Urgent Care :: Eye's shut, he/she won't eat!

[Meh Squishy]

I found this baby turtle on the back of the bus in a VERY small plastic tank with very little water in it. After getting him home I searched on Google for a LOOOONG time trying to figure out what kind of turtle he was.
I had to let him sit in the little tank over night before I could get him every thing that he needed. (I put more water in and put him on top of a heating pad set on low.)

So to the problem. He had a RI that seems to have cleared, but his eyes have been shut! And he hasn't eaten any thing!
I've tried cooked chicken, pellets in tuna, calcium worms, live food, and lettuce. His eyes don't look puffy or red... Just shut. I notice that they move every once and a while but never open. I tried a drop of cod liver oil on each eye yesterday and will again today. I'm just worried that he won't eat. :/ It's going to be a few more days before I can take him to the vet. Just not sure what else to try in the mean time.

How big is your turtle? 1 inch
How long have you had it? 4 days

What is the water temperature? 80-82
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 1 inch
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? 85- 90
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? A rock one with stairs on each end.
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? EVERY THING!
When was the last time your turtle ate? Not sure.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 Gal
Is the tank near a window? Yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? My room. 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? He doesn't seem too interested in swimming around. Just basking.

[kamecare]

What I've done before with my turt is try feeding him drops of soup: I crush some pellet food, place it in a shot glass and fill it half with some of his water. let it soak for a bit so nutrients are mixed in with the water. It's like really watery soup. Can add a teaspoon of V8 low sodium juice if you like. Main idea here is to get nutrients into your babies tummy. I purchased a syringe and what I do is just keep placing a small drop to his mouth. After about few mins they will tend to open their mouth a slight bit. Just keep dripping slowly away. Alot will slip off his tight jaws but that was the only way I got mine to open them. Mine are too small to try prying his mouth. This will take lots of patience. I sit with mine for like 30-45 mins doing this drip method. He will probably open his mouth only few times. That was during the critical times of my turt.
Also make sure you keep him warm if ur taking him out to do this aka place basking light above.

[Meh Squishy]

Thank you so much! I have been trying to stick small pieces of calciworms in his mouth when he opens it slightly than placing him in the water in hopes that he will swallow. But... He just spits them out. I'll try the soup mix. And with the hours of trying to stick small bits of worms in his mouth, I'll try any thing!

[steve]

Make sure his water is very clean. Try dropping some cod liver oil onto his eyes (puncture the kind of pellets you get at the health section). Try a soak in diluted Pedialyte (50% water) too.

[Meh Squishy]

I've been using the cod liver oil and it seems to be helping! Turns out his eyes were swollen, one is now shockingly smaller than the other. I have been changing out the water every other day using gallon jugs of water from the store to make sure that they are clean.
How deep should the Pedialyte be? I'm assuming just deep enough that he can still poke his head out of the water?
And for the 'Soup' That I am making him... Any suggestions on things to add?
Thanks for all of the help! He seems to be a little more active today.

[steve]

The Pedialyte should just be enough that he can drink some of it. I'll keep the "soup" mainly pellets, maybe even add some koi pellets in there. Not sure where you are from, but would he be able to get any sun?

[Meh Squishy]

I'm in PA. No sun for a while though. I have a UVB that I keep on him for most of the day but should he have more direct sunlight?
Oh and I'm going to try some tuna juice mixed in, I figure that might make it a little more desirable.

[steve]

What kind of UVB light are you using?

[Meh Squishy]

An 18" REPTISUN 5.0

[steve]

How close is it? What about his basking lamp?

[Meh Squishy]

About 10" above basking area. The basking lamp is 75 watts. I don't remember the brand. It's a foot above basking area.
So he seems to still be doing ok. Not eating yet. He won't open his mouth far enough for me to drop food in. I am giving him a day off of the cod liver drops. Not sure what else to do. :/

[Meh Squishy]

HIS EYES ARE OPEN! Both of them! I was going to try and feed him again and I noticed him shy away when I stuck my hand in to pick him up. Bam! They both popped open! I'm so happy! Maybe he will eat now. It's been about an hour... Hasn't eaten yet. But at least he can see!

[steve]

Yea, awesome news. Have your tried live minnows? If you hold it by the tail and let it wiggle in front of his face, he will be tempted to go for it.

[Meh Squishy]

No. I have tried waving lettuce in front of him and dropping a calciworm in front of him. He seems scared of any thing that moves. :S

[steve]

I'd still try the fish, I think it's very tempting for them instinctively.