Why is my red foot tortoise lethargic with closed eyes and soft shell?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Hi, my red foot tortoise has been very lethargic lately and his eyes have been staying closed. The only time he opens them is when I pick him up and that's only occasionally they will open or when I soak him in water and the usually does the trick. I've also noticed his shell is considerably soft, I dont know if thats because he is a hatchling though. Also I've noticed he looks to be bloating. Please help.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 15th, 2017
Make sure he is not chilled. Low temps can affect activity in reptiles. A Vitamin A deficiency may be responsible for the eye issues. Feed a good quality commercial diet and supplement with dark, leafy greens and fresh vegetables. Dust food with a calcium and multivitamin supplement several times weekly as well. Provide an adequate UVA/UVB light source that runs the length of the tank. Position it no more than 14 inches away from him. Do not place glass or plexiglass between him and the UVB source. Juveniles normally have a soft shell until about 6-8 months of age when it begins to harden.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 4th, 2018
Check the temperature in the enclosure. Low temps can affect activity in reptiles. You can soak him for 20 minutes in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will warm Tart up and provide hydration. Offer fresh greens and vegetables as well as a commercial tortoise diet afterwards. If he doesn't eat or remains lethargic, have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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My baby sulucta tortoise is not very active and not opening his eyes much
Check the temperature in the enclosure. Low temps can affect activity in reptiles. You can soak him for 20 minutes in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will warm Tart up and provide hydration. Offer fresh greens and vegetables as well as a commercial tortoise diet afterwards. If he doesn't eat or remains lethargic, have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my hatchling red foot tortoise has a problem with keeping his eyes open for very long, he hasn't been eating as much as usual and when he closes his eyes I have to soak him in water to get him to open them back up. When his eyes close it almost l
Check the lighting in his enclosure. It may be too bright for him which can be irritating. Rinse his eyes with a sterile saline solution in case he has debris from the substrate. An exam with your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles would be needed to diagnose eye infection or injury. Another possibility may be a Vitamin A deficiency. Feed a good quality commercial diet as well as dark, leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, dandelion greens, etc), carrots, squash and broccoli. Dust food with a calcium and multivitamin supplement as well.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
hi, my pet turtle is about 2 inches in size. it is a red eared slider. it is inactive since 3 days. it always stays on stone closing its eyes, even if i disturb it.it is struggling to open eyes.please help me by suggesting any medicine to make it ac
Check the water temperature and ambient temperature. Low temps can affect appetite and activity in reptiles. Keep the water between 24 C and 30 C. A basking spot out of the water should be 29 C to 31 C. UVB lighting should also be provided. Maintain water quality to prevent infections and feed an appropriate diet with vitamin and mineral supplementation. A vitamin A deficiency can cause swelling of the eyes. Repti-Turtle Eye Drops (by Zoo Med) can be used to help the eyes. Find it online or in the local pet store. Soak the little guy in a 50/50 mix of warm water and an electrolyte replacement beverage to maintain hydration. You can read more about care here: http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a tortoise (8months) and the last few days he has lost his appetite, become less active, struggles to open his eyes and keeps openning his mouth
First, check the temperatures in his enclosure. Low temps can affect activity and appetite in reptiles. Next check for elevated humidity levels. Too much can predispose him to a respiratory infection. The symptoms reported may indicate an infection or a nutritional deficiency, maybe both. Ideally, he should be examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating tortoises. If he has a respiratory infection he will need prescription antibiotics. In the meantime, increase temps by a few degrees to aid in any recovery.Give him a good long soak (at least 30 minutes) in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte/DioraLyte.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My tortoise ‘Tank’ is being very lethargic and not eating. He usually walks around a lot and eats often. Not the case now. His eyes are swollen and seem to be white around the outide. He has been refusing to eat for the past week. I have and have
Continue to treat as indicated by your veterinarian. Offer a varied diet rich in Vitamin A. Broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, dandelion greens and collard greens are just a few foods rich in this vitamin. Confirm proper temperature. A cold tortoise will not eat. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 30 minutes. This will warm him up and may treat or prevent mild dehydration.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my tortoise wont open its eyes i was told its lack of vit a i have been bathing him in pureed carrot . his eyes are moving under neath
Hello there. Yes it does sound like a Vitamin A deficiency. Bathing him in carrot puree is not likely to help. You need to get him some topical eye drops such as these: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11311&cmpid=07cseYY&ref=6196&subref=AA&cmpid=PLA_G_6196&gclid=CK6lo834ktQCFVKPfgodyvoJKA I am unsure what product is comparable in the UK. If you go to a reptile pet store I am sure they would have something. You honestly need to address the husbandry issues - diet, humidity, lighting, etc. This article may help. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1797&aid=2589 Reptiles have a slow metabolism so they get sick slowly and hence it will take a long time for them to get well. Don't expect an overnight fix. My best recommendation would be to have him evaluated by a reptile veterinarian so you can get the best treatment plan as he may have more going on than just the Vitamin A issue. I hope this helps. Dr. Amber
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a red eared slider turtle of 5 months old. Recently his shell has become soft from edges is this something i should worried of. And if i am doing something wrong please tell a proper way to pet him.
