Urgent Care :: turtle swollen eyes

[SpotsMama]

Vivi, it's possible that your turt's problems are related to the new light. I assume it's a compact flourescent UVB? What type specifically do you use? Several people on the forum have had turtles with irritated or swollen eyes after switching to certain compact flourescent UVB bulbs. If that's the problem, you can try turning the UVB light off for a few days (keep using the heat light). See if the turtle comes around. You can also use turtle eye drops from the pet store - they help. To fix it permanently you can move the light further back from the basking platform. If you're using a fixture with a reflective interior, switch it to one with a matt interior.

HOWEVER.....lots of other things besides a UVB bulb can cause swollen turtle eyes. Dirty water, injuries, vitamin deficiencies, too much chlorine in the water, and too much conditioner in the water are all possible causes. Also, swollen eyes is one of the most common symptoms of a very serious problem - respiratory infection.

So....hopefully your turtle's problem is just the new UVB bulb and you can fix it easily. But if there are other symptoms of a respiratory infection (RI) you'll have to get him to a vet ASAP. Only a vet with antibiotics can successfully treat an RI.

Other symptoms of RI are: sleepiness, lack of energy, poor appetite, difficulty submerging, swimming lop-sided, mucus or bubbles on the nose, yawning or breathing with the mouth open. Your turtle doesn't have to have all these symptoms, but if he has several you'd better get him to the vet. Keep him warm (around 80 degrees) in the meantime and avoid stressing him out.

Don't force him to eat anything he really doesn't want. Instead, entice him to eat by making the food more attractive to him. What kind of pellets does he eat? Here are some tips on enticing him to eat food that's good for him:

http://www.redearslider.com/entice_eating.html

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[steve]

Well said! I've heard a few other complaints regarding the tube shaped Reptisun's as well. If this all happened a day or two after the installation of a new bulb, then it is likely the culprit. This swollen eye ordeal seems to be a bigger problem recently, though a lot of people are just placing these bulbs too close to their turts.

[DavidY]

I think a lot of people are under the misconception that the higher the UV rating the better. It's true that none of the UV lamps on the market come close to the level of the sun at full strength, but the sun also doesn't shine at full strength on a cloudless day, 12hrs/day every single day of the year. Clouds, haze, time of day/season, trees and vegetation, etc. all affect how much sun actually hits a particular area of the earth through the course of a year.

In the captive environment with the lights on, without interruption, it appears that it is not necessary to have such high UVB levels for the turtles to grow and even breed. People have been successfully caring for their RES for decades with relatively lower levels. Personally, I think the 5.0 bulbs should be more than enough for RES if kept at a distance of less than 12 inches from the basking area. There really is no need for the 8.0 or 10.0 bulbs unless you have to mount the lamp further than 12 inches away.

Perhaps with all the hype around the MVB's, some may be under the impression that more is better. It's true that the MVB's have much higher levels of UVB/A than any of the other bulbs (but still don't come close to the sun's strength). But they are also meant to be placed at a greater distance (measured in feet) and at a position directly overhead. The manufacturer's instructions even indicate that they must be positioned vertically, not at an angle. These bulbs should only be used in larger setups so the turtles can get away from the radiation.

In the wild, the sun is pretty much directly overhead during the times when turtles will bask so there is very little chance of a turtle looking directly into the sun. When we place our clamp lamps at an angle to the basking platform, that translates to close to the horizon in the great outdoors. That's a real danger for the RES if he is facing anywhere within 180 degrees of the UV bulb.

[octpusgirl8]

Wow great info DavidY! I, as well as many others i'm seeing, had thought that if 5% was good, then surely 10% must be better. I also had no idea about the dangers of mounting the lights so that they shine on the platform from an angle. It makes perfect sense, i had just never even thought about it. I think i'm going to hook up another hook and chain to hang my UVB bulb so that it shines directly down on the platform. Thanks for clearing all this up for us!

[DavidY]

No problem! I hope it will help with the eye problems some have been experiencing lately. I came across some of this stuff while doing research on the net and, yea, it just made a lot of sense.

[Vivi]

well the lack of energy, and appetite happen the day after i installed the new bulb. The type of bulb is Reptisun 10.0 UVB Desert. Well im not really force feeding him im just putting the food right in front of him and then he eats. Once i give him food he opens his eyes and eats. But when i was feeding him he kept on missing like he is seeing blurry or something. I guess its my fault since i put the uvb light really close to him because the heating lamp went out and the uvb did give a lil heat, and it was also at an angle. How long do you think it will take for the lil guy to be like he used too?? Thanks for all the responses.

[marisa]

MVBs are supposed to be positioned vertically over the basking area (although some people do clamp them), but from what I've seen and read, the compact flourescents should be horizontal (at least as much as possible) over the basking area. If the Reptisun 10.0's are causing eye problems, it's likely because they're too close to the basking area and/or the light, which is rather harsh, isn't being balanced by the heat light. This involves positioning, but it doesn't mean that the light must be vertical.

[DavidY]

I'm not very familiar with the compact flourescent UV lights as I have never used them, only MVB and regular flourescent tubes. If they are supposed to be mounded in a horizontal position then you would need a different type of lamp than the regular clamp lamps. Probably something like this...

[SpotsMama]

Apparently with the compact flourescents the type of fixture makes a huge difference. The UK survey showed the amount of UV output increased 6 fold -that's six times - when a reflective aluminium fixture was used. They recommended caution in using reflective fixtures with the compact flourescents. Therefore, I'd always recommend using no reflector at all or a reflector with a non-shiny interior like a zoo med clamp lamp with a white porcelein interior.

I think this is significant. Here's the link, if anyone wants to see the technicalities.

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/compactlamps.htm

[grey goose]

Here's the nice, shiny hood I began using with a 10.0 compact (!!!) in the new 90 gal setup. Pretty nice huh?



And here's the result after only four days. That's Big Daddy....He got the worst of it. It hurts just to look at him:




Since then I've changed the hood, switched to a 5.0, elevated it to 13.5 in. and no problems since!
From my own experience, 10.0's are a no-no. Go with a 5.0 and keep it at least 12" above the basking area. I may try lowering mine in a few months as the bulb weakens.

[yertle_the_girl_turtle]

Poor Big Daddy! At least he'll be OK now.

[Vivi]

well after days of worrying it is finally over. When i woke up this morning he was his back to his old self. His eyes were open; he was swimming, and finally ate by himself. His eyes did look like Big Daddies. Well finally my worries are over and thank you all for the suggestions.

[DavidY]

Yay! That's great news! Glad to hear it.