bubbles in his eyes

Question
HI there. I rescued a sulcata 6 months ago. We think hes 10 - he weighs 51 lbs. His house is at 90-95 at night durning the day he lives in los angeles weather. He lives in a large dog house. He eats LOTs of hay, dandylion, celery, sometimes a tomatoe. He has a huge frot and back yard to eat from. He sometimes eats our dogs poop. I work very hard to keep that from happening. I started noticing bubbles in his eyes and took him to the vet. His blood work came back ok, but was given eye drops. They didnt work so I was given an oral pill. 2 weeks of oral and his eyes are still bubbling. I soak him 1-3 times a week for 30 mins. I've seen him put his mouth in his water dish twice in the last 6 months. What am I doing wrong and why are the medicins not working. I am financial at a breaking with the medical bills and the VCA wont reexamine at a discounted rate dispite both of there medicines mot working. ????

Answer
Hello Chad Michael,

First of all: You should, turn of the UV-light during the night (saves a lot of energy). Just a tip.

I don't know what the veterinarian gave you for your tortoise's eyes, but Gentocin drops is usually the best for an eyeproblem (If the causes is dirty substrates or scratches in the eyes). Unfortunately,
However, swollen eyes is usually a sign of an upcoming RI (Respiratory infection) so only using eyedrops won't help.
If you suspects that your tortoise has RI, the best things to do is
to make sure that the habitat is proper (Clean enough, right temperature etc). You also need to (And this is very important) keep the tortoise away from drafts and breezes, keep it warm.

Eventually, you might have to do some changes in the diet. 80-90% grass, plants and dark, leafy greens, with the balance made up of fresh vegetables, and occasional small amounts of fruit - is a perfect balanced diet for a Sulcata.

You also mentioned that he doesn't drink enough water. Making a tortoise drink is not an easy task, but there is one trick that usually works and that is to bathe the tortoise.
Bathing the tortoise 2-3 times/week (Or more) is, not only a good way to make it drink, but it's also very good for the skin as well.


Best wishes
Sara