Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, guys, the photos below are of my best friend's one-year-old redtail named Rocky. She said she had in fact noticed it a while ago, but it never ever was like THIS. She gave him to me to take into my work (I work at an animal hospital) to have him looked at.

Has anyone experienced this before? I've been through retained eye caps, and I've seen various different problems at the hospital, but nothing like this!

What it is, how to fix it, advice-per-experience? I probably should ad he's active and is showing no signs of discomfort.

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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

It's an infection. The eye may or may not need to be drained, depends on if it keeps on swelling. It does look like the eye can still be saved, but alot of infections in and behind the eye end up choking the eye out. You'll have to figure out an anti-biotic regimine, but it doesn't look that bad. You usually see this in newborns, but it'll happen in older animals too.

I'm no epert by no means .I think it looks like an abcess
behind the eye.I once received a Dumerils Boa that had a
problem on top of his head and eye. It did something similar
to this with his eye.This was a baby though and still in
developmental stage.So I believe how I dealt with it worked
because it was so young.I applied pressure evereyday several
times a day for weeks until the eye went downand the open
sore soft area on top of his head healed .Applying Neosporin
to the head area.It did heal & the eye was not damaged.That
looks like it should have been dealt with a long time ago.I
believe the eye will be damaged.It really looks like infection that should be drained.A herp vet might be a better place for
this poor Boa to get help.If there are no herp vets at your facility is my point.There is better chance an experienced
herp vet has seen this or would have proper protocol to treat
it.
. . . . . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz

There Eric has an experienced intelligent answer for you.
. . . . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz

I have had this problem before you need to drain the eye with a small syringe then treat with topical eye antibiotic ointment. You may have to drain the eye every few days for a couple weeks before the infection goes away but it will work the eye still looks like it will not be damaged just be careful with the needle.

My first thought was some sort of infection.. like if they let a retained eye-cap go for so long it would have gotten infected and built up fluid...

The hospital I work at is exotic and avian, I just hope whats wrong with the little guy isn't, well, fatal.
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

Eyecaps wouldn't cause an infection. It is behind the eye, and all the fluid is draining into the cornea causing the eye cap to swell. I wouldn't drain it yet; Start your anti-biotics and see how it goes. If it responds to the ab's, you'll see the swelling slowly go down. If it continues swelling while on the ab's, you'll have to drain it and use different medication. As long as you can see the Retina you still have a shot at saving the eye. If it becomes cloudy or nasty, the eye wont last long and may have to be removed. It's pretty straight forward how to get it fixed, and more often than not these eye infections go away pretty quick once treatment is started.

I had the same issue, though it was with a baby. I was told that draining it was the worst thing that you could do. His eye remained clear the whole time. He didn't have his first shed for over a month, but when he did the fluid was gone. He still looks like the tissue around his eye is almost stretched out a little, but not puffy at all. It looks like it will be completely normal within a couple of sheds.

This could be completely different, but mine had the exact same appearance.