My tortoise keeps his eyes closed

[shellytimmy]

Hi all,

I have two 2 year old horsefield tortoises that I’ve had a year now. One of them has flourished, grown really well and the other appears to have grown very little.
At the time I was told the bigger of the two was female and the smaller one male although back then they were the same size.
Recently the male has had one eye closed all the time and now has shut his other eye. He has been eating and going to toilet the same but doesn’t open his eyes. I’m unsure what I can do to help him!

Thanks for reading and for your help

Tracey

 

[TechnoCheese]

Welcome to the forum!
You should never, ever House tortoises in pairs, especially Russians. That could be adding to the problem, and they need to be separated immediately.
We need more info. What’s your basking temp, night temp, and ambient?
What lighting are you using? Are you using a compact bulb?
What is your substrate?
What do you feed?
Could we see pictures of your tortoises and enclosures?
Please give these links a very thorough read-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/
Beginner Mistakes
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Why not to keep 2 tortoises together - a lesson learned the hard way
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...gether---a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way.94114/

 

[shellytimmy]

Welcome to the forum!
You should never, ever House tortoises in pairs, especially Russians. That could be adding to the problem, and they need to be separated immediately.
We need more info. What’s your basking temp, night temp, and ambient?
What lighting are you using? Are you using a compact bulb?
What is your substrate?
What do you feed?
Could we see pictures of your tortoises and enclosures?
Please give these links a very thorough read-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/
Beginner Mistakes
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Why not to keep 2 tortoises together - a lesson learned the hard way
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...gether---a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way.94114/

[emoji17] ok so they are currently in a 3ft vivarium, we are now making new separate housing as I write this after I read your reply this morning... thank you for your advice!

Currently fed on rocket, romaine lettuce, spinach, carrot and strawberries but not too often on the latter two and dandelions when available in our garden! Temperature under the heat lamp is around 30C and at night around 20C depending on the room in the house.
Lighting is a Reptistar UV F18W bulb and the heat lamp is a 25W but will be increased due to them moving to the in-progress separate tortoise tables.
Substrate is a tortoise soil that I buy from the pet shop it’s called Komodo Tortoise Eco Terrain.

Hope this is enough and thank you for your help once again,
Tracey

 

[TechnoCheese]

Keep in mind that you will need a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure for each when they get to be about 3-4 inches, or are adults.
Your diet isn’t the greatest. I would add more variety and cut out the spinach and Romain. Feed weeds from your yard, and if you must use grocery store food, feed mustard greens, collard greens, chard, turnip greens, endive, escarole, carrot tops, and a bunch more that I can’t remember.
Your basking spot temp needs to be 37-40 degrees, and that could be the reason for the closed eyes.
Your substrate needs to be orchid bark, peat moss, cypress mulch, or coco coir. It needs to be able to hold humidity.

 

[shellytimmy]

Thanks again [emoji4] I shall take a revised tortoise food shopping list from now on. Do you think his eyes will improve with the changes I’m now making or would a trip to the vets be the safest bet?
Thanks for letting me join the forum, it’s been a huge help to me [emoji4]

 

[TechnoCheese]

Thanks again [emoji4] I shall take a revised tortoise food shopping list from now on. Do you think his eyes will improve with the changes I’m now making or would a trip to the vets be the safest bet?
Thanks for letting me join the forum, it’s been a huge help to me [emoji4]

Yeah, the forum was a huge help for me too, lol. I basically had to throw away a year and a halves worth of research when I joined!
I think that if the eye problem doesn’t clear up in a month or two, I might consider a vet. However, they often do more harm than good with tortoises.
You could also try some eye drops, which I’ve heard helps. @Yvonne G , what is it called?

 

[shellytimmy]

Yeah I’ll keep checking it and see how it goes. Yeah it’s surprising how much stuff you get told at first and then learn it’s not correct at all! Not to worry I have a better idea now than I did thank you. It would be good to know the name of the eye drops if it’s possible to buy them in the UK too.