Puffy eyes are a common complaint in chelonian husbandry, and a potentially very dangerous condition. Because they can be due to a variety of factors, I'd like to run this short poll to find out what the most common causes appear to be in the experience of people here Tortoise Forum.
If you have or have ever had a tortoise, box turtle, or aquatic turtle with puffy eyes, please respond to the poll attached to this thread by checking off the reason or reasons it had them (you can select more than one option if you wish). Hopefully, we'll be able to figure out the most common reasons, and we'll be able to advise people with questions about this health concern more quickly and easily.
I'll start. Years ago, I had a three-toed box turtle who, on three separate occasions, had puffy eyes due to dryness, hypovitaminosis A, and a co-morbid upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) ... yeah, I knew next to nothing about chelonian husbandry back then. Last year, the male Russian tortoise I have now had puffy eyes due to hypovitaminosis A and a co-morbid URTI. I did have a problem with harsh lighting this past winter, but that only prompted my Russians to hide, and did not lead to puffy eyes. So, in my personal experience, I've seen three contributors to puffy eyes. How about you guys?
If you have or have ever had a tortoise, box turtle, or aquatic turtle with puffy eyes, please respond to the poll attached to this thread by checking off the reason or reasons it had them (you can select more than one option if you wish). Hopefully, we'll be able to figure out the most common reasons, and we'll be able to advise people with questions about this health concern more quickly and easily.
I'll start. Years ago, I had a three-toed box turtle who, on three separate occasions, had puffy eyes due to dryness, hypovitaminosis A, and a co-morbid upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) ... yeah, I knew next to nothing about chelonian husbandry back then. Last year, the male Russian tortoise I have now had puffy eyes due to hypovitaminosis A and a co-morbid URTI. I did have a problem with harsh lighting this past winter, but that only prompted my Russians to hide, and did not lead to puffy eyes. So, in my personal experience, I've seen three contributors to puffy eyes. How about you guys?