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WORRIED! Gray film over half of Hermann's eye.

walkerman May 30, 2004 07:52 PM

My three year old Hermann's tortoise has a gray film over one of her eyes. It is shaped like a "V" and it covers the bottom portion of the eye. It just showed up all of a sudden. she is still eating great and she is very active. The other eye looks fine and there is no discharge from her nose, eyes or mouth. Maybe an injury? Eye infection? I know it's hard to tell from a description, but any help would be appreciated. I am looking for a Vet as we speak. Thanks for the help.

Replies (8)

ecoman May 31, 2004 03:47 AM

how long since this happen? are his/her water dish and substrates in sound condition?

walkerman May 31, 2004 11:55 AM

I have her on newspaper with some slate rocks on top to hold them down. The slate also helps wear her claws down. The substrate gets changed when needed, but usually it gets messed up daily. She defacates and then drags it around the tank messing everything up. I then give her new paper, and many times new slate. She is a very active tort, always ramming around. Right now she is knocking a cuttlebone around. I noticed the film on the eye two days ago. Could it be an injury? The film seems to have moved overnight now it is a bit smaller. I am still worried though.

walkerman May 31, 2004 11:57 AM

Also I do not keep water in her tank. I soak her every few days until she defacates or tries to climb out of the dish.

ecoman Jun 02, 2004 03:27 AM

paper could get too dry, dusty or moldy over time, it could also means vitamin A deficiency (mostly with aquatics), how 's the humidity level in the cage? how often do you have him/her outdoor?

walkerman Jun 02, 2004 07:02 PM

I do not mist her or anything. The humidity is what ever it is in the room(it varies.) What humidity should it be? She goes outside about once a week. Now that she is bigger I want to keep her outside a lot more, however the nights have been really cold and it has rained so much here in the Northeast I think I need to build an ark! I soaked her the last few days in tepid water and the eye actually looks a bit better. Should I give her a vitamin A suppliment anyway? Can too much "A" hurt her? Thanks for all the help.

ecoman Jun 03, 2004 04:56 AM

it's good to hear that he/she is improving, I would pay more attention to what you are doing right now on a daily basis by keeping it clean, dust free and raise the humidity (in the enclosure) a bit, if he/she had a regular natural diet and is receiving the amount of day light as what you discribed, i would hold off on artificial supplements...there are just too many junks out there I'm not an advocate for that.

walkerman Jun 05, 2004 08:25 PM

The eye looks even better today. I am not sure what was wrong or why? I am glad it has worked out though. Thanks for the advice.

ecoman Jun 06, 2004 03:57 AM

sounds like you're heading to the right ball park...clean air, water, humidity ...all basic husbandry can sometimes be overlooked by many people.

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