Urgent Care :: my turtle keeps his eye closed

[Zain]

How big is your turtle? 1 1/2 inches

How long have you had it? 5 mnths


What is the water temperature? 78

Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? no

What is the basking temperature? 80-81
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes he basks on his rock

Is there a UVB light? no i take him out in the sun everymorning

What have you been trying to feed it? apple, eath worms, pellets

When was the last time your turtle ate? he ate properly a week ago


Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes but he is used to us and he likes to play



Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? he isnt lethargic exactly ... he becomes very active ... but he is sleeping a lot and he keeps his left eye cloesd even when swimming ... he isnt eating... he doesnt beg for food ... which is strange...

could the reason in change of appetite be the change in weather ... because it became cooller ... ???

[jenaero]

This is why answering those questions is so important. The basking temperature is not warm enough. The water temp is good, but the basking temp should be about 10 degrees warmer than the water (90 is good). I also recommend that you get a uvb lamp. Taking him out for sun when he's already not feeling well can make matters worse as it will stress him out. My second thought is that you may want to start using a water conditioner. Depending on how water is treated in your area, it may be irritating his eyes.

[SpotsMama]

I notice, Zain, that you're not using a filter. This can be okay if your tank is big enough (to hold plenty of water) and if you change it frequently. It's more work, though, to maintain water quality in the absense of a filter. A filter will keep the water cleaner far longer.

I wonder if there might be water quality problem contributing to the eye and behavior problems. Poor water quality will result in health deterioration in a number of ways, including infections of various sorts.

Are you confident that your turt's water is clean enough? In addition to noting how it smells and looks, do you also test for ammonia and nitrite build-up, or extremely low or high ph? If the answer to any of these questions is "no", it's quite possible you have a water quality problem.

Some inexpensive eye drops made by Zoo Med called Repti Turtle Eye Drops are a really good cure for mild eye irritation. In addition to containing vitamin A, as recommended above, they also sooth eyes irritated by too much clorine or other irritants. I recommend you try these drops in addition to whatever other measures you take.

[Zain]

i also thought it might be the water quality but then y is it irritating only one eye ?
i change the water every 2 days ... also today i noticed white powdery stuff on his irritated eye while he was basking .... any idea what that cud be ?

also noticed he was jerking his body ... y?

[flutterby]

I would take him to a herp vet.

[SpotsMama]

If water quality is causing an eye infection, it could be that only one eye is affected....so far.

I don't know about white powdery stuff on the eye but it doesn't sound good.

My turtle jerks sometimes when he's basking. I think they do that when they are trying to shed dead skin.

Flutterby has a good suggestion. Get that turtle checked out before his condition gets worse.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[marisa]

Taking him to a herp vet would be good. But I'm wondering if he's keeping only the one eye closed (still?) whether he's poked it or injured it in some way...