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Hi, my hatchling red foot tortoise has a problem with keeping his eyes open for very long, he hasn't been eating as much as usual and when he closes his eyes I have to soak him in water to get him to open them back up. When his eyes close it almost looks like they are crusty. I have a cypress mulch and jungle mix substrate in his cage which is about 4 inches at the highest and 1 inch in his basking are but it's kept well watered. Thank You!

Hi, my hatchling red foot tortoise has a problem with keeping his eyes open for very long, he hasn't been eating as much as usual and when he closes his eyes I have to soak him in water to get him to open them back up. When his eyes close it almost looks like they are crusty. I have a cypress mulch and jungle mix substrate in his cage which is about 4 inches at the highest and 1 inch in his basking are but it's kept well watered. Thank You!

Updated On August 11th, 2017

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

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Check the lighting in his enclosure. It may be too bright for him which can be irritating. Rinse his eyes with a sterile saline solution in case he has debris from the substrate. An exam with your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles would be needed to diagnose eye infection or injury. Another possibility may be a Vitamin A deficiency. Feed a good quality commercial diet as well as dark, leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, dandelion greens, etc), carrots, squash and broccoli. Dust food with a calcium and multivitamin supplement as well.

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