My little Truck is keeping his right eye shit, he's beenikr it for over a week and I've taken him to the vet twice now and he's been prescribed an antibiotic gel to put on it and to keep bathing it.
It doesn't appear swollen and there's no discharge so far, he's eating well and seems happy. We don't know if he's injured it as not seen anything.
Has anyone else had this issue? The vet said to continue with the gel and bathing indefinitely.
Tortoise right eye not opening.
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Aww, poor little Truck -- I'm really sorry to hear that. Can I ask if your vet has 'exotics' qualifications (meaning he is qualified to treat reptiles, birds, etc.)? If you're not sure, you can email me his name and the practice and I can do a quick check for you -- nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk
Having said that, the vet might well be right and the antibiotic gel might do the trick -- but I think that would only work if the eye was closed because of an infection. What happens often is that an eye is closed because a bit of grit or something got into it. What substrate are you using in his indoor enclosure?
Bathing the eye is good advice, and the best thing to use for bathing are the eye drops that you can buy at the chemist for dry and irritated eyes. The drops you want are the ones with hypromellose -- here is one of the ones they sell at Boots, but you can get them anywhere -- just make sure the ingredient is hypromellose: https://www.boots.com/boots-hypromellos ... l-10169330
I would bathe the eye with those several times a day, and if the eye is closed because something has got into it then they should work (but keep applying the antibiotic gel as well.
Also, if you give Truck his usual nice warm baths in water that comes just up to his chin, he will probably duck his head into the water and might well even rub his eye with his leg and that might help to get any foreign object out.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Nina
Having said that, the vet might well be right and the antibiotic gel might do the trick -- but I think that would only work if the eye was closed because of an infection. What happens often is that an eye is closed because a bit of grit or something got into it. What substrate are you using in his indoor enclosure?
Bathing the eye is good advice, and the best thing to use for bathing are the eye drops that you can buy at the chemist for dry and irritated eyes. The drops you want are the ones with hypromellose -- here is one of the ones they sell at Boots, but you can get them anywhere -- just make sure the ingredient is hypromellose: https://www.boots.com/boots-hypromellos ... l-10169330
I would bathe the eye with those several times a day, and if the eye is closed because something has got into it then they should work (but keep applying the antibiotic gel as well.
Also, if you give Truck his usual nice warm baths in water that comes just up to his chin, he will probably duck his head into the water and might well even rub his eye with his leg and that might help to get any foreign object out.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Nina
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Hello Nina thank you so much for your help.
The vet I took him to was recommended by a friend who takes her tortoise and they treat tortoises on a regular basis, one of the vets there also has her own. He told me they had 4 tortoises in that had been hibernated for too long which was sad but managed to save them all and advised me not hibernate Truck this year which I already knew, my nearest exotic vet is an hour and half away but maybe I should take him there if he still don't open it?
In his tortoise table is Komodo Tortoise Eco terrain and outside enclosure is just topsoil, I did wonder if it's a irritation thing?
I will get the drops tomorrow and try them, he also said to bathe his eye in tea lol.
The vet I took him to was recommended by a friend who takes her tortoise and they treat tortoises on a regular basis, one of the vets there also has her own. He told me they had 4 tortoises in that had been hibernated for too long which was sad but managed to save them all and advised me not hibernate Truck this year which I already knew, my nearest exotic vet is an hour and half away but maybe I should take him there if he still don't open it?
In his tortoise table is Komodo Tortoise Eco terrain and outside enclosure is just topsoil, I did wonder if it's a irritation thing?
I will get the drops tomorrow and try them, he also said to bathe his eye in tea lol.
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
It's always hard to say if a vet is good or not, but if a friend recommended yours and they regularly treat tortoises, and you had confidence in them then I would stick with them for the time being.
The Komodo Tortoise Eco Terrain is absolutely fine, but there's no need to buy an expensive tortoise substrate. A cheaper alternative, and what most of us use is a mix ordinary screened topsoil and children's play sand -- and bags of both of these can be bought at garden centres, Homebase etc. Many people recommend mixing it 50/50, but I find that my tortoises prefer it to be mixed about 70% topsoil and 30% children's play sand. If you're happy with the Komodo substrate then it's absolutely fine to stick with that.
With any of these substrates, they can get really dusty under the lights indoors, and so it's necessary to give it a light spray of water every couple of days, to keep the dust down (and dust particles can sometimes get into a tortoise's eyes). What I do is about twice a week (or when it has got dry and dusty) I pour some water onto the substrate and mix it up really well, so that the end result is just the teeniest, tiniest bit damp -- not at all wet -- just so that if you put some substrate in your hand and make a fist then it just begins to clump together.. But a good spray every other day or so is good too.
I do hope that the treatment you are trying helps to clear up Truck's eye problem, and please keep us informed.
Nina
The Komodo Tortoise Eco Terrain is absolutely fine, but there's no need to buy an expensive tortoise substrate. A cheaper alternative, and what most of us use is a mix ordinary screened topsoil and children's play sand -- and bags of both of these can be bought at garden centres, Homebase etc. Many people recommend mixing it 50/50, but I find that my tortoises prefer it to be mixed about 70% topsoil and 30% children's play sand. If you're happy with the Komodo substrate then it's absolutely fine to stick with that.
With any of these substrates, they can get really dusty under the lights indoors, and so it's necessary to give it a light spray of water every couple of days, to keep the dust down (and dust particles can sometimes get into a tortoise's eyes). What I do is about twice a week (or when it has got dry and dusty) I pour some water onto the substrate and mix it up really well, so that the end result is just the teeniest, tiniest bit damp -- not at all wet -- just so that if you put some substrate in your hand and make a fist then it just begins to clump together.. But a good spray every other day or so is good too.
I do hope that the treatment you are trying helps to clear up Truck's eye problem, and please keep us informed.
