UPDATE ON GREEK TORTS EYES

[Torts4Life!]

UPDATE!!! Now his left eye is covered by his membrane and his right eye is worse and I can now see the dirt in the corner of his eye above the membrane but I can't get it out by flushing or baths. I'm going to change his substrate immediately but What should I do to help his eyes?? It seems so uncomfortable and they are starting to swell!!

Previous tread I posted earlier...
I just got a new greek tortoise yesterday and his eyes looked very healthy but today his right eye is half covered by his membrane. I'm pretty worried that dirt is stuck in his eye. His substrate is the ZooMed EcoEarth Coconut Substrate and the ZooMed ReptiBark mixed together.
He is behaving normally and ate today. I gave him a bath and put sterile saline solution in his eye to try and flush it but it's still there. Is there anything else I should do and will flushing it have immediate relief?

 

[ascott]

I would take your tort and his soaking tray into your bathroom... turn the shower on, full hot water---so you are getting alot of steam going....I would place a towel under the crack of the door so you can keep in as much steam as possible...

I would then place your tort in his soaking tray on the counter---add warm water to his tray (up to just under his chin, low enough he can keep his head out but not so low that he is not truly soaking)...adding the warm water should be done slowly and be certain to gently let the water flow all over his shell and his head--especially over his eyes...and keep doing gentle flushing of his eyes with like an eye dropper or the like,..key is to keep flushing the eyes for a few minutes....

Then let him soak while keeping the steam coming, at least 20 to 30 minutes--or longer is you have the tankless water heater .....when you are done, I would wrap him up in a towel and place him back into his enclosure with a constant source of heat (day light heat as well as night light heat)...

What type of light bulb for heat/uv rays are you using? Is it one of the curly coil type lights?

Where did you purchase him from?

 

[Torts4Life!]

Okay thank you for the step by step process. For his lighting I used the Zoomed 100 watt day (white) and night (red) basking bulbs and for his uv bulb I use Zoomed UVB UVA reptisun. I don't think his uv bulb is considered a curly coil light but I could be wrong. I know those are bad for torts eyes. I got him from petsmart where I work, he was in a very tiny enclosure without a variety in food so I bought him to give him a better life.

---

If this works, about how long after should I see results that he is getting better?? I'm just worried, I don't want him to get an infection!!

 

[ascott]

http://www.petmountain.com/product/...rm={keyword}&gclid=CPfQ-bitsLYCFQvNnAodvhMAEQ

http://www.petstore.com/zoo-med-rep...tent=MZ34010&gclid=CICNiOGtsLYCFQQEnQodwyoAIA


Which of these styles is the uva/uvb light bulb you are using?

 

[Torts4Life!]

The second one..

 

[Minority1]

Get rid of it immediately. Only use fluorescent tube lights or MVBs. There are plenty of those where you work and should be cheaper with your employee discount.

 

[Steve_McQueen]

That's a coil bulb... Notice how it's bent? The curve creates a "hot-spot" of UV rays, which is what's bad for the eyes. Get one of the long, straight bulbs. The model depends on the distance from the substrate (5.0 or 10.0).

 

[Torts4Life!]

Aw I feel awful thank you so much for clearing that up for me. I thought the coil lights were spiral-like. It couldn't have done that much damage after two days basically, can it??

 

[theelectraco]

Personally I haven't heard any complaints on the compact non coil UVB bulbs made by zoo med. I haven't had anyone say that their tortoise/chameleon/beardies have had any damage to their eyes or any negative benefits. I also highly doubt zoo med would manufacture this bulb if there was cause for concern. They are relatively new ( about a year or so since my work started carrying them) and I think zoo med would take in to account all the negative effects of the coil bulbs and design a safe compact option. I'm sure most will disagree, but that's how I feel. Mark from big apple pet supply did a YouTube review on their UVB output and the results were positive. Most members here are going to say its better to be safe than sorry, which is true, but I also don't look at these bulbs and jump to "omg your animals going to go blind!"


