My baby sulcata tortoise keeps rubbing his eye with his leg and his eye doesn't open all the way sometimes, it also isn't moving as much as usual but it's still eating like usual.
When the Vet is Not an Option by: wishfulthinking777
Treat you Tortoise like a child. Is there some sort of cloudyness or even a eye gunk present when the eye will not open all the way? Also, what type of substrate or bedding are you using? One thing to keep in mind, make sure the tank is sanitary. I suggest a thorough clean-out of the tank with a bedding change. Keep the water bowl as well as food dish clean and off the substrate. When soaking, make sure to rinse the tortoise off gently and dry him very well. Keep warm until fully dried. As for the eye:
Wet a warm rag and gently squeeze warm water over the affected eye and lightly wipe around the eye every few hours or at least once a day and see if that helps.
If it does not seem to be helping, and you absolutely cannot afford the vet, you could try getting some eye drops from the local pet store. You might not be able to find a specific "tortoise" eye drop, however, you may be able to find one for a water turtle such as a red eared slider, or for snakes or iguanas. Read the label and proceed with caution as you do not want to hurt your tortoise.
Go as far as to call a vet in your state who specializes in tortoises and tell them your plan and see if they agree. Just proceed with caution.
Hope this helps. Ive been raising these for years, if you would like more info check out my squidoo article http://www.squidoo.com/sulcata-tortoises I think I may find a way to work this question in there.
Apr 23, 2010
Eye problems by: Shelly
Your pet needs to see a vet. Eye problems are serious because the animal will not be able to find its food.