White bumps around Sulcata eyes...

Question
Hi, hoping you can shed some light.  I have a 3 year old Sulcata tortoise that lives outdoors in the AZ weather 24/7.  Heat is provided during the winter months.
I've noticed in that last few days this Sulcata has white bumps around her eyes--nothing inside the eye itself just on the outside.  She eats Timothy/Grass hay, feeds on my lawn which is all natural, and eats edible flowers/plants.
She has access to sun/shade and water 24/7.  I've tried to see if the bumps would flake off but because she's shy she pulls in everytime I try and stick my finger near her eye (ha ha who wouldn't).  Eating/pooping/drinking just fine.  Eyes are clear, nose is dry  - everything is fine besides the white bumps around her eyes.  
Is this dehydration?  They almost look like cauliflower bumps?

Thank you,
Chea (owner of 2 sulcatas)

Answer
Sounds like possibly inclusion cysts known as milia. This can happen with excessive UV exposure when the skin is damaged and proteins build up subcutaneously ( or if you are applying something around the eyes ). Being in Az., I'd say the UV damage is a big possibility. Being a tortoise, some of the softest, most damage-prone skin is going to be that immediately surrounding the eye and eyelids...since much of the rest is thicker scalation.  

You will need to have a vet extract them, and probably sedate her to do it being so close to the eye. He may decide to wait and see if changing environmental conditions may cause improvement without invasive procedure, but if they are really large I would be concerned about them turning septic.

Sulcatas are a burrowing species, and are not accustomed to being continually exposed to intense UV without opportunity to retreat completely. In Africa they burrow many feet underground, and don't
"live" on the surface.

Even a shaded area may not provide complete protection in Az. I have herped there, and UV scatter can be very intense under cover too. It bounces off of rocks, sand, and all sorts of things in the environment
and can still reach you.

I suggest you build them a shaded hide with an igloo like entrance which will provide plenty of space for them to stand off out of the sun, and reduce the amount of UV reaching them through the entrance. Sulcata also enjoy mud holes to thow mud on themselves in order to stay hydrated and protect themselves from the intense African sun. I would highly suggest building one, along with a seperate clean wadeing pool. Access to drinking water in bowls is not enough when you live in Az. If you can provide areas of a foot or two of loose above ground soil for them to burrow in, that would be good too.

In such locations, I normally recommend 50% or more of your outdoor habitat be shaded. I am a keeper of several species of Phrynosoma Horned Lizards, which are native to Sonora and Mojave. Even they require 50% or more shaded areas for outdoor enclosures. The amount of UV exposure available in Az. makes HEAVY shading necessary.