Urgent Care :: naxi's eyes

[naxi15]

[size=18]my turtle wont open its eyes when its above the surface[/size]
How big is your turtle? 3.5-4 in
How long have you had it? since july

What is the water temperature? 74 ish
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? about 18 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 85-89
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? turtle dock or something like that i dont have the box with me
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? reptomin for babies
When was the last time your turtle ate? like 2 or 3 hours ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 22 gallons
Is the tank near a window? yea but the window remains close
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yea

Have you read the Basic Care section? yea
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yea but i cant find exactly what i was looking for

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? naxi wont open its eyes when it reaches the surface, however when its in the water most of the time it has its eyes open please help!!!!!

[Vtolds]

I can tell you why he keeps his eyes close but I know you should raise the water temp to about 78 to 80 degrees and raise the basking area too about 90, especially for a RES that small.

[naxi15]

well as i said i have a water heater n stuf it might be that cold because the temperatures are cold where i live

[SpotsMama]

The only way to know what the temps are is to measure them with a thermometer. Even if you have a water heater you can't be sure it's working right without measuring - it's not unusual for heaters to be inaccurate.

Are your turtle's eyes swollen?

[naxi15]

they r a little bit swollen if at all its just awkward because it only started happening yesterday right after i changed the water

[SpotsMama]

Watch out for any other negative changes - turtle acting lethargic or wanting to bask all the time, poor appetite, swimming tilted or difficulty submerging, yawning a lot or breathing with the mouth open, mucus around the mouth or nose. If you notice any of these symptoms in addition to the eye irritation, then your turtle may be coming down with a respiratory infection which is serious and will need to be treated by a vet.

However, lots of things besides respiratory infection can cause eye irritation in turtles - infection or injury, water that isn't clean, lack of vitamin a in the diet, too much chlorine in the water, too much conditioner in the water, exposure to certain UVB light bulbs that are too strong, or eyes that dry out because a turtle is basking all the time.

What kind of UVB light do you use (brand name and strength)?

If your turtle just has some minor irritation, then you can treat it with some eye drops from the pet store called Turtle Eye Drops by Zoo Med. Just follow the directions on the box. If the drops don't help, let us know and we'll try to help some more.

[megcornell]

You said you just changed the water... did you use a different water conditioner than normal or is it possible you used too much?

[naxi15]

i actually dont use water conditioner i didnt know i was supposed to could you please recomend some.... ill try to put some pictures up tmrw asap because right now the turtle is sleeping so i dont want to wake it up

[steve]

Can you answer the UVB questions posted... (brand, strength, when did you start using it, the distance...)

[naxi15]

EXO-TERRA SUN-GLO Neodymium Daylight Lamp
15w
I've been using it since i got the turtle
the lamp is aprox 12-13 in away from the basking area

I actually dont think my turtle has an RI since none of the symptoms are there, the only thing that has changed with it, its that it doesn't come to eat as fast as it did before like if it couldnt see the food, but once the pellets capture its attention it eats fine

Im going to try the eyedrops today

[naxi15]

if you go to this website you could see the pictures of my turtle

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562081365jfFOGh

[SpotsMama]

Yes, his eyes do look irritated.

The light bulb is not what's irritating his eyes. In fact, the bulb isn't even a UVB bulb. Unfortunately, you've been mislead by the language on the bulb's packaging which describes it as "full spectrum". It does produce UVA but not the UVB your turtle has to have in order to metabolize calcium. Only bulbs that say on the packaging that they produce UVB are good. They also have to specify the percentage UVB produced. You need something between 5.0 and 10.0 percent.

Another exo terra bulb that does produce UVB is the exo terra repti glo 5.0 26 watt compact fluorescent bulb. However, this bulb doesn't produce heat. People with setups like yours have to use two lightbulbs to provide the two things a turtle needs - one bulb for heat and one for UVB. The heat bulb can be a regular plain household incandescent light bulb. Some people use a 75 watt bulb for heat. Both bulbs - heat and UVB - should be positioned over the turtle's basking platform

A good water conditioner is Reptisafe. It's blue colored and neutralizes chlorine and chloramine and does other things that are beneficial.

I doubt it's anything in the water that's causing your turtle's eye irritation because it seems like if that were the case he'd be keeping his eyes closed when in the water and open them when he was out. However, I could be wrong.

If there's a minor vitamin a deficiency the eye drops should help as they contain vitamin a. If they don't help after a couple of days then it's time for a trip to the vet. Keep watch for other symptoms of RI.

When you're picking up the eye drops and water conditioner, that would be a good time to pick up a UVB light bulb for your turtle. If you need a second light fixture for heat you can pick up an inexpensive clamp fixture at Lowes or Home Depot.

[naxi15]

i actually have a heat light so thats fine however thanx for the info ill be sure to change the light bulb and make sure it says uvb n not uva thanks a bunch u have no idea how much u helped the last thing i want is for my turtle to be suffering.

ill be sure to update u with the latest info