Tortoise eye looks weird - please help!

nataloki

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Hi guys,
I’m a very new tort owner and don’t know what to do. I noticed my tort’s eye has sort of shifted to the left?? Last night he couldn’t seem to open it after napping also. I’ve attached pics to compare the normal eye to the weird one. I don’t know what to do:(
thank you x
 

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Potato_king

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His eyes look black and clear, but Im more concerned about his beak. I hope it won't oppose any troubles for him
 

nataloki

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His eyes look black and clear, but Im more concerned about his beak. I hope it won't oppose any troubles for him
Hi there, thank you for your reply. I just adopted him a couple months ago - I’ve tried to introduce cuttlebones and cuttlebone discs to his enclosure but he won’t touch them - is there anything else I can do? In terms of his eye, it seems to be that the pupil is almost “stuck” in the left hand side if that makes sense. Thank you again for your time x
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome,
Can you tell us more about him - species, age etc?
Also some pictures of his enclosure with lamps and substrate etc so that we can see if there's anything affecting his eye. Did it look like the right eye before the last couple of days?
If my tort has any eye issues I gently drop saline solution that is sold for conatct lens wearers into it (from Tesco) to flush out anything he may have stuck in it.

He also looks a bit dry to me so make sure you soak him daily in luke warm water to just below his chin to help hydrate him.

You'll need to visit a good tortoise vet for a beak trim, it's a bit too long for cuttlefish bone to have any affect at the moment and will make eating difficult and uncomfortable for him; you could ask about the eye then if it doesn't improve.

I'm guessing your tort is a Mediterranean species so this is the most up to date caresheet you'll need to make sure he's happy and healthy so read that and ask as many questions as you like.

There's caresheets for other species too if I'm wrong.
 

nataloki

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Hi and welcome,
Can you tell us more about him - species, age etc?
Also some pictures of his enclosure with lamps and substrate etc so that we can see if there's anything affecting his eye. Did it look like the right eye before the last couple of days?
If my tort has any eye issues I gently drop saline solution that is sold for conatct lens wearers into it (from Tesco) to flush out anything he may have stuck in it.

He also looks a bit dry to me so make sure you soak him daily in luke warm water to just below his chin to help hydrate him.

You'll need to visit a good tortoise vet for a beak trim, it's a bit too long for cuttlefish bone to have any affect at the moment and will make eating difficult and uncomfortable for him; you could ask about the eye then if it doesn't improve.

I'm guessing your tort is a Mediterranean species so this is the most up to date caresheet you'll need to make sure he's happy and healthy so read that and ask as many questions as you like.

There's caresheets for other species too if I'm wrong.
Hi there, thank you for taking the time to type all that out - I greatly appreciate it.

He’s a Herman’s I believe (I adopted him only recently). Around 5 years old.

I’ve attached photos of the enclosure. I want to eventually upgrade him to a larger table but this is what he came with and I can’t afford the upgrade right now sadly.

I’ll head to tesco on my lunch break and grab some saline solution, then administer it in a bath when I get home.

I’ve also made an appointment with an exotic vet for tomorrow morning. Hopefully he won’t be too uncomfortable before then:(

Thank you ever so much for the care sheet you provided. I’m such a worried mum right now and it means the world x
 

nataloki

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I’m also going to buy him some food that’s high in vitamin A today. I do supplement with calci dust and vitamins but I need to integrate more vitamin rich foods. I’m very much a beginner and trying to learn where I can x
 

Yvonne G

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It's hard to tell, but I THINK you're using a compact fluorescent bulb? Those have been known to harm tortoises' eyes. The bulb combined with such a small enclosure, could possible be the reason he can't open his eye as wide as it should.

