Questions (misting and swollen eye)

[TaylorTortoise]

Is misting your tortoise/ tank for moisture recommended? To help with dry skin, humidity in the area of enclosure?
Also, my tortoise seems to rub his face/eyes a lot. His one eye seems puffy (or as if it’s dried dead skin where surface of skin and eyelid meet) but they both are very clear and can open/close both. He is very active and healthy otherwise and I keep his basking/ heat light on in the morning until it starts to get dark.

 

[Yoyotort]

Hi! I’m a relatively new tortoise owner, about a year and a half, but my Russian tortoise had a swollen eye a while back and I was recommended zoo med turtle eye drops! They are completely safe and work wonders. I used one drop a day per eye and it was healed in a few days. Also with misting from what I’ve seen that is alright I do the same thing! Personally I use filtered water and make sure you use a mister that has never been used with chemicals and has been well cleaned!

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Hi! I’m a relatively new tortoise owner, about a year and a half, but my Russian tortoise had a swollen eye a while back and I was recommended zoo med turtle eye drops! They are completely safe and work wonders. I used one drop a day per eye and it was healed in a few days. Also with misting from what I’ve seen that is alright I do the same thing! Personally I use filtered water and make sure you use a mister that has never been used with chemicals and has been well cleaned!

Thanks so much for your response.
So do you mist as well with your tort?

 

[Yoyotort]

Thanks so much for your response.
So do you mist as well with your tort?

I mist his substrate daily and I sometimes mist my tort if I haven’t soaked him as much as normal. Diet and soaking frequently should definitely keep him hydrated but as far as I know as long as the water and mister is clean and has no chemicals or anything in it it will do no harm!

 

[jeneliza]

I use to mist my redfoot, I now use a fogger by zoo med, once a day, it's on a timmer, so if forget to run it , it will turn on at night, I run it on low, it will last till the day lights come on, I think it depends on the breed of tortoise you have, mine is a forest breed so she needs lots of humity, I keep my humity level at 70- 80 percent,

 

[TaylorTortoise]

I mist his substrate daily and I sometimes mist my tort if I haven’t soaked him as much as normal. Diet and soaking frequently should definitely keep him hydrated but as far as I know as long as the water and mister is clean and has no chemicals or anything in it it will do no harm!

Great news! Prior to the zoo med eye drops, how did you apply the drops to your torts eye/s?

 

[Tom]

Is misting your tortoise/ tank for moisture recommended? To help with dry skin, humidity in the area of enclosure?
Also, my tortoise seems to rub his face/eyes a lot. His one eye seems puffy (or as if it’s dried dead skin where surface of skin and eyelid meet) but they both are very clear and can open/close both. He is very active and healthy otherwise and I keep his basking/ heat light on in the morning until it starts to get dark.

What species and size tortoise are we talking about?

What type of substrate have you got? Is it dry?

What type of UV bulb are you using?

All tortoises need at least some humidity, and our indoor enclosures tend to be too dry. Misting doesn't do much. They really need a deep layer of damp substrate, and it helps to at least partially cover the top to hole in heat and humidity.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

What species and size tortoise are we talking about?

What type of substrate have you got? Is it dry?

What type of UV bulb are you using?

All tortoises need at least some humidity, and our indoor enclosures tend to be too dry. Misting doesn't do much. They really need a deep layer of damp substrate, and it helps to at least partially cover the top to hole in heat and humidity.

I have a russian tortoise. He is about 3.4-5 inches. Not quite 4 inches yet.
I’m using repti bark from the petstore.
And Im also using a UVA/heating lamp 60w

What species and size tortoise are we talking about?

What type of substrate have you got? Is it dry?

What type of UV bulb are you using?

All tortoises need at least some humidity, and our indoor enclosures tend to be too dry. Misting doesn't do much. They really need a deep layer of damp substrate, and it helps to at least partially cover the top to hole in heat and humidity.

I have a russian tortoise. He is about 3.4-5 inches. Not quite 4 inches yet.
I’m using repti bark from the petstore. (Wasn’t sure to mix that with something else that wouldnt get moldy)
And Im also using a UVA/heating lamp 60w (daytime blue heat bulb brand) for multiple reptiles including hermit crabs at the moment

 

[Tom]

I have a russian tortoise. He is about 3.4-5 inches. Not quite 4 inches yet.
I’m using repti bark from the petstore.
And Im also using a UVA/heating lamp 60w

I have a russian tortoise. He is about 3.4-5 inches. Not quite 4 inches yet.
I’m using repti bark from the petstore. (Wasn’t sure to mix that with something else that wouldnt get moldy)
And Im also using a UVA/heating lamp 60w (daytime blue heat bulb brand) for multiple reptiles including hermit crabs at the moment

Any UVB? Does the tortoise have an outside enclosure for sunning?

