Poor eye sight

[Tarzan]

I have just rescued a hermanns tortoise who was kept in pet shop conditions, as a result he has a long beak, long claws, he's tiny and he seems to have very poor eyesight. I can put my finger right in front of his eye and he won't flinch, also to eat he pushes his beak against things first, as though to sniff them then eat. What can cause loss of eyesight? Could there be an underlying problem such as mbd?

[Gordon]

He sounds like he is blind do you know if he was ever hibernated as if he was and the temps were to low this can cause blindness or very poor sight.
Or he could of just been born that way, if you say he is very small that could be why he has just never been able to see enough food to grow

[wigwamman]

hi there,the long beak and claws is an easy fix so no need to worry,a full check up with a tortoise vet would be the best place to start.do you know its age and how long its been kept in the conditions you describe? with the best conditions a tort can bounce back quite well,can you put some photos up for us to see as this may help.

[burnt toast]

Hello I have a blind tortoise. Had her a while now & she manages just fine so I can give you plenty of help & tips. PM me. In the mean time any info on the "pet shop conditions" he has been kept in & how you keep him now would be great. (type, size of enclosure, lighting, substrate) I actually find mine does better in a smaller enclosure

[Tarzan]

He was actually a present from me to my sister 5 years ago, she was mad on them so I bought him for her 21st birthday and he is the reason I fell in love with them, he hasn't always been blind, the temps were ok, she used a ceramic bulb with a thermostat to control it. She kept him on wood clippings and fed him shop greens. I only see her 3 times a year and when I did he never had any food or water and she never bathed him. I think that's the reason for the stunted growth, his skin was dry and cracked and his shell dry, he can still find his food ok, I've had him just under a week and I've been feeding him a good bunch of weeds a day and he's demolished it every day, I will post some pictures ASAP thank you all for your help, he will be going to a vet soon, one that specialises in reptiles.

[burnt toast]

I would say you have hit the nail on the head there with the stunted growth Tarzan. Dehydration stops them absorbing vital vitamins & minerals from the food they eat & this in turn causes stunted growth

I would say to start bathing daily & grab some abidec (orange box) & add about half an inch in the pipett provided to a warm shallow bath then top up with warm water to keep him in it as long as possible.

This may also help his eyes. I would also avoid foods with high oxylactic acid content as these can compound dehydration.

Here is a link
http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/brand...match_be_plid_
They are available to buy from chemists or supermarkets (orange box)

[Tarzan]

[Tarzan]

[Tarzan]

Great! I will try that abidec thank you I hope we can help his eyes a tiny bit

[Nellie and Morla]

Awww he's adorable. I don't think he's done too badly considering his start. It's sad that this is his story, pet shop, your sister not doing as much as she should for him, but it's so good he's got this far in such a state and you're already improving his life so much.