Redfoot Problems!!

[ConnorD]

Hey guys I need some help.

A couple of months ago I got 4 adult redfoots all in good health. They are in a 12' by 4' pen with suspended coil 5.0 UVB's and a 100W heat lamp at one end. The temp varies across the pen the warm side it is just below 90 degrees with humidity at around 70% and the cool side is around 80 degrees with the humidity closer to 90. They have a decent size water dish that they can get in and out of easily and I am using coco husk as substrate. They seem perfect they are active and have good appetites but one of them constantly has bubbles around one of their eyes and another one has very dry looking eyes.None of them have puffy eyes but I cannot figure out what is wrong. I upped their baths from once a week to twice a week and they get misted everyday and it doesn't seem to be healthy. I cannot figure out what im doing wrong!!

Please help any advice would be amazing.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Connor, and welcome to the Forum!!

It's the bulb. Get rid of that coiled bulb. It affects tortoises' eyes similar to snow blindness. After a few days of not using the bulb you should see a marked improvement.

 

[wellington]

BIG OL DITTO, Het rid of the coil bulbs and don't buy another one. Even if you hear that they have fixed them, because they are still damaging reptiles eyes

 

[ConnorD]

Thanks! I will give that a try. Everything else seems ok?
Why do they make and recommend these bulbs if they are so bad for the torts?
Can they cause death or is it just a constant eye problem for them?
Sorry about all the questions.

 

[Yvonne G]

Continued usage will eventually lead to death, but the light itself doesn't do the job. When a tortoise's eyes are swollen shut he won't eat. When he's in constant pain, he won't eat. My sister was one of the first on the Forum to run into this problem. She was using the light on 4 sulcata babies. One died, one was blinded for life and the other two recovered. We didn't know it was the lights, and she continued to use them until the damage was done.

 

[N2TORTS]

Sounds like the environment is to dry as well …..
Aside from the lighting changes and soakings -Let’s talk about the current position of the tortoise and help the immediate problem . In most parts of the USA , the water is horrible.
The treatment of groundwater varies from community to community, and even from well to well within a city depending on contaminants in the water…. The water may be treated as it is pumped from the ground to remove certain contaminants or it may be chlorinated if there is concern of bacterial or parasitic infection. Mountain springs might flow through sulfur, zinc or arsenic-laden formations. Groundwater can pick up contamination from fertilizers, septic tanks, mine drainage, naturally occurring minerals, industrial chemicals and metals such as arsenic and chromium. Rivers and streams sometimes carry harmful microorganisms from animals or humans, presenting a risk of disease. Storm drains can carry polluted runoff from cities into rivers and streams.
And this is what most of us use for drinking and soaking waters …which is fine - to a degree!
Now this said , in most living creatures the eye is one of the most sensitive organs , and the above “water wash” for the torts eye is most likely more irritating than helping. Go to the drug store and get some sterile eye wash and rinse your torts eyes after his/her soakings. Once you see some improvement , use an eye wash that contains a moisturizer couple times a week . And remember keep your humidity high….


http://www.water-ed.org/watersources/subpage.asp?rid=3&page=382