? There you have the newest and best advices how to keep your little baby.
Come back here with every question you have. We are glad to answer it.
Thank you for all the advice! I posted another pic of her L eye in response to Yvonne, because it jsut doesn’t look like the lid of her R eye when she closes that eye. But I’m gonna follow all y’all advice! Thanks for all the help!
 

Bee62

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Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Okay maybe I just am not understanding of tortoise anatomy— but when she shuts her


v337eu.jpg


I attached another picture because maybe it is because of ignorance of tortoise anatomy on my part, but when she shuts her right I understand it’s a lid but her L eye it doesn’t look like a lid. I can see her eye it’s just grey. But I got the ointments and have soaked her and gotten her eye wet.

On this picture the eye looks open but smaller as a normal eye. I would trie the ointments.
Is Trudy active and good eating ?
Please let the night temps never get under 80 F or Trudy can get sick. Please measure where she is sleeping ( in her hide ).
 

margaret3

New Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Oklahoma
On this picture the eye looks open but smaller as a normal eye. I would trie the ointments.
Is Trudy active and good eating ?
Please let the night temps never get under 80 F or Trudy can get sick. Please measure where she is sleeping ( in her hide ).
We have been using the ointments. Her vet appointment is in the morning. It’s just s grey looking eye to me, not a lid.
But She is very very active, and eats a lot!! She loves chewing on her calcium blocks, and walking around her territory.
Her temperature in the hide is right at 80!
Thank you for advice!
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
We have been using the ointments. Her vet appointment is in the morning. It’s just s grey looking eye to me, not a lid.
But She is very very active, and eats a lot!! She loves chewing on her calcium blocks, and walking around her territory.
Her temperature in the hide is right at 80!
Thank you for advice!
Please don`t let the VET give your tort any vitamin shots. They do more harm than good.
Please keep us updated what the VET had said.
 
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