Correction: after researching I guess they have been around for a while now. However my opinion on it still is the same of it is used as recommended ( horizontally and with a burn out period)

 

[ascott]

That is what I was afraid of....please turn that light off. I would not use these compact fluorescent bulbs (curly or the u shaped both) are too unpredictable in the actual output of uvc and uva....I would let your tort be without a bright uv ray bulb for at least a week and I would just keep the night heat light on all day to provide heat (he will be fine for this period of time without an indoor uv light)....I also would continue to do the sauna bathroom soaks a couple of times a day for at least a week and see what his eyes begin to look like,...eyes can take a bit to recover....so be diligent but patient....

CFL bulbs emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation—specifically, UVC and UVA rays...the protective phosphor coating of the light bulb often cracks, allowing dangerous UV rays to escape.

CFL bulbs contain other cancer-causing chemicals as well.. several different chemicals and toxins are released when CFLs are turned on, including naphthalene (which has been linked to cancer in animals) and styrene (which has been declared “a likely human carcinogen”). A sort of electrical smog develops around these lamps, which could be dangerous.

These are just some points I want to share with you ....you can also research these bulb styles on your own....to see the negative information ....

I would use the long tube style bulb (the first one)...they have a better track record of even tube burning...keep in mind that each bulb has a burn in time..so for the first few days I would make sure that you keep an eye on the behavior of your tort...

 

[Steve_McQueen]

I think it depends on the method in which they're used. They're designed to be placed horizontally, and when they're placed vertically they create a "hot-spot" of UV rays. Since there's something wrong with your tortoises eyes, however, it's probably better to be safe and replace it.

 

[Torts4Life!]

Okay thank you for all your information and help ascott! I truly appreciate it I'm going to change his substrate tomorrow morning as soon as the store opens so he will no longer have dirt in his enclosure because I don't want this to happen again! I do have one more question for you... how long do I leave him in the towel after his sauna bath?? Thank you!!

 

[ascott]

The reason for the towel wrap is simply to assure he does not freeze his toosh off on the trip to his enclosure from the spa...also being wrapped offers a sense of security....

I would not necessarily change the substrate out.....I would not suspect the dirt as the culprit but rather the eyes drying out and being made highly sensitive and a bit burned as the issue more than anything..so if you offer up intense hydration (soaks and spa visits) and shut the bright lights off for awhile...your little one will get some relief...you know what I mean?

Plus, I would not do drastic changes to his world right now since his vision is not so great....

 

[Torts4Life!]

I think it depends on the method in which they're used. They're designed to be placed horizontally, and when they're placed vertically they create a "hot-spot" of UV rays. Since there's something wrong with your tortoises eyes, however, it's probably better to be safe and replace it.

I do have it place horizontally on top of his enclosure but I agree with you I'm going to be better safe than sorry. I love my torts way too much to even think about something hurting them in anyway Thanks for your advice!!

---

The reason for the towel wrap is simply to assure he does not freeze his toosh off on the trip to his enclosure from the spa...also being wrapped offers a sense of security....

I would not necessarily change the substrate out.....I would not suspect the dirt as the culprit but rather the eyes drying out and being made highly sensitive and a bit burned as the issue more than anything..so if you offer up intense hydration (soaks and spa visits) and shut the bright lights off for awhile...your little one will get some relief...you know what I mean?

Plus, I would not do drastic changes to his world right now since his vision is not so great....

Okay thank you again so much!! I was almost going into panic mode lol I've never had any troubles with my russians before (which I've had for quite a long time ) so this is all new to me.

 

[SmileyKylie623]

Let us know if he gets better after the coil bulb has been removed! I'm curious if this is the problem!

 

[Torts4Life!]

Let us know if he gets better after the coil bulb has been removed! I'm curious if this is the problem!

He has gotten better!! I think the bulb made his eyes super sensitive but I did change his substrate to all bark because I didn't want it to happen again while they were recovering and it hasn't happen again. I'm giving him a few more days until I add his new uv light to enclosure and I'm still giving him a sauna bath everyday because I think he actually enjoys its

 

[SmileyKylie623]

Let us know if he gets better after the coil bulb has been removed! I'm curious if this is the problem!

He has gotten better!! I think the bulb made his eyes super sensitive but I did change his substrate to all bark because I didn't want it to happen again while they were recovering and it hasn't happen again. I'm giving him a few more days until I add his new uv light to enclosure and I'm still giving him a sauna bath everyday because I think he actually enjoys its

Yay! Good to hear!!