Hi
I’ve noticed today that my Horsefields right eye won’t open. I have notice the last few days she hasn’t been eating as much as usual either but now that her eye won’t open I’m really conserned. I’m going to take her to the vet this week but wanted to know if there was anything I could try in the meantime. I’ve read about pouring cooled but still warm boiled water over her eye to help it I stick but this isn’t doing anything so far.
Any recommendations would be great full!
Tortoise Eye won’t open
Re: Tortoise Eye won’t open
Hi Beeccaa,
It's really hard to say what has caused her eye to close, so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions. It's possible that a bit of grit got into it, in which case bathing with the warm water might help. You could also try 'hypromellose', which is sold in chemists and is usually called 'artificial tears'. Just ask the chemist for artificial tears that contain hypromellose. It is gentle and you could bathe her eye with that.
Is your vet a reptile vet (a specialist in 'exotics')? It's important that the vet has experience with reptiles as many ordinary vets see an eye problem and automatically recommend a vitamin A injection, but in tortoises it is very rare that they have a vitamin A deficiency, and too much vitamin A causes symptoms similar to a lack of vitamin A.
I notice that your substrate seems to be some kind of wood chip. That isn't a great substrate for tortoises (especially Horsfields who like to dig down and bury themselves), and if they are pine wood chips they can give off dangerous fumes when warm -- plus they are a bit of a fire hazard if your lamp should blow and hot pieces of glass land on the wood chips. This probably has nothing to do with the eye problem, but thought I'd mention it. The best substrate is mixture of ordinary sterilised topsoil and children's playsand, and you can buy bags of both at garden centres or places like Homebase. You mix it 50/50 (or a slightly higher percentage of topsoil) and give it a light spray every day or two to keep it from getting dusty.
The other important thing to ask, in relation to her eye, is what the temperature is in her enclosure, directly under the heat source and at the height of her shell (a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall will give you an artificially low reading). Temperature can make a big difference in their health and their general behaviour and appetite. You want it to be about 30C directly under the lamp, and about 20C at the cool end.
The last time we heard from you, she was having thick urine. Did that get sorted out with more baths and wetting her food? I really hope that the eye problem is just a bit of grit and nothing serious, but do let us know how you get on, and fingers crossed that she will be well and raring to go again soon.
Nina
It's really hard to say what has caused her eye to close, so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions. It's possible that a bit of grit got into it, in which case bathing with the warm water might help. You could also try 'hypromellose', which is sold in chemists and is usually called 'artificial tears'. Just ask the chemist for artificial tears that contain hypromellose. It is gentle and you could bathe her eye with that.
Is your vet a reptile vet (a specialist in 'exotics')? It's important that the vet has experience with reptiles as many ordinary vets see an eye problem and automatically recommend a vitamin A injection, but in tortoises it is very rare that they have a vitamin A deficiency, and too much vitamin A causes symptoms similar to a lack of vitamin A.
I notice that your substrate seems to be some kind of wood chip. That isn't a great substrate for tortoises (especially Horsfields who like to dig down and bury themselves), and if they are pine wood chips they can give off dangerous fumes when warm -- plus they are a bit of a fire hazard if your lamp should blow and hot pieces of glass land on the wood chips. This probably has nothing to do with the eye problem, but thought I'd mention it. The best substrate is mixture of ordinary sterilised topsoil and children's playsand, and you can buy bags of both at garden centres or places like Homebase. You mix it 50/50 (or a slightly higher percentage of topsoil) and give it a light spray every day or two to keep it from getting dusty.
The other important thing to ask, in relation to her eye, is what the temperature is in her enclosure, directly under the heat source and at the height of her shell (a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall will give you an artificially low reading). Temperature can make a big difference in their health and their general behaviour and appetite. You want it to be about 30C directly under the lamp, and about 20C at the cool end.
The last time we heard from you, she was having thick urine. Did that get sorted out with more baths and wetting her food? I really hope that the eye problem is just a bit of grit and nothing serious, but do let us know how you get on, and fingers crossed that she will be well and raring to go again soon.
Nina
Re: Tortoise Eye won’t open
Hi Nina,
Thank you so much for replying. I took her to the vet on Monday who state they are a reptile “exotic” specialist and they gave her a low dose antibiotic injection to bring down the swelling in her eye and hopefully help her open it up. I also took your advice and bought hypromellose drops from the chemist which I have been bathing her eye in and the swelling has gone down but still she is not opening it.
She’s now also not eaten since Tuesdayish. (She ate a very small amount on Tuesday) I had her back to the vet today and they gave her a second round of antibiotic injection and gave me a medication eye cream which they said would be better to stay on her eye and to use a damp cotton bud with the eye cream on to gently rub her eye lid to try and encourage her to open it.
I read on another forum about blending up carrots with water and bathing her in this so that as she drinks it she is taking in some vitamins which she is missing from not eating. Do you think this is okay? I’m getting very worried and I don’t feel entirely confident in my vet.
I’ve taken on board your advice on the substrate and I especially hadn’t considered the fire hazard so have purchased what you’ve recommended to replace the wood in her little home and all of her temps are measuring correctly.
She did start to urinate more and it became a lot more watery which was good however since her eye she hasn’t yet urinated so I’m concerned again this is a factor.
