Itchy eye

Question
Hi!! I have a 3 year old female Russian tortoise names Miss Eltoe. She s got an unbelievable apatite and she seems like a healthy happy little girl... Except recently she started rubbing her eye. She seems really bothered by it. What can it be? Please help!!

Answer
Hi Lidia,

If it's just one eye, it may simply be that she got a bit of grit or something in it.  Daily washing the eye with lukewarm water may help.  A corneal scratch or abrasion can happen, but it's not that common, so I wouldn't worry about taking her to the vet unless the irritation continues for longer than maybe two weeks.

If you're keeping her completely dry, that may also be a problem.  Russians should be kept on substrate that's at least a bit damp to keep the humidity up.  If you can post back and tell me how you have her set up, I can give you more advice on anything that needs to be corrected.