White puffy eyes

Question
Hi, my adult Russian tortoise sleeps with white puffy eyelids. but when hes awake his eyes are wide open and he seems fine. is this normal?

Answer
Hi Michael,

Their eyelids can appear naturally light in color, so that may not be abnormal, but puffiness is.  I would check over your husbandry to make sure you're keeping him correctly--especially in terms of moisture.  Puffy or irritated eyes are often due to dehydration.  Here's the basic care info:

1)  Roomy enclosure--NOT a tank.  Tortoises need plenty of room and good air circulation.

2)  A substrate that holds moisture.  I use a mix of coir (bed-a-beast) and playsand, and keep it a little moist at all times.  Check every few days to make sure it's damp all the way through.  Also provide a large water dish that the tortoise can get into to soak on his own.

3)  Basking temperatures of 90-95 and cooler temperatures of 70-75.  You need either a combination heat/UVB bulb (T-Rex Active UVheat) or separate heat/UVB bulbs.  UVB is very important.  If you have an outside pen during the warmer months, that's even better.

4)  A good, varied diet of leafy greens, weeds, and flowers.  No fruit, veggies, or pellets.  The more variety the better.

Additional care information can be found at www.russiantortoise.org.  If there's any changes you need to make, you'll probably see an improvement in his eyes fairly quickly.  If they stay puffy, or you notice any other symptoms such as lethargy or lack of appetite, check with your herp vet.