Buy some soothing eye ointment and get rid of that bulb:

eye ointment b.jpg
 

TaylorTortoise

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Hi guys,
I’m a very new tort owner and don’t know what to do. I noticed my tort’s eye has sort of shifted to the left?? Last night he couldn’t seem to open it after napping also. I’ve attached pics to compare the normal eye to the weird one. I don’t know what to do:(
thank you x
It could be his eyelids. Maybe put some eyedrops in there by reptimed. It could have something stuck in there where the tearduct is. they have like 3 tearducks I think. Don't quote me on that though. Also, you can give your guy a bath and poor water over his head to help maybe get dirt out of his eyes.
 

ZenHerper

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To be clear: his eye has not moved back. There is a membrane (sometimes called the "third eyelid") that is closing over the eye. This happens for a number of reasons.

But the compact flourescent bulb is probably to blame. It concentrates uvb radiation into a narrow beam that can burn the cornea (skin of the eye).

It's hard to tell, but your photo also indicates that the bulb is hanging too low. This means that the uvb radiation beams are hitting the side of the face, not the top of the head. Tortoises evolved a bump over top of the eye that protects it from sun radiation. Uvb and heat radiation should not come from the side.

Saline solution may not be thick enough to provide healing protection when the body has pulled the third eyelid over the eye, so consider getting the drops linked in post #8. Read the care sheet in #4, and replace the compact flourescent bulb with a long tube style uvb radiation fixture that hangs nearer the top of the enclosure (each brand tells on the package how far above the substrate to hang them).

If changing the uvb bulb means you need a new heat fixture, @Lyn W can tell you what is available in the UK.
 

nataloki

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To be clear: his eye has not moved back. There is a membrane (sometimes called the "third eyelid") that is closing over the eye. This happens for a number of reasons.

But the compact flourescent bulb is probably to blame. It concentrates uvb radiation into a narrow beam that can burn the cornea (skin of the eye).

It's hard to tell, but your photo also indicates that the bulb is hanging too low. This means that the uvb radiation beams are hitting the side of the face, not the top of the head. Tortoises evolved a bump over top of the eye that protects it from sun radiation. Uvb and heat radiation should not come from the side.

Saline solution may not be thick enough to provide healing protection when the body has pulled the third eyelid over the eye, so consider getting the drops linked in post #8. Read the care sheet in #4, and replace the compact flourescent bulb with a long tube style uvb radiation fixture that hangs nearer the top of the enclosure (each brand tells on the package how far above the substrate to hang them).

If changing the uvb bulb means you need a new heat fixture, @Lyn W can tell you what is available in the UK.
Oh my god I had no idea these bulbs were so bad! It was sold as a “reptile bulb” :(
I also feel so guilty about the bulb placement - ive switched it off and will sort it out immediately! Thank you so so SO much for your help and info!
 

ZenHerper

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Oh my god I had no idea these bulbs were so bad! It was sold as a “reptile bulb” :(
I also feel so guilty about the bulb placement - ive switched it off and will sort it out immediately! Thank you so so SO much for your help and info!
They became very popular because they take up less space. The companies that sell them are not interested in investigating or acknowledging their negative effects, I guess. When I mentioned the science in a contact I had with a prominent bulb producer just last year, the comment was entirely overlooked/ignored in their response.

This is a website put together when the eye problem in particular was being discovered and investigated by keepers:
 

nataloki

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Hi everyone. Bulb has been switched off. Will replace with something better. I’ve booked an exotic vet appointment for the morning for a checkup, beak trim, and treatment for the eye. Thank you all so so so much for your help. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. As a new tort mum I’m feeling very guilty right now but I’m determined to make it right. Going to give some tasty food, a warm bath, some saline solution, and a lot of love and attention to him tonight xx
 

nataloki

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They became very popular because they take up less space. The companies that sell them are not interested in investigating or acknowledging their negative effects, I guess. When I mentioned the science in a contact I had with a prominent bulb producer just last year, the comment was entirely overlooked/ignored in their response.