Nina
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Thank you Nina, I don't know what I would do without yours and Lin's advice.
My friend said to try topsoil and coconut coir mix as it could be less dusty would this be ok for Tortoises?
Thanks again
My friend said to try topsoil and coconut coir mix as it could be less dusty would this be ok for Tortoises?
Thanks again
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Oh gosh, what a sweet little tortoise Truck is! I can see that his eye is shut, but I'm not a vet and so can't really diagnose anything. I've asked Lin to have a look in case she has any ideas. The fact that Truck is still eating might indicate that it isn't an infection or something serious, but just that a bit of something got into his eye, and hopefully the gel and the bathing will get him back to normal (that's just a hunch on my part, but I hope I'm right).
Nina
Nina
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Hi Anandita, Truck is a cutie all wrapped up nice and snug.
I don’t know if I am imagining it but is there a little mark where I have circled it on Trucks photo?
I would also say keep on with the get but I do think drops would absorb better. What is the gel called?
As for the substrate - this was posted on Tortoise Trust earlier today, have a look at that substrate and if it’s visible try and read what has been said -
Plain topsoil indoors and children’s playsand mixed around 50/50 is going to be much better than coco coir.
Hope that’s helpful but do let us know the name of the gel.
Lin
Anandita wrote:
> Thank you Nina, I don't know what I would do without yours and Lin's
> advice.
>
> My friend said to try topsoil and coconut coir mix as it could be less
> dusty would this be ok for Tortoises?
>
> Thanks again
I don’t know if I am imagining it but is there a little mark where I have circled it on Trucks photo?
I would also say keep on with the get but I do think drops would absorb better. What is the gel called?
As for the substrate - this was posted on Tortoise Trust earlier today, have a look at that substrate and if it’s visible try and read what has been said -
Plain topsoil indoors and children’s playsand mixed around 50/50 is going to be much better than coco coir.
Hope that’s helpful but do let us know the name of the gel.
Lin
Anandita wrote:
> Thank you Nina, I don't know what I would do without yours and Lin's
> advice.
>
> My friend said to try topsoil and coconut coir mix as it could be less
> dusty would this be ok for Tortoises?
>
> Thanks again
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Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Hello lin thank you for your help.
The gel is chloramphenicol 1.0% antibiotic eye ointment. I don't think it is a mark but I'll have a better look when I get him out, I'm trying not to stress him too much after being at the vet again yesterday and having to clean his eye and put the gel on 3 times a day.
The gel is chloramphenicol 1.0% antibiotic eye ointment. I don't think it is a mark but I'll have a better look when I get him out, I'm trying not to stress him too much after being at the vet again yesterday and having to clean his eye and put the gel on 3 times a day.
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Here's a photo I've just taken while cleaning the eye.
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Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Hi Anandita,
Chloramphenicol gel is often used as a topical treatment in humans ( https://tinyurl.com/2p8knc5v ) and is used on tortoises too, so it might well work if the reason for the eye being shut is an infection. If it's a bit of grit then you do want to keep up the bathing (cool boiled water, hypromellose eye drops, etc.). And you are right not to stress him, so just continue what you are doing and let us know how it goes.
Nina
Chloramphenicol gel is often used as a topical treatment in humans ( https://tinyurl.com/2p8knc5v ) and is used on tortoises too, so it might well work if the reason for the eye being shut is an infection. If it's a bit of grit then you do want to keep up the bathing (cool boiled water, hypromellose eye drops, etc.). And you are right not to stress him, so just continue what you are doing and let us know how it goes.
Nina
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Thank you so much for all you help I will keep on and us the eye drops too, I just don't want him to loose the eye as it's been like it for over a week now 
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
You're doing everything you can for him, and you're doing everything right. Hopefully he will pull through this. I must say he is one sweet looking little tortoise, and hopefully he will be back to normal soon.
Nina
Nina
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Hiya Anandita.
I was hoping you were going to say Chloramphenicol, it’s perfect (I use it on my own eyes) and it does come in drops form and I find they are much easier to administer and so much less stressful. A vet will also prescribe it for runny nose issues.
I’m just going to look at the photo and see if it looks different in a new photo.
No, I can’t see a mark on this photo so it might have just been me.
I know I’m a pest but could you send in a photo without a cover over him, it’s just to check to see if he is a little dry and one of his setup do that I can see if there any little tweaks to make that could help.
Lin
Anandita wrote:
> Hello lin thank you for your help.
>
> The gel is chloramphenicol 1.0% antibiotic eye ointment. I don't think it
> is a mark but I'll have a better look when I get him out, I'm trying not to
> stress him too much after being at the vet again yesterday and having to
> clean his eye and put the gel on 3 times a day.
I was hoping you were going to say Chloramphenicol, it’s perfect (I use it on my own eyes) and it does come in drops form and I find they are much easier to administer and so much less stressful. A vet will also prescribe it for runny nose issues.
I’m just going to look at the photo and see if it looks different in a new photo.
No, I can’t see a mark on this photo so it might have just been me.
I know I’m a pest but could you send in a photo without a cover over him, it’s just to check to see if he is a little dry and one of his setup do that I can see if there any little tweaks to make that could help.
Lin
Anandita wrote:
> Hello lin thank you for your help.
>
> The gel is chloramphenicol 1.0% antibiotic eye ointment. I don't think it
> is a mark but I'll have a better look when I get him out, I'm trying not to
> stress him too much after being at the vet again yesterday and having to
> clean his eye and put the gel on 3 times a day.
Re: Tortoise right eye not opening.
Inside enclosure, I'm changing the lighting to a proT5 uvb and separate basking light rather than the combined basking/uvb I have now, literally just received the set up this morning. My dad is also making a my h bigger table for Truck as we speak
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