Red itchy irritated eyes!

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Jan 18, 2019
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Hi, so Michelle has recently been itching her eyes. The pupils go to the back of her eyes and her eyes go red. She squeaks while this happens. She is also swallowing even though there is nothing in her mouth. Any help or advice?
 

JoesMum

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Please can you post photos of your enclosure and lighting so we can see any likely irritants?

The biggest suspect is your choice of UVB lamp
 

JoesMum

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You don’t have a compact UVB which is good.

Your enclosure is far too dry though. Your substrate is not suitable.

It needs to be a compost-like type that you can mix with water until all of it is evenly damp right to the bottom and into the corners. Fine grade orchid bark or coco coir are popular on this forum.

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Marginated Tortoise Care
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/marginated-tortoise-testudo-marginata-care-sheet.98564/
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2019
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Uk
You don’t have a compact UVB which is good.

Your enclosure is far too dry though. Your substrate is not suitable.

It needs to be a compost-like type that you can mix with water until all of it is evenly damp right to the bottom and into the corners. Fine grade orchid bark or coco coir are popular on this forum.

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Marginated Tortoise Care
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/marginated-tortoise-testudo-marginata-care-sheet.98564/

Ok. But I read a tortoise care sheet just like that and it said that wooden beach pallets was the perfect substrate for a marginated tortoise. Plus i tried a soil like substrate and she tried to eat it.
 

JoesMum

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Ok. But I read a tortoise care sheet just like that and it said that wooden beach pallets was the perfect substrate for a marginated tortoise.
Not on TFO you didn’t.

@HermanniChris who wrote our marginated care sheet is extremely experienced and knowledgeable.

Your tortoise has bad eyes. That dry substrate is the most likely cause.

Plus i tried a soil like substrate and she tried to eat it.
Get the setup right and it is far less likely this will happen.
 

Markw84

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That Mercury Vapor Bulb is way too close. It is also a likely source of the tortoise's eye irritation when placed that close to the tortoise level. At that close a range to the tortoise's eyes, there is probably a UVI of over 15-20!!
 

JoesMum

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