This is a website put together when the eye problem in particular was being discovered and investigated by keepers:
That’s so terrible. I don’t understand how someone could put profits over the welfare of a living thing:(
 

nataloki

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Just as a final question to quell my worries before the vet, will his eye go back to normal on its own? I’m really terrified I’ve permanently hurt him with that bulb :(
 

ZenHerper

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Just as a final question to quell my worries before the vet, will his eye go back to normal on its own? I’m really terrified I’ve permanently hurt him with that bulb :(
Generally things return to normal when the bulb is changed, especially so soon after symptoms appear.

It would be helpful and soothing to apply the artificial tears or an artificial tears ointment a few times a day until it looks right again.
 

zolasmum

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Hello and welcome from Devon. We have a Hermanns tortoise too -he has just turned 21. He has had occasional minor problems with his eyes, and we use Viscotears Liquid Gel - it is a good texture which won't run straight off his eye, being gel, an you can get it over the counter from a pharmacist, for £3.50 or so - rather than paying a lot more for a similar thing from a vet.His eye does look very dry compared with the other one. I'm sure you will sort it out, but it may take a while, as tortoises are relatively slow to heal.
With Zola,I give his eyes a gentle wipe every morning with a cotton wool pad dampened with boiled (cold ) water, just as a precaution, and he is used to it and doesn't object. -just in case.
Best wishes
Angie
 

Lyn W

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I’m also going to buy him some food that’s high in vitamin A today. I do supplement with calci dust and vitamins but I need to integrate more vitamin rich foods. I’m very much a beginner and trying to learn where I can x
The caresheet will list some good foods and www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is also a good guide to identifying safe plants and weeds that are in abundance at the moment and free, just make sure you pick them from a chemical free and fume free spot.

I'm glad you have found an exotics vet for the beak but If they suggest a vitamin shot for general health then I wouldn't have that because they can often do more harm than good and they should get the vitamins and nutrients they need from their diet. They only need a pinch of calcium a couple of times a week - too much can cause problems.

Do you have any sort of safe outside enclosure so that he can get some natural uvb from the sun? If so you won't need to rush out to buy a uvb source at the moment. There are some great examples in the Enclosures thread but as a temp measure the WHAT stores (if you have them in your area) were selling rigid plastic dog paddling pools for about £11. They were about 1.5m diameter and with substrate, shade and a water dish for him to self soak in, they would be fine for some short supervised outdoor time. Make sure it's secure from cats, dogs etc. with something like a chicken wire cover.
Ideally a tort his size needs a minimum enclosure of 1.5 x 2.5 metres for indoor and/or outdoor use but the bigger the better.

Most of us use a T5 HO tube and fitting for uvb, Arcadia are a good brand,and they also do a flood basking bulb (the spots can be too intense and damage shells). See their website for more info.
 

TeamZissou

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I’m also going to buy him some food that’s high in vitamin A today. I do supplement with calci dust and vitamins but I need to integrate more vitamin rich foods. I’m very much a beginner and trying to learn where I can x

Just so there's no confusion, what you have is a Russian tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii.

Also, it is not a good idea to give supplements high in Vitamin A. The eye issue is probably related to the CFL bulb as others have said or by something stuck in in the eye. Tortoises almost never have vitamin A deficiency. Vets give shots that are too high in vitamin A that often do more harm than good.
 

nataloki

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Hi everyone. Can I just say a HUGE thank you again for all your help!

I took him to the vets yesterday and they gave him a beak trim (he looks very handsome) and prescribed some eye drops to be administered twice daily.

Vet also gave me some great advice about enclosures and bulbs. I get paid next Friday so until then I’m giving him a lot of outdoor time in natural sunlight (it’s very sunny in the U.K. right now) and just using his enclosure for sleeping until I can afford a table. Bulb has been switched off permanently until I swap it out.

Again, thank you all so so much for your help and advice. I’m a very new tort mum, and was surprised with him only two months ago with no prep. (I was only meant to be babysitting for a couple weeks but ended up adopting him from a home that couldn’t give him the attention he needed.) So I’m really trying to learn as I go, and I greatly appreciate the time you guys have taken to help me.

Lots of love,
Nat x
 
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