Reptibark is good. Is it a little bit damp?

Can we see a pic of the enclosure? I'm not seeing anything that should cause eye issues yet and I'm trying to eliminate possibilities for you.

 

[Yoyotort]

Great news! Prior to the zoo med eye drops, how did you apply the drops to your torts eye/s?

Before the zoo med drops I didn’t have drops to give him but with the zoo med ones I held the bottle above his eye so it didn’t touch it and let a drop roll down into his eye

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Any UVB? Does the tortoise have an outside enclosure for sunning?

Reptibark is good. Is it a little bit damp?

Can we see a pic of the enclosure? I'm not seeing anything that should cause eye issues yet and I'm trying to eliminate possibilities for you.

He is next to my window. No UBV lighting but I do provide him with calcium powder on his food by zoo med.

What do you mean by the reptibark being damp?
I was thinking the zoomed eye drops could help or be a supplement to his eye. Its not the inside of his eye that is bothered but just the eyelid looks puffy or as if there is no skin there and it’s faded looking.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

He is next to my window. No UBV lighting but I do provide him with calcium powder on his food by zoo med.

What do you mean by the reptibark being damp?
I was thinking the zoomed eye drops could help or be a supplement to his eye. Its not the inside of his eye that is bothered but just the eyelid looks puffy or as if there is no skin there and it’s faded looking.

 

[Tom]

He is next to my window. No UBV lighting but I do provide him with calcium powder on his food by zoo med.

What do you mean by the reptibark being damp?
I was thinking the zoomed eye drops could help or be a supplement to his eye. Its not the inside of his eye that is bothered but just the eyelid looks puffy or as if there is no skin there and it’s faded looking.

Damp. As in a little bit moist. As in you've dumped some water in there occasionally. Have you?

UV doesn't pass through glass. Having the tortoise near the window gives it zero UV benefit, but does put it at risk for over heating in the direct sunlight. Be careful. Your tortoise needs UV. Arcadia and ZooMed both make a good HO type bulb.

The eyedrops may help, but it would be good to figure out what caused this problem and fix that, rather than treat the symptoms without solving the problem that caused them.

Looks like you are using the ZooMed tortoise house? Those are way too small for an adult tortoise like yours. They need much more room than that.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Is the UVA lamp okay for now until this virus goes by?
my tortoise loves his
Zoomed house. I also let him roam around my room which is pretty big size. And when the weather gets warmer he will he outside in the grass.
I’m not sure what caused his puffy eyelid, but do you recommend misting the reptibark? How would you moisten it

 

[TaylorTortoise]

My tortoise is a male and he is about 3.4 inches.

 

[Tom]

Is the UVA lamp okay for now until this virus goes by?
my tortoise loves his
Zoomed house. I also let him roam around my room which is pretty big size. And when the weather gets warmer he will he outside in the grass.
I’m not sure what caused his puffy eyelid, but do you recommend misting the reptibark? How would you moisten it

Your tortoise cannot manufacture the necessary vitamin D3 in its skin without a source of UVB. You can use access to direct sun a couple of times per week when weather permits, or you can use dietary supplements instead, but your tortoise must have a source of D3. Does your calcium supplement have D3 in it? Do you feed Mazuri? They can go a few weeks with no D3 because they store it in times of plenty, but they will eventually run out.

Roaming around your room is a recipe for disaster. Everyone who does it defends their actions, says they make it safe, and supervise closely, and everyone of them is shocked when they see the X-ray with something lodged in the gut, or the broken bones, or when the respiratory infection comes on. Its not safe to let them free roam on the floor or in the yard. They need to be contained in suitable, large, escape proof enclosures.

Misting the surface of the substrate does nothing. You need to dump water into the substrate to keep it properly damp. The beauty of orchid bark is that the lower layer can remain damp and give off humidity through evaporation, while the upper layers remain more dry. You problem is that if you dump water into that wooden enclosure, it will leak and eventually rot the wood. This is why those enclosures are not suitable for any tortoise species at any age or size. Poor design.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Why is it not good for them to roam around outside in the yard? How can they get respiratory infections from walking around on carpet in a room?

i use repti calcium with D3 in it.
Ingredients:
moisture (max)
Calcium (min)
Calcium (max)
Vit D3

For misting misting the tank daily including the mulch doesnt help?
the zoomed tortoise house I thought would work fine since it’s made for torotise. (Meaning it might be okay to damp the bark enough where it doesnt hit the bottom of the floor where it could rot) He loves his wooden enclosure and from what I heard torotises have a liking of their own, meaning they might not even like a glass aquarium. They run into the glass and it causes other problems. My wooden house my tort loves and he scratches at the sides when he borrows and I know he loves his wooden enclosure.

