Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...as to what is wrong with your tort if they do not open an eye. one eye opens fine, but the other hardly opens at all and even then takes a while to get there. i was wondering because i recently lost a hatchling sulcata to what i thought was a respiratory infection. i was giving him medication, but he died anyway. i later realized that one eye was always closed. is this just an effect of the respiratory infection? or does it need to be treated seperately? has anybody had to deal with this before, because any knowledge would help me in the future. thanks.

the same thing happens to my sulcata hatchling. one eye will open ok and the other will slowly but surely. i give him a 10 minute bath usually every other day,more frequently if needed and whenever i put him in the tub his eyes open just fine after being a little wet,and i always swab them with a q-tip.id also like to find a remedy or explanation for this.

This is pretty much just dry eyes. A little drop of water or soaking will usually do the trick provided the tortoise is relatively healthy.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Could the tortoise be possibly be dehydrated? Do you keep a water bowl in his cage at all times so he/she can take advantage of it?

Just some thoughts.

I, too, think this is a sign of dehydration. Sulcata's require more humidity than many people think. I met a woman at a reptile show who said that in '02 she purchased 6 hatchling Sulcata's from Daytona Reptile Show. She said that one by one they began to swell up, their eyes close and that every one of them DIED!!! I asked her if she soaked her tortoises? She asked what I meant by that and then said she was not aware of the fact that these little ones need to be soaked. I know this is hard to believe because this lady and her husband are well known in the snake world and regularly have tables at the local shows. I, for one, soak my hatchling Sulcata's everyday because they are kept in my house the humidity is low. I also mist their enclosure everyday. They respond with increased appetite and activity.

thanks everyone. that is what i suspected, but ruled it out because i soaked him atleast a couple of times a week. it was pretty hot and dry, though. as long as no one replied that it is a very serious condition that i have to worry about, then i am relieved. i will continue to soak and try to increase the humidity for my other torts. thanks again.

Look into providing a humid hide area for the guy and see what happens. Make sure it is warm though.
Ed
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

i feed my hatchling every other day so while i prepare his food i bathe him for approx. 10 mins and his eyes open right up.i havent had the problem of them not being able to open once yet. he drinks normally while in the tub,and i even catch him sitting in his water dish on the off days sometimes, so i dont think dehydration is too big of a problem. i have read that suually in a tort habitat the most humid place would be their hide,or burrow. ive been thinking of a way to add a little humidifier to that area only,i still have to think things out. i am worried about doing all that misting though. scared of a RI. so far everythings ok and i keep water and qtips handy for when i need to clean his eyes, which is only to open them. so far so good,thanks for the relief.