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i have two hatchlings that i got in early april they are both about 2 1/2 inches and i've noticed that when clark basks he sleeps but if he dries out he can't open his eyes again until you put him in water, you can see his eyes moving under his lids, i dont know if this means an eye infection but then tonight he wouldn't follow his pellet i had to keep moving it in front of him, also Lois ate 3 pellets, she stole one from clark im worried she has been overfed. do i need to seperate the two if the eye problem is just in 1 or is this a turtle thing that they do. please help
thanks

It is common for them to fall asleep while basking sometimes, so maybe that is what it is doing. My RES keeps her eyes wide open most of the time while she is basking, for a comparison for you.

One overfeeding won't hurt your turtle. Even a few won't. It is weeks and weeks of overfeeding that causes pyramiding; it doesn't happen overnight. In the future, though, watch out because stealing food is an early sign of aggression.

so he doesn't have an infection or anything? also clark looks bigger then lois could that mean i really have them mixed up and clark should be lois i know its too early to tell, when i feed them the act like they haven't ate in forever and i feed them twice a day should i feed them more? also my heat bulb blew until i get another is a house bulb ok and what watt?

ShellGirl13, it sounds like you are doing everything just right. All turtles eye's get stuck shut if they close them while they bask. I believe that outer layer is a protections so their eyes don't get sunburned. One being bigger than the other doesn't really mean much until they're a little older. All turtles act like they haven't eaten forever when you feed them. You can feed them every 60 seconds and they'll still act like that. If you use a regular 60w bulb it should be OK until you get the new heat lamp. Just keep track of the temperature.

ShellGirl13, none of my turtle's eyes get stuck shut when they bask, even if they've been basking for quite a while. With smaller turtles, especially, you can see the eyes moving under closed lids.

What's the temp of the basking area (if it's really warm, a crust can form when the eyes are shut and the lids dry)? Are you sure there isn't a slight discharge coming from the eyes?

For the heat light (lightbulb) use whatever wattage will get the basking area temp in the range of 88-90F and won't be too close to the turtle.

How much do you give each at a feeding. The standard guideline is an amount that would fit inside the head (not including the neck) daily for each. If you want to feed twice a day, give half a head-size amount to each at each feeding. What brand(s) of pellets do they get? What other foods do they get besides pellets?

i haven't noticed any discharge but that doesn't ean its not there right? also i feed them each one pellet a meal from zoo med the hatchling formula twice a day. it started with one eye now its both, he never use to come out of the water to bask now he basks every night, also should i leave the lamp on 24/7 because right now i have them in the garage while i'm at work to avoid being scared by the cat so theres no window ive been leaving it on all the time and running a space heater at night. his eyes might be a little swollen or i could be a paraniod mommy, ive tried taking photos of them but they are so small my digital wont get a clear shot of the up close, please if there is something else i should be dong tell me and i will do it.

My turtle had some eye problems like this from a zoomed 5.0 UVB compact bulb. I moved the bulb alittle farther away and used some zoomed turtle eye drops on him for a while and it cleared up.

Hi ShellGirl13, can you add some more info? http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142

What's the temp in the garage? How long have you had them there?

What's the temp of the water and basking area?

Do they have a submersible water heater in the tank? If they do, you could also cover the tank at night to help trap in the warmth.

You're keeping them in the garage so they won't be scared by the cat? If so, why don't you put them in a room in the house and keep the door shut so the cat can't enter?