RF - Weepy eyes

[tofuqueen]

I posted a thread a little while back explaining that I would be tort sitting for a friend. I received several great tips on care sheets to read to prepare for our house guest! However, I've noticed now that the little RF's eyes are a bit weepy... like teary kind of. From what I've read, this seems to be caused by humidity issues. He's in a big plastic tub, with the substrate that his owner uses... kind of a bark like mixture. I've been wetting it down every day, misting the tort a few times a day, and he has soaked a few times. A water bowl (large enough for him to climb into) is also provided at all times. Any suggestions? Should I maybe get some of that Mosser Lee Sphagnum moss to put in there? If so, does that need to be wet as well? I've had him for one week and he was doing great, but today was the first time I noticed the runny eyes. I'm going to have him till next Sunday, so I want to make sure I"m doing this right. Any tips or advice would be wonderful! Thank you!!

 

[HarleyK]

There's a lot for me to learn still, but it is probably a humidity issue. Maybe you can use a spray bottle and mist the tort directly. I have done that with my hatchling it it seems to like it! I use mosser lee moss and the tort loves it...loves to burrow underneath it!

And yes, you should wet the mosser lee. I just shuffle it around while misting it and it doesn't get too wet.

 

[tofuqueen]

Thanks Harley! I'll pick some of that moss up today. Hopefully that will help. I tried misting the tort directly, and he seemed to like it. I'll do that a few times a day too. His eyes seem less teary than last night, so that's a good sign!

 

[Kristina]

It is definitely a sign of lack of humidity. Keep spraying that tort till it drips, as often as you can!

I would look into the Mosser Lee or cypress mulch. That bark stuff is NASTY. Too dry, and made out of fir bark. Fir is essentially pine - and pine is toxic to torts!

 

[PeanutbuttER]

Fir is essentially pine - and pine is toxic to torts!

Actually, fir itself isn't necessarily bad. Unless I'm mistaken Orchid bark is made out of Douglas Fir and is often recommended as a cypress mulch substitute.

I do agree with all the posters previously. That sounds like a humidity thing. Could you run a humidifier near the enclosure? That might help with the eyes by raising the ambient humidity in the room.

 

[tofuqueen]

I added some of that Mosser Lee stuff and he seems to love it! I wet it down and I've been spraying him down as well a few times today. His eyes seem fine now, so I think I caught it early enough and made the changes fast enough. I also soaked him this morning for about 15 minutes. He seems to like soaking MUCH more than my Russian! Yesterday he was in my outdoor enclosure for several hours and the dirt/soil is a bit dry out there for his species. Maybe that's what set this off. I've kept him inside today so I can keep an eye on him (pardon the pun!) and mist him. Thanks for the help!!

 

[N2TORTS]

It is definitely a sign of lack of humidity. Keep spraying that tort till it drips, as often as you can!

I would look into the Mosser Lee or cypress mulch. That bark stuff is NASTY. Too dry, and made out of fir bark. Fir is essentially pine - and pine is toxic to torts!

yes .. it could be humidity issues and they do love to be misted , just be careful if kept indoors ... not to keep substrate " soaked/wet" it can lead to fungus/shell rot......
Yes go with the Mulch ... or Green moss .. and coco fiber too! ...
And one thing ....
" Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is not a true fir at all, nor a *PINE* or spruce. It is a distinct species named after Archibald Menzies, a Scottish physician and naturalist who first discovered the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791, and David Douglas, the Scottish botanist who later identified the tree in the Pacific Northwest in 1826. The species is known by a number of common names including Oregon Pine, British Columbian Pine, Red Fir and even Douglastree; however, the U.S. Forest Service settled on Douglas Fir some years ago. Douglas Fir is North America's most plentiful softwood species, accounting for one fifth of the continent's total softwood reserves.
Just cuzz I know my WOODS!

JD~

 

[Madkins007]

A couple of minor corrections.

Weepy eyes are a sign of dehydration, not just low humidity- although the two often go together. Misting the tort and its food is often a quick way to combat it but you want to make sure there are other sources of hydration going on as well.




I am also not sure we can make the statement that 'pine is toxic to tortoises'. Pine resin (not the wood itself) is known to be hazardous in varying ways to many animals, but I can find no evidence that it has ever really been tested on reptiles or tortoises, even if it is reported as a 'fact' on a lot of sites. (http://www.anapsid.org/cedar2.html )

It seems more fair and accurate to say that pine resin is dangerous for many animals and should probably be avoided in tortoises, just to be safe, since there are other substrates that are better anyway.

(And yes, I know there are keepers who blame pine for eye problems, etc. in their tortoises. I do not dismiss their experience, but from what I can see, I am not sure pine ALONE is necessarily the culprit- but the fact also remains that some zoos, etc. use pine bedding for torts with no known problem.)

 

[Kristina]

Either way, I would not use that bark stuff if paid. That cute little baby Redfoot I have was kept on it, and she was stained red from the stuff when I got her, severely dehydrated and badly pyramided. If it isn't toxic, it is still a poor poor choice for substrate.

 

[N2TORTS]

Madkin's is correct on all accounts on this one !

 

[tofuqueen]

Thanks for the help and advice! The Redfoot belongs to a friend of mine and we're "tort sitting" for two weeks while he is away on vacation. I have increased the mistings, soakings (which he seems to love!) and humidy in his enclosure. I'll be sure to pass along these posts to my friend when he returns and see if maybe there is a better alternative to what he's using.