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My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2011 5:28 pm
by MissCels
My smaller turtle, Sun . His/Her eyes are puffy . ! There's a white layer of puff on his/her eyes :( ! I don't know what to do. I researched about it. I heard you can buy those turtle eye droppers and put it on their eye. But I went to the pet store today. It was closed, is there anything I can do ?! Please don't reply saying that I have to take my turtle to the vet. I'm looking for home remedies for my turtle !

How big is your turtle? 1 1/2 inch.
How long have you had it? September , 2010

What is the water temperature? 72- 80 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? About 5 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? I don’t know but, I put the light right on the basking area
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? It’s like foam, it’s magnetable.
Is there a UVB light? I don’t know. My dad gave me this light and he’s a fish breeder.

What have you been trying to feed it? Floating food sticks and turtle flakes
When was the last time your turtle ate? This morning.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 14 x 8 inches – Tank
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Not really

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
A few days ago, I started to notice my turtle's (Sun) eyes were white when he sleeps. I thought it was just because my turtle was sleeping. But not untill today, I found it weird. My turtle still had the white puffy eyes. And when it goes in the water, it seems like it can't see anything. And is trying to get out of the water. A few days ago, he had the white puffy eyes, but he still could open his eyes. But now, he can't :(

HELP ! :(

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:31 pm
by Love of Animals
There are a couple of things that could be irritating your turtles eyes. First you don't use water conditioner, do you leave your water out for 24 hours so the chlorine evaporates before a water change? Second 5 gallons of water is not enough for a 1.5 inch turtle. Turtles are messier than fish that's why we recommend 10 gallons of water for each inch of shell and a filter that's recommended for 2 to 3 times the amount of water. So for 10 gallons of water you would want a filter rated for 20 to 30 gallons of water. Your water could look fine but have high amounts of ammonia, nitrites or nitrates in it which may be irritating. Third it could be a vitamin deficiency. Put one drop of cod liver oil in each eye once a day for three days to see if it improves. Also your turtle needs a UVB light not a light for fish. You can find UVB lights in the reptile section of your pet store. There are many threads on here about UVB and it's importance. If the light does not say provides UVB then it doesn't. Check your turtle for any other symptoms like listing on it's side while in water. Mucus in it's nose or mouth. Not eating, sleeping all the time. They along with the eye issue could be symptoms of RI (Respiratory Infection). RI is serious and would require a trip to the vet for antibiotics. Your turtles eyes look normal while they are sleeping, but if he can't open them that's a problem. Good Luck!

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2011 9:50 pm
by theartbook35
All turtles' eyes look like that when they are closed. Their upper eyelids are somewhat transparent.

When your turtle opens its eyes, if they show any red coloration, then you should get the turtle eye drops. Most pet stores carry them, Petco seems to have the best brands of eye drops.

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2011 3:47 am
by BabyBlue
My turtle had puffy eyes before with pinkish eyes. I dipped him with Melafix, an anti-bacteria medication for fish. I dipped him in a container with shallow water for about 30-45 mintues, lost track of time, with only a few drops of it. It seemed to work beccause the redness was gone. I took him out and put him back in his tank and the next day, he was completely healed. You can try it if you want. Melafix stinks, but it works.

-BB

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2011 10:27 am
by MissCels
My turtle was my step sister's turtle before. And my step sister was treating it bad. She wasn't changing the water or feeding it the right amount. But, now I took it from her because she wasn't treating it right. So, I guess it happened because of my how my step sister treated the turtle. Because the turtle I had, he didn't have any sickness before. Thanks alot guys ! :D

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2011 5:14 pm
by MissCels
I just brought water conditioner for my turtle and eye droppers. I put 1 drop on each eye already . I put my turtle in another container so the eyedrop doesn't come off (if my turtle goes into the water) How many days will it take for my turtle's eyes to be recover? :o

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:45 pm
by steve
You need to stabilize water temperatures. I'd also stop using that fish light. What kind of basking light do you have?

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:10 pm
by MissCels
I don't know what kind of light I have. xD Its like a lamp with a light bulb :o. Its pointing towards the basking area.

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:10 pm
by theartbook35
So did your turtle's eyes have any redness? If not, then stop using the eye drops. If the water is not clean enough and not filter probably, then the slight puffiness will keep coming back over time. Fill the tank up as much as possible, and choose a filter which will circulate 2 or 3 times the amount of water in the tank.

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:01 pm
by MissCels
My turtle's eye isn't red, I just see white. And sometimes I can see the inside eye.

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 6:14 pm
by theartbook35
MissCels wrote:My turtle's eye isn't red, I just see white. And sometimes I can see the inside eye.


I would like to see a photo of your turtle's eyes when they are open.

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 6:17 pm
by MissCels
His eyes are still closed right now :o . I will take a picture of them when their open !

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:11 am
by MissCels
I saw my turtle open his eyes today :D ! I guess he's all okay now !
But when he blinks, his eyelids are like white. Does he still need eyedroppers?
Does he still have a little white puffy eyes?

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:19 pm
by steve
Which eye drops have you been using? Has there been any changes to the setup? Has he been eating?

Re: My turtle has a white puffy layer over it's eye !

PostPosted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:44 pm
by MissCels
I just brought water conditioner, and I add it when I change their water. Um.. , the eyedrops are called "Repti turtle eyedrops" . And yes he has been eating. I put him in a little container and put some water, then put floating sticks in front of him so he can feel it and eat it :D.
When he closes his eyes, it looks like he still has white puffy eyes.