Puffy Eyes and Lethargy

Megankgr

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Feb 1, 2015
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My little Otis is a year and a half old has had some health issues these past couple months. He (best guess but no confirmation) had a prolapse mid December. We brought him to the vet where they repaired the prolapse with a stitch and gave him an antibiotic injection. He passed a stone later that week and seemed to be on the road to recovery. But early in January I noticed that his eyes were looking a little puffy. After doing some research, we started giving him a baby carrot once a day (which he thoroughly enjoys) but it doesn't seem to be helping. I also read about how the coil lights can burn torts eyes so I turned that off too but I haven't seen any change. If it is the light, how long would it take to see an improvement? He's also been sleeping alot (usually under his heat lamp) and eating less than normal. Other than that he has none of the classic symptoms of a URI, no bubbles in the nose or mouth, no discharge. I included a picture of him sleeping where you can really tell how puffy his eyes are. When he's soaking he opens them more. I also included a couple pictures of his enclosure in case anything in there is relevant.Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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phebe121

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I'm not sure but maybe the substrate is bothering him as well glade u got rid of the coil light try coconut coir and some more hides good luck maybe someone with more experience will help
 

Megankgr

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Thank you for your reply! I actually had a combination of coconut coir, that sphagnum moss stuff, and reptibark and I thought that might be bothering his eyes (because it was kindof dry and I thought it might be dusty), which is why I switched to the topsoil/sand mix.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

The spiral-shaped bulb is one of the first things we think of when it comes to swollen shut eyes. The next would be vitamin A deficiency. This usually happens because of some other problem making the tortoise stop eating. When they stop eating, the vitamin A is the first thing that shows up. Soaking in the carrot or squash baby food will help the deficiency, however, you must find out why the tortoise stopped eating or it will come right back.

The main cause for a tortoise to stop eating is he's not warm enough. So please show us a picture of your habitat and tell us the temperature all over the floor of the habitat.
 

Megankgr

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Hi Yvonne, thanks! I included a picture of his habitat in my original post (does it not show up?), his basking spot is about 90F and we keep the house around 73F so the rest of his enclosure is between those two temps. He's been eating less but hasn't stopped eating all together, if i bring him fresh dandelion and clover and place it near him he gobbles that right up and he's munching on a baby carrot now.
 

Yvonne G

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I think you will notice a big improvement if you get another heat source, a CHE would do (ceramic heat emitter) and put it at the opposite end of the habitat. 73F isn't warm enough. (I didn't pay attention to the pictures first go round, sorry). Your light are up too high and can't warm the whole enclosure, so a CHE would help heat the rest of it up. What would really really help is to cover that open-top table to keep the heat in.
 

Megankgr

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Thanks so much for your advice! I have an additional heat lamp fixture that I will set up at the other end for now. I think once I have the funds I will build up the sides of his enclosure to keep more heat in. I also intend to get a mercury vapor lamp to replace the dual dome fixture I have now, but I have no idea what strength to get, or what fixture to put with it. I'm so glad I joined this forum, so much information to soak up! I'm just hoping my little Otis' eyes improve with a warmer habitat and some vitA
 

Yvonne G

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I've never ever used anything stronger than a 100 watt MVB. It does the job just fine. I think with that light and covering or partially covering the tort table, he'll perk right up.
 
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