IMMEDIATE HELP!! SWOLLEN EYES!

Status
Not open for further replies.

megzy740

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
3
Hello I am in desperate need of your help! My baby tortoise has swollen eyes. For about a week he has been itching them and scratching them They've looked a bit red but nothing too severe but today they are really swollen, red and watery. He has also been struggling to open his eyes quite a bit. He will keep them closed as much as possible even when roaming around.

Temps and humidity seem fine. Substrate is coco coir, for a while I was giving him regular baths because he buries himself and I thought it was just substrate in his eyes or something. They live indoors at the moment due to English weather so he couldn't have picked anything up from outside. He does share a home but they never fight or are aggressive.
PLEASE HELP!! any advise would be amazing. Here is some photos but quality is not great I am afraid, to be honest you cant really tell how bad it is, but any advise would be really helpful!
 

Attachments

  • Image13.JPG
    Image13.JPG
    11.9 KB · Views: 131

graciebea

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2013
Messages
25
If I were you I'd call the vet and get an appointment as soon as you can, swollen eyes indicates an infection of some sort, but it's also a sign of vitamin A deficiency. It's probably easily treated, but to be on the safe side I'd call the vet.
Hope he/she recovers!
Gracie:)
 

Sulcata_Sandy

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
1,579
Location (City and/or State)
Pacific NorthWET
luvpetz27 said:
What kind of bulb are you using? It's not coil is it?

I was going to ask the same question. Without nasal discharge or any other symptoms, it sure sounds like ultraviolet keratitis...a sun burn of the cornea. Those coil bulbs are wrong for tortoises (unsure about other reptiles, but I do know that our reptile DVM at work refuses to use them with his lizards).

Have him seen by a qualified veterinarian, verify his illness and if it is keratitis, he/she will probably Rx artificial tears and/or ophthalmic antibiotics for him. Both with relieve his discomfort, probably burny and itchy!!! Ack!!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
...and if you ARE using one of the coiled bulbs, please let us know what brand it is because one of our members is doing a study on them.
 

sibi

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
6,486
Location (City and/or State)
Florida, USA
Hi, whatever eye problem it is, expect eating habits to change a bit. Torts generally don't eat if they can't see or are unable to open his eye(s). If you are using a uvb bulb that's not a coil, how far is the bulb from the tort? If it's too close, that too can cause damage to the corneas of the eyes. When the eye issue is resolved, everything should return back to normal. Keep us posted.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Keeping Testudo in pairs can be very stressful for them. This stress can hamper their immune system in the long term. If this problem is not due to a coil bulb, my next guess would be long term stress. Can you separate them and see if things get better. Almost always people want to move the sick one to the new enclosure, but that adds even MORE stress. I suggest that the healthier of the two be moved to the new enclosure.
 

megzy740

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
3
Hi all, Sorry for not getting back to you all sooner, I have the app on my phone so I read all your replies but could not reply.

A MASSIVE thank you for all the help, I never thought it could be the bulb we were using. It was not a coil bulb and I can't remember which it was. (An exoterra something, wish I had not thrown away the box now).
My tiny tortoise is looking so much better, we took the bulb out and put in temporary heat matt wrapped in towel so they would not get too cold, maybe less than 2 days later (we ordered a new bulb, awaiting arrival!) his eyes are no longer red. He isn't itching them at all and although they are still a touch swollen its no where near as bad as it was. He is definitely on the road to recovering!
I changed nothing but the lighting in their home so it was definitely the bull.

THANKYOU SO MUCH! I am going to keep a close eye on him and maybe still do a vet trip on Saturday.
 

mikeh

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Messages
1,050
Re: RE: IMMEDIATE HELP!! SWOLLEN EYES!

megzy740 said:
Hi all, Sorry for not getting back to you all sooner, I have the app on my phone so I read all your replies but could not reply.

A MASSIVE thank you for all the help, I never thought it could be the bulb we were using. It was not a coil bulb and I can't remember which it was. (An exoterra something, wish I had not thrown away the box now).
My tiny tortoise is looking so much better, we took the bulb out and put in temporary heat matt wrapped in towel so they would not get too cold, maybe less than 2 days later (we ordered a new bulb, awaiting arrival!) his eyes are no longer red. He isn't itching them at all and although they are still a touch swollen its no where near as bad as it was. He is definitely on the road to recovering!
I changed nothing but the lighting in their home so it was definitely the bull.

THANKYOU SO MUCH! I am going to keep a close eye on him and maybe still do a vet trip on Saturday.

Glad to hear his eyes are doing better, I am little confused about the heat matt temporarily substituting the UVB bulb. What were you using for heat before the heat matt???

sent from mobile device using TFO app
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top