 

[Tom]

Why is it not good for them to roam around outside in the yard? How can they get respiratory infections from walking around on carpet in a room?

Outside loose in the yard, they can get into stuff like yard chemicals, small objects that you didn't know were there like cigarette butts, buttons that fall of of clothes, toxic plants that popped up without you noticing, dog poo if you have a dog, and sooooo many other things. In a outdoor enclosure, you can usually keep this stuff out, and it is a known safe area. The biggest concern with them running around loose outdoors is that you will lose him. Maybe not today, maybe not tommorrow, but eventually, your attention will lapse for one second, and the tortoise will disappear. It is an awful sickening feeling that I hope you never have to experience. Make an enclosure and you avoid all this.

Indoors, they can get sick because its too cold on the floor. @maggie18fan says it best: Take off all your clothes and lay naked on your kitchen floor for 10 minutes. You'll be surprised how cold it is down there even on a warm day. Cold is less of a concern for Testudo, but impaction, broken bones, smashed heads, cleaner residues, and a million other potential life ending hazards are a clear and present danger. We see it here all the time. They eat stuff that the people didn't even know was there and get impacted. Sewing pins, Monopoly pieces, buttons, dust bunnies, toxic houseplants, thread, all sorts of things you'd never expect. I work with a lot of vets. If you could see, hear, and smell just one tortoise impaction surgery where they have to saw and pry open the carapace, you'd never take that chance again. Carpet fibers are especially dangerous to reptiles. Many lizards, turtles and tortoises have lost limbs because micro thin carpet fibers wrap around their legs and cut off the circulation over time.

Many people argue these points. They all think it won't happen to me. Eventually, it will. I refer you to my signature line.

I'd use your calcium with D3 supplement 3 times a week while your tortoise is without a UV source.

Misting the surface does nothing. It evaporates in minutes and then the enclosure is dry for the other 23 hours and 50 minutes a day.

The ZooMed tortoise house is made and marketed by a company that wants to make money. It is a poor design and not suitable for any species at any age. To open for babies, and too small for adults. Plus the previously mentioned leakage and wood rot.

Glass aquariums are fine, but also too small for an adult Russian tortoise. They need something around 4x8 feet or larger. The whole walking into the glass thing is a myth, and glass is no different than solid walls in this regard. This has everything to do with enclosure size and how comfortable they are in their enclosure, and nothing to do with the transparency of their walls. The tortoise doesn't care what his enclosure is made of, but it sounds like YOU love his wooden enclosure.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Is it fine to use the calcium D3 supplement if we don’t get the UVB lamp?
Also, I have heard many people mention that their tortoise doesn’t like the glass aquarium because they seem to run into “things” based on thinking they can walk through the clear glass. If my tortoise is happy in his wooden enclosure, I dont see a wrong with making the best of what makes my tortoise happy! He LOVES his wooden enclosure and THAT makes me happy.
I have had my eye on him weeks before purchasing, he was active, but didnt look nearly as happy in a glass enclosure than how happy he is now in his wooden enclosure. Very curious and happy. ?

 

[Yoyotort]

Is it fine to use the calcium D3 supplement if we don’t get the UVB lamp?
Also, I have heard many people mention that their tortoise doesn’t like the glass aquarium because they seem to run into “things” based on thinking they can walk through the clear glass. If my tortoise is happy in his wooden enclosure, I dont see a wrong with making the best of what makes my tortoise happy! He LOVES his wooden enclosure and THAT makes me happy.
I have had my eye on him weeks before purchasing, he was active, but didnt look nearly as happy in a glass enclosure than how happy he is now in his wooden enclosure. Very curious and happy. ?

I agree with you! The glass thing is not a myth they cannot see it and although they may not get seriously injured from walking into it it’s still not good for them! I have a similar enclosure and my tort loves it (he’s growing out of it so we are going to expand it some) but WOOD IS BEST it’s better for them and they like is more! You are doing great! I would suggest ordering the eye drops and in my opinion you should be ok with out the light until you can get it but get it as soon as possible because it can cause damage to your tort. Roaming yard and the house is good for them especially the yard in the sunshine!