Help please (eyes closed)

[Younes]

Hello I've now had my tortoises for about 1 year, as I noticed pyramiding about 10 months ago I tried to make everything as best as possible. It went good for about a year and now 1 of my older tortoises has died and my smaller ones don't want to open their eyes. Will someone please help me I don't want to lose one again. I feel so bad right now about that choice I made a year ago. I feel like a stupid person can someone please make a small summary of all the things a turtle needs for a healthy life for a Testudo tortoise, please. It's okay for you to think that I was naïve selfish person only looking to please myself.

 

[T33's Torts]

RE: Help please

What type of tort do you have? Can you describe your set up? What temps do you have them at? How big is the tort?

 

[Jacqui]

RE: Help please

Hey stop beating yourself up. We all have made poor choices at some time. What counts is your trying. Just answer the questions Tif asked you and we can get down to helping you the best we can.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Help please

Most of the testudo require pretty large enclosures. And the main mistake new keepers make is not keeping the enclosure warm enough.

Tortoises have to be able to sit someplace under some sort of heat in order to warm up their inner core. Unless they can do that, their food won't digest...so if they're too cool, they won't eat.

Find some sort of small bin or tub with tall sides that the tortoises can't climb out of, and put in enough warm water to come up to the middle of the tortoises' sides - where the top shell meets the bottom shell. Let the tortoises soak in this warm water for about 15 minutes. You can position a light over a portion of the tub to keep it a bit warm.

While the tortoises are soaking, prepare their food. It's ok to use store-bought greens, but not strictly lettuce. If you can find edible weeds outside, you can clean them and add it to the store-bought greens.

If soaking has caused the tortoises eyes to open, then place them in front of the food and quickly step out of their sight.

Good luck with your tortoises. Please keep us informed. If the warm soaks and higher heat in the habitat don't work, then you'll have to find a tortoise vet and take them to the vet.

 

[Younes]

RE: Help please

Type: Testudo (probably Testudo Graeca but not sure)

Set up: Eco Earth I spray it every 2/3 days to keep it humid, different size stones for climbing, I have a shallow water basket, I clean the water every 2/3 days, I put some extra calcium on there food somtimes

Temp. : 86 f. / 30 C under lamp, 70 f / 20 C cold spots, I have a UV light

Size: 11 cm and 8 cm

 

[juli11]

Hi, normally closed eyes are a sign for to low humidity. But by testudo it isn't humidity normally. But please tell us your enclosure temperature etc maybe you've got a humidity problem :-D but what I use when my tortoise have problems with their eyes is this cream
I don't know if you can buy it in the US...
It is a eyes and nose cream.

 

[Saleama]

Just took some to the vet last week. Closed eyes can mean a bunch of things. Vitamin A deficiency and RI are possibilities. Up your temps and get some vitamins and take him to a vet that handles torts.

 

[Younes]

Hi, normally closed eyes are a sign for to low humidity. But by testudo it isn't humidity normally. But please tell us your enclosure temperature etc maybe you've got a humidity problem :-D but what I use when my tortoise have problems with their eyes is this cream
I don't know if you can buy it in the US...
It is a eyes and nose cream.

I edited the original post.

---

Just took some to the vet last week. Closed eyes can mean a bunch of things. Vitamin A deficiency and RI are possibilities. Up your temps and get some vitamins and take him to a vet that handles torts.

What's the best way to get vitamin A.

 

[juli11]

What do you mean with edited?

 

[Younes]

What do you mean with edited?

Sorry it wouldn't let me:

Temp. : 86 f. / 30 C under lamp, 70 f / 20 C cold spots, I have a UV light

 

[juli11]

Ok that's good temperatures for this moment. I think it is to dry. Is your substrate a little bit wet? Or is it totally dry? What do you use as substrate?

 

[Younes]

Ok that's good temperatures for this moment. I think it is to dry. Is your substrate a little bit wet? Or is it totally dry? What do you use as substrate?

eco-earth + soft wood shards, I moisture them every few days, not too much because else molds will apear.

 

[juli11]

Ok. Can you share pictures of the torts and the enclosure?

 

[Younes]

Ok. Can you share pictures of the torts and the enclosure?

It's two of these, about 0,7 square meters. I couldn't get a picture of the tortoise, they're sleeping, 2 out of 4 have their eyes closed (the young ones).

 

[juli11]

Ok good. It looks dark but that because of the time isn't it? Please share tomorrow pics of the closed eyes.

 

[Younes]

Ok good. It looks dark but that because of the time isn't it? Please share tomorrow pics of the closed eyes.

Yes it is night time here so I turned of the lights tomorrow I will check if the eyes are still closed, if they are I will send a picture.

 

[juli11]

Ok good lets hope that you don't need to share a pic :-D

 

[T33's Torts]

Re: RE: Help please

Type: Testudo (probably Testudo Graeca but not sure)

Set up: Eco Earth I spray it every 2/3 days to keep it humid, different size stones for climbing, I have a shallow water basket, I clean the water every 2/3 days, I put some extra calcium on there food somtimes

Temp. : 86 f. / 30 C under lamp, 70 f / 20 C cold spots, I have a UV light

Size: 11 cm and 8 cm

Bump your temps. 92° under the lamp, 85° should be the LOWEST temp in there. At night it should be 72°... at the LOWEST.

Humid and cold= RI, BAD
Humid and hot= Good.
Hot and dry= okay-ish
Cold and dry= bad.

 

[Younes]

Hey I bumped up the temperature, I bathed them and they slowly started opening their eyes, but they still refuse to eat.

---

Most of the testudo require pretty large enclosures. And the main mistake new keepers make is not keeping the enclosure warm enough.

Tortoises have to be able to sit someplace under some sort of heat in order to warm up their inner core. Unless they can do that, their food won't digest...so if they're too cool, they won't eat.

Find some sort of small bin or tub with tall sides that the tortoises can't climb out of, and put in enough warm water to come up to the middle of the tortoises' sides - where the top shell meets the bottom shell. Let the tortoises soak in this warm water for about 15 minutes. You can position a light over a portion of the tub to keep it a bit warm.

While the tortoises are soaking, prepare their food. It's ok to use store-bought greens, but not strictly lettuce. If you can find edible weeds outside, you can clean them and add it to the store-bought greens.

If soaking has caused the tortoises eyes to open, then place them in front of the food and quickly step out of their sight.

Good luck with your tortoises. Please keep us informed. If the warm soaks and higher heat in the habitat don't work, then you'll have to find a tortoise vet and take them to the vet.

Sorry I overlooked this comment, 1 has now opened his eyes, 1 still hasn't opened them. If I sent a picture can you identify if this is a infection?