I really do not know what else to do now, I’m so so worried
Thank you so much for replying. I took her to the vet on Monday who state they are a reptile “exotic” specialist and they gave her a low dose antibiotic injection to bring down the swelling in her eye and hopefully help her open it up. I also took your advice and bought hypromellose drops from the chemist which I have been bathing her eye in and the swelling has gone down but still she is not opening it.
She’s now also not eaten since Tuesdayish. (She ate a very small amount on Tuesday) I had her back to the vet today and they gave her a second round of antibiotic injection and gave me a medication eye cream which they said would be better to stay on her eye and to use a damp cotton bud with the eye cream on to gently rub her eye lid to try and encourage her to open it.
I read on another forum about blending up carrots with water and bathing her in this so that as she drinks it she is taking in some vitamins which she is missing from not eating. Do you think this is okay? I’m getting very worried and I don’t feel entirely confident in my vet.
I’ve taken on board your advice on the substrate and I especially hadn’t considered the fire hazard so have purchased what you’ve recommended to replace the wood in her little home and all of her temps are measuring correctly.
She did start to urinate more and it became a lot more watery which was good however since her eye she hasn’t yet urinated so I’m concerned again this is a factor.
I really do not know what else to do now, I’m so so worried
Re: Tortoise Eye won’t open
Hi Beeccaa,
I'm glad to hear that she's receiving treatment, and hopefully her eye will open soon. Did the vet tell you that while she is on the antibiotics it's a good idea to keep the heat on in her enclosure 24 hours a day (the antibiotics are more effective if the tortoise's body temperature doesn't cool down too much.
Re the eating -- I wouldn't worry too much. Tortoises can go a long time without eating (before hibernation we withhold food for between 2 - 4 weeks, depending on the sze of the tortoise), but do keep bathing her so that she is well hydrated. I have never heard of the blended carrot mixture. I suppose it can't do great harm, but I really don't think it is necessary as she can go without food and also vitamins for a long time (think of when they are hibernating for three months -- they have no food or vitamins then).
I would try hand feeding her with some very tempting food -- preferably something that she really loves (some sort of flowers perhaps), or you could try a thin slice of peeled cucumber (most tortoises love cucumber), and if she takes that, then you could sprinkle her vitamin/calcium supplement (like Nutrobal) on it, just to get some extra calcium and vitamins into it. Tortoises will often respond to hand feeding, but you don't want to make a habit of it as after too much hand feeding she might not want to eat on her own (but a little at times like this does no harm).
In addition to being ill, she might also be going into hbernation mode. Many tortoises -- especially Horsfields -- are doing this at this time of year (they just don't want to wake up in the morning and don't want to eat. It's a bit early for hibe4rnation, so if she doesn't wake up in the mornings I would get her up and put her under the lamp, and make sure that the lights in her table are as bright as possible (you are trying to simulate a bright summer's day). What temperature is it directly below her heat source, at the height of her shell? We're having some cooler days now, so you might have to lower the lamp to get the right temperature (about 30C directly under the lamp at the height of her shell).
Best,
Nina
P.S. If you are really happy with the treatment your vet is giving her, can you email me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk with their details, so that we can consider adding them to our recommended list of vet if they aren't already on there? https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 0i-aovTW9s
I'm glad to hear that she's receiving treatment, and hopefully her eye will open soon. Did the vet tell you that while she is on the antibiotics it's a good idea to keep the heat on in her enclosure 24 hours a day (the antibiotics are more effective if the tortoise's body temperature doesn't cool down too much.
Re the eating -- I wouldn't worry too much. Tortoises can go a long time without eating (before hibernation we withhold food for between 2 - 4 weeks, depending on the sze of the tortoise), but do keep bathing her so that she is well hydrated. I have never heard of the blended carrot mixture. I suppose it can't do great harm, but I really don't think it is necessary as she can go without food and also vitamins for a long time (think of when they are hibernating for three months -- they have no food or vitamins then).
I would try hand feeding her with some very tempting food -- preferably something that she really loves (some sort of flowers perhaps), or you could try a thin slice of peeled cucumber (most tortoises love cucumber), and if she takes that, then you could sprinkle her vitamin/calcium supplement (like Nutrobal) on it, just to get some extra calcium and vitamins into it. Tortoises will often respond to hand feeding, but you don't want to make a habit of it as after too much hand feeding she might not want to eat on her own (but a little at times like this does no harm).
In addition to being ill, she might also be going into hbernation mode. Many tortoises -- especially Horsfields -- are doing this at this time of year (they just don't want to wake up in the morning and don't want to eat. It's a bit early for hibe4rnation, so if she doesn't wake up in the mornings I would get her up and put her under the lamp, and make sure that the lights in her table are as bright as possible (you are trying to simulate a bright summer's day). What temperature is it directly below her heat source, at the height of her shell? We're having some cooler days now, so you might have to lower the lamp to get the right temperature (about 30C directly under the lamp at the height of her shell).
Best,
Nina
P.S. If you are really happy with the treatment your vet is giving her, can you email me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk with their details, so that we can consider adding them to our recommended list of vet if they aren't already on there? https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 0i-aovTW9s
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