redearslider.com

My son has two Sliders in a 40 gallon tank. I help him keep up with them, but he does most of the work. I've noticed recently that they seem to be "sleeping" a lot and when they are in this state, their eyelids are white & puffy. They eat well, swim a lot, although I don't see them basking very often. The may have been taking these naps all along, but I've just noticed it. The eyes are my biggest concern. Are these normal outer lids, or is there something wrong. Their eyes seem to fine.

The tank is about two months old, upgraded from there first 10 gallon tank.
They are about 3-4 inches, we got them about 1 year ago as little ones.
I had them in front of a window in the old tank, but moved them away and added a UV florecent light. The basking dock is about 4-5 inches from the tank surface with a 35watt bulb in the light. keeps the surface of the dock about 89 degrees.
The water I try to set the heaters for 78-80 I have two heaters, one large and one small.
I have two filters, the first foam filter that came with the starter kit. I keep that in for water movement and clean it twice a week. The second is the Zoo med 501, and I clean that once a month.
The water is clear, oh... we also use large river rock (about golf ball size) and siphon the debri from it once a week. With 2 cory catfish to help in between cleanings.

Welcome.

What is the water temp and basking area temp (use thermometers to check)? A 35-watt bulb doesn't sound like it puts out a lot of heat...What kind of flourescent light is it---a UVB light? It should say on the bulb whether or not it is.

When they were in front of the window, were they exposed to any drafts?

Do they rub at their eyelids at all? Have you noticed any other symptoms like open-mouth breathing, frequent yawning, mucus, lop-sided swimming when they're in the water?

Do they eat when fed? What is their diet like?

I'll use a thermometer to get an acurate temp on the water but the temp tape on the side of the tank indicates it's between 78-80. I have noticed in the past some eye rubbing, but not a lot. They don't seem to do it right now.

The light is a UVB light from Zilla.

i had a 60 watt bulb in the basking lamp, but the surface of the floating dock would get ove 100 degrees. So I stepped it down until I fould the 35 keeps it around 89.

The are fed turtle pellets, and eat vigorously when fed. Can't remember the brand we use, I'll check when we get home.

I've never noticed any drafts in my sons roon, they are newer windows and he has his own thermostat which keeps his romm at 62 degrees. And for the past few weeks they haven't been in front of the window.

How close is that UVB light to them? Some newer brands of lights have caused eye problems (similar to snow blindness). If it's really close, you might increase the distance, or even leave that light off for a few days and see if their eyes improve.

As for the diet, they really need more variety than just turtle pellets. It's not all that common, but an imbalanced diet can cause a Vit. A deficiency, which causes the eyes to swell and close. If altering the UVB light doesn't change anything, you could try some Zoo Med eye drops (which have a diluted form of Vit A among other things) or, with a q-tip, applying a little plain cod liver oil on the lids once a day. If they're deficient in Vit A, you should see some improvement in a few days.

BTW, 62F is rather cool, particularly at night when the lights are off. I have two Eastern painteds in the basement where the temp can range from the mid 50's to low 60's in the winter depending on the weather outside. I cover their tank at night to trap in the heat from the warmed water to keep the ambient temp of the tank up.

I did just read in another Forum about the distance of the light, and was going to ask about it, but you beat me to it! I will try moving it up somehow, not sure how yet. should it be over the basking dock or just over the tank in general.

Do you think their eyelids are irritated from over exposure to the UVB?

I like the covering the tank idea at night, I will start doing that to keep the ambient temp up.

I wanted to use some feeder fish, but the pet store talked me out of it saying It would just risk introducing disease.

Thanks for all your help, the whole family enjoys these guys!

What feeding suggestions do you have.

A UVB light "just over the tank" isn't going to benefit your turtles. Ideally a UVB light should be positioned as much over the basking area as possible, next to the heat light.

I don't know if the light is causing the problem. Their eyes don't get irritated from over exposure to UVB rays per se, it's that some newer brands of bulbs, (I think Zilla might be one), especially compact flourescents, are being manufactured using phosphors that irritate the eyes. (If you look around, there are a number of articles written on the subject.) Like I said, you could leave it off for a few days and see how they respond.

I know some do, but I personally have never given feeder fish to any of my turtles. In the wild they eat fewer fish than they're given credit for, and any live food carries the risk of illness or parasites. It's up to you.

Look at the Feeding Forum for ideas on what's good to give. If your RES weren't introduced to any plants/veggies when they were younger and all they're used to is pellets, it will likely take them some time to accept eating them. But it's definitely worth it to get them to do so for the sake of their health.

Thanks for the advice.

I'll try keeping the UVB light off for a few days, and also repositioning it a bit higher. I'll look into the articles about the phosphorus, Man I'd hate to have to buy a new bulb they are expensive!

I'm heading to the feeding forum later and see what they recommend.

If their eyes don't get better in the next couple days, I'll be back! Thanks again.

Not phosphorus, phosphors, which are very different. For a start, you might go to www.reptileuv.com Look at the left and down a bit where it says Important Information. Then click on the link to the article on dangers of the new flourescent 5.0 and 10.0 compact and linear lights.

That doesn't look like a white, puffy eyelid to me---I can see the pupil behind the lid. From what was described, it sounded like the lids were truly white and puffy.

(Nice pic, btw.)