Sam may not be getting enough calcium and UVB light exposure. This can lead to a soft shell. Make sure he has at least 30-60 minutes of exposure to full, unfiltered sunlight each day or provide a UVB light source in his tank. It should be no more than 12-16 inches from the surface of the basking area depending on the type of bulb. It should not be blocked by glass, plexiglass or fine mesh. The ZooMed ReptiSun bulb is an excellent light source. Feed a commercial pelleted diet and supplement with fresh greens and prey. Dust with a calcium supplement and a multivitamin. Leave a cuttlebone in the tank as a source of calcium that can be munched on when needed. It would appear there may be a vitamin A deficiency based on the swollen eyes in the image posted. Feed red or orange vegetables and dark, leafy greens as these contain higher levels of vitamin A. ZooMed Repti Turtle Eye Drops should also help. You can find it online or in most pet stores. The link below will provide more inform
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
We have a Sulcata tortoise who is approx 6 mo old. His enclosure is kept at 85° ambient with a basking spot of around 100°, his humidity we try to keep at around 70-80% and he has a few humid places to hide. He has a UVB lamp. We feed him greens, kal
This could be due to a vitamin A deficiency. Be sure to feed a balanced diet and supplement with a powdered multi vitamin dusted onto food. If this doesn't help, see your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles to diagnose illness or injury. Try to get the humidity down to between 40% and 60%. Maintain the humid hides at the levels described.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My tortoise will barely open his eyes and when he does they are more white than black. Ive went to the vets twice and got eye drops but they haven't worked. I've changed his heat lamp and substrate but still no. What is wrong with him?
Have him rechecked for vitamin A deficiency. Your herp vet can give an injection or dispense oral beta-carotene which Herman can convert to the active form of vitamin A. Dust food with a multivitamin powder 2-3 times weekly. A calcium supplement can be offered the other days. Use a 10% UVB light source making sure it is not blocked by glass or plexiglass. Consider a ceramic heat emitter instead of a bright heat lamp. Rinse the eyes with sterile saline solution if he allows. Monitor humidity levels and air circulation in the enclosure. Remove any furniture that may cause eye trauma.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi there, I m Alexis and I am from Malaysia. I have an Indian Star tortoise. Recently I noticed that its eyes are a little red. Does tortoises' eyes always have a little redness in them or is there is something else (ie maybe there is an infection or
Hello Alexis! Thank you for using Boop by Petco. Without seeing the redness in the eyes myself it is difficult for me to say if there is a problem or not. I can tell you that one of the problems we see with tortoises and turtles is hypovitaminosis A (low vitamin A levels in the blood) which can cause eye problems. This low vitamin A typically happens when the tortoise is not being a fed a diet that is quite right and/or he is not getting the proper lighting. So, I suggest you refer to the link below about how to properly feed and provide lighting for your tortoise. If the eyes become swollen and he can't open them, then I would be worried. ( https://www.reptilecentre.com/info-indian-star-tortoise-care-sheet ) I hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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