Hey eyes are still closed

[SulcataSquirt]

you know how many times iv had to repeat my self being a member on this forum? its not that big of a deal, 3 days of having a light off isnt long enough to fix your torts eyes, when i had eye problems with my tort, it took all of 2 week to see improvement 3-4 weeks to get better. sorry i didnt read all your post, good luck with your tort.
I would turn the light off and keep using the ointment 3 times a day and dont stop until its better.

Oh and I would personally use Terramycin eye ointment over what your doctor gave you Because Iv seen first had how its works and have suggested it to many people on here with severe tort eye problems and if they just stick to it the eyes get better. Im just trying to tell you what i know works. I know have a sick tort will really make you angry and want the right answers right away, iv been their.

 

[ascott]

Hi...I do not have a sullie....but I did adopt a couple little redfoot tortoise about 4the months ago....the smaller of the two had an issue with the eyes (mostly one but the other was not completely healthy either) like I said it has been near 4the months and she has one really good one now and the other is slowly coming along...she would keep them both closed and would every so often peek with the better one....I had to hand feed her because while every once in awhile she would get lucky and get a piece of food stuck to her face and get it in her mouth...so for about a month I would have to hand feed her, figured it would be beneficial to get food in her to allow her the nutrients and strength she needs...so after that I noticed she would try...so once I felt her trying I backed off of hand feeding....I did stack the food high into a pyramid....set her in front so she could keep the food targeted with her sense of smell...she would reach out and take some bites and the pile would get knocked down and I would push it back up into a high pile again and she would do the strike out for food and actually get it (luck and determination) which I could feel improved her spirit and will....so she was wanting to get her food and her nose would get going and she would try to find her food...I would still have to help her out...but slow improvement....so this went on for about a week or two then I stopped restocking the food everytime and she learned to point her head downward and face plant into the food...once she did this I no longer helped her in any way....and she now knows when the food gets placed in on her same feeding spot and she gets up and comes to the food and hunkers down and will eat just about every last piece....she now will eat nearly a pile that is twice her shell size and as tall as she is......it was and still is a long and slow process....lots of folks will use a variety of eye drops....ointments and so on...I have elected to not use any....I did in the beginning for a few weeks but there was no improvement so I knew it was not eye infection but rather it likely was due to improper lighting...humidity and diet from when they were small (these guys have significant pyramiding and they are only 5-6 inches so I know they were not having their needs met)....so I suppose my suggestion, if you would, is to continue to keep hydration....offer foods rich in vitamin A,K and E. Dim the brightness a bit.....like have the uvb source on for a few hours a day....and keep your heat source going to make sure your temp does not fall below 80-85 and keep your humidity no lower than 60.....and be diligent but also take a breath and be patient...you know...make like a tortoise...patience, pace yourself and enjoy the long haul.....as always, this is me sharing what has worked here.....

 

[Redstrike]

Hi Britt,
Sorry to have plastered you with questions answered elsewhere, just trying to lend a hand. I agree with Sulcatasquirt & ascott, be patient. I do not agree with ditching the veterinary prescribed opthalmic ointment. A licensed vet provided you a treatment based on educated inferences and conclusions, not to mention they saw the tortoise and its symptoms. Unless it was a vitamin A injection, I'd keep rolling with their provided treatment.

ascott's testament above should be very encouraging to you, though it will take loads of patience! I'm so sorry that you have to endure a sick tortoise, it's undoubtedly tough!

 

[ascott]

Oooppps I think because I shared my experience with regards to drops and ointments it may have been misunderstood that I am suggesting going against what a vet has shared and prescribed....not at all.

I just shared that there was no change using an ointment for infections for eyes in the one little Redfoot here....and as a result I elected to not continue using as it did not prove beneficial.


My sharing was hopefully to only provide you with some hope and assurance that some things take a bit to come around....

 

[Redstrike]

My sharing was hopefully to only provide you with some hope and assurance that some things take a bit to come around....

That's all I took from it!

 

[ascott]

 

[Brittany6]

No worries I appreciate everyone! I'm just a little moody
From worry. I noticed today he she'll is even more soft. If you lightly press above her tail. Her entire shell moves and is paper thin :-( I'm keeping up on the baby food with calcium soaks and going to buy some Bird bits to soak in the water with her, I'v just been so worried. I hope she's ok. She slowed down the moving today. Stayed in her humid hide all day and night. :-/ thanks for all the advice!

 

[Zamric]

Bird Bits? What is that? Never heard of it.

 

[Brittany6]

Auto correct.. Bird Vits

 

[Yvonne G]

Brittany: Make sure that the baby is also getting UVB from either the sun or a good UVB light. Otherwise the calcium won't work.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Brittany, I am sorry if you get irritated by repeated questions about your baby but people like me come on every few days and I personally surf the threads and only read the ones I think I can answer. So I haven't read all the threads you have out there, I have only read this one. So then I ask questions you've answered in another thread. On the other hand, I get tired of answering the same question time after time, that's why I surf the threads and pick and chose what I will rely to. I had no idea you had talked about the bulb on another thread, of if I did, I had forgotten. There are 10 thousand members now and replying to 10 thousand threads gets to be a bit much.

But I am going to stick my neck out now and say I think your baby is getting sicker. The soft shell tells me that. If she were mine I would be giving her babyfood soaks. I will apologize if you have been told this already but...take a half a jar of strained carrots and mix it with enough water to come up to her bridge. Use a small container so you don't have to use a lot of babyfood. So you mix the stuff up to her bridge and put a light over her and let her soak for about an hour. This is in addition to what Angela told you. This is just for her soaks and do it everyday for an hour with the light to keep her warm.

Also I would take her back to the Vet and show him how soft her carapace is because that's a pretty serious thing.

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you know how many times iv had to repeat my self being a member on this forum? its not that big of a deal, 3 days of having a light off isnt long enough to fix your torts eyes, when i had eye problems with my tort, it took all of 2 week to see improvement 3-4 weeks to get better. sorry i didnt read all your post, good luck with your tort.
I would turn the light off and keep using the ointment 3 times a day and dont stop until its better.

I so totally agree with you on this...

Brittany I see you have already been told about the baby food soaks, so please forgot any of what I told you about them as I didn't read that first time around. See how that works? I read too fast and missed that and I still don't know what fruit juice sprays are...

 

[Brittany6]

I appreciate the opinions and I understand you don't read every thread but I answered the light question in THIS THREAD if your read through this thread you would also see I HAVE been soaking her in baby food. What annoys me
(as I also cleared up in this thread) is that people respond but do not read through everyone's responses so I repeat everything over and over in THE SAME thread. Thanks for your advice. I am doing all of this. As for the vet, I'm not sure I can afford to bring her back. If she stops being active I probably will scrounge up the money. Thanks again

Brittany