Urgent Care :: Help! Turtle eye problem--infection?? Photos included!

[turtlesayshello]

Today I looked carefully at my RES and I noticed that one of his eyes is shut. When he opened that eye, I was shocked! The eye was whitish and cloudy, and the eyeball looked very wierd. The other eye is fine.

I've been feeding pet store turtle pellets, but he doesn't seem to like them very much, so he only eats (cooked) shrimp and pork/chicken. He's been fine before, but recently I've seen him less active than before. Also, he's been having more trouble getting food (vision problems). He also has been shedding skin recently, but I thought it was because the water temp was too high so I lowered it.

I read on a website that vitamin A deficiency causes eye problems. What do you think? Any recommended treatments/medicines?

Thank you for any help! I'm new to turtles.





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Other info:
How big is your turtle?less than 2 in
How long have you had it? 5months

What is the water temperature?70-80 F
Did you use a thermometer?no
Are you using a water heater?yes
How much water is in there?10gal
Are you using a water conditioner?yes
Are you using any filtration?yes

What is the basking temperature?not sure
Is there a basking light?no (natural sunlight)
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of?sunlight
Is there a UVB light?just light in the hood of the fish tank

What have you been trying to feed it?shrimps
When was the last time your turtle ate?today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?10 gal tank
Is the tank near a window?yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?yes

Have you read the Basic Care section?yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?details above

[steve]

If the hood uses a fluorescent light, then I would leave it off. If it doesn't help after a few hours, pick up some Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops at a pet store.

Usually it can be a light problem, an injury, an infection or a Vit deficiency.

[Kemul]

Only one eye is swollen or both? From the photos, looks like both eyes are
swollen. Besides the light Steve mentioned, I'd suggest changing the diet. From
what you've described, I think the turtle has been eating too much protein.
Shrimp and chicken should be rare treat and I really think pork is too fatty. Keep
giving pellets and try veggies occasionally. Eventually, the turtle should get used
to the pellets and hopefully like the greens.

Sunlight from glassed window is pretty much useless as UVB source. You need to
bask the turtle under direct sunlight, preferrably in the morning. It's also essential
to let both top and bottom shells to dry out daily.

If the eyes don't get better after applying the drops for a week or two, you may
try applying cod liver oil using q-tip on the eyelids. Cod liver oil is available
from your local drugstore.

[marisa]

If it's just the one eye, chances are that it's an infection. However, the shape of the opposite eye in the second pic looks like it may be swollen as well. Is it?

With the diet you described, it could be a Vit A deficiency if both eyes are swollen. You didn't say what kind of lighting you're using, so I can't comment on that.

If at some point you do try the plain cod liver oil, if it is a Vit A deficiency, you should see some improvement after several days of applying a little once or twice a day.

[bradmeisel]

I agree with all the posters. Very good advice.

One other thing is to have a water heater and thermometer. You really want to keep your tank at a constant 78 degrees if you can.

A UVB bulb is essential.

Good luck.

[turtlesayshello]

Thanks for all the help!

Yeah, I don't think I've enough light--I only have an incandescent bulb in my aquarium hood.

Now the other eye's now swollen and white/puffy too. Two days ago, when I took the pictures, the eye wasn't white yet. Now the poor turtle keeps both his eyes closed all the time and rests near the heater.

For now I added some fish medicine to the water, just in case. But I don't think that's helping much. I will go get eye drops tomorrow.

My turtle just refuses to eat pellets. He's never eaten a single pellet...I've even tried dangling food from a string to make the endeavor more fun. The turtle would smell the pellet and swim away, or ignore it altogether. I've heard about soaking pellets in the leftover liquid from a can of tuna. I'll give that a try.

I'll keep you all posted on what happens!

[bradmeisel]

keep us posted. good luck.

[marisa]

A plain incandescent light shouldn't hurt the eyes like you're describing.

Try some cod liver oil.

[ViaThorn]

I am having the same problem with one of my turtles. I want to try the Cod Liver Oil but I want to make sure it won't effect the other one. Will it?

[steve]

Take the turtle out while you apply it and give it time to be absorbed.