Urgent Care :: Help =( my baby has been sick..

[mingzm]

My baby terrapin has swollen eye for a week now. I had bring him to a vet 2 days ago and got an vit A injection and which the vet said he should be recover in about a week time.

But I feel that he is still very week and all he do is sleep the whole day in the water, not much basking. Eyes closed unless i give him a light poke or it is feeding time. He will still eat the pellets that I put in though but only in his tank and not if I take him out to another place. Picky eater which do not eat the vege that I leave in his tank.

Had get some cod fish liver oil and drop some directly to his eye while dry dock him last nite. The swollen seems to be getting better this morning but he is just not as active as before and eyes shut all the while.

Been very much worry and any other thing that I could do to help? Shoukd Thanks guys!!

Btw he has another companion which is doing great! Swim and play around whole day!! =)

How big is your turtle? 1.75 inch
How long have you had it? 1 month

What is the water temperature? about 30 celcius which is same as room temperature here in Singapore
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? 6 inch
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? about 34 celcius
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? Floating basking platform
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Mazuri pellet, Vege
When was the last time your turtle ate? This morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 Gal
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Corner of my living room

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Been sleeping in water whole day, not much basking.

[steve]

What kind of UVB light are you using? Is it new?

[mingzm]

Thanks Steve for your reply!

I'm using Repti Glo 5.0 and Yes, it is new i got it all together the same time with my babies like a month ago.

The burn in period that's causing the swollen eye maybe? If that's the case, turning off the UVB for sometime would help?

Or the other vit supply like cod fish liver oil is still a must in current stage of his recovery?

[steve]

I would try leaving it off for a few days. Feeding him in the tank is fine, and I would separate your turtles until this situation is sorted out. I would find a way to lower the temperatures a little and try to use carbon filter media instead of a water conditioner.

[mingzm]

Ok will try that and report back.

Carbon filter media as in by default in the Fluval C4 is it enough (setting at lowest flow rate all the time)?

Or any recommendation to DIY for carbon filtering?

As I'm taking the tap water directly so that's why i'm putting the water conditioner.

Btw, would dry dock him and give him water only for limited time daily to eat, drink n poo would help until he recover?

[steve]

I don't think dry docking would help much in this case. Carbon media in the C4 should be fine, though it probably needs to be replaced every month. Is his swollen eye a reddish or whitish color?

[mingzm]

Yay! He is now active as ever..no more eyes closed n sits in water..

The swollen has now getting better and it is never reddish since it happen but rather looks puffy..

Will get him some cod fish oil on the eyes again later..

Guess the uvb really does cause his swollen eyes..and his diet too..

Learning along the way..

Thank you so much Steve!!

[steve]

Has he started to eat yet? That would be my main concern.

[mingzm]

He is eating alright..even when his eyes are much more swollen few days back..

And this morning he has been fighting for food with his companion as usual..

Here are some picture of him..eyes are still a little swollen but it sure has got better with the vit A, cod fish oil and away from uvb for now..speedy recovery!

[steve]

Looks great so far. So the other turtle was unaffected by the same UVB lamp?

[mingzm]

Yup, the other is fine without any problem

Thanks again Steve!!

Must say is a great place here and I do learn very much from the community and enjoying the fun!!

[steve]

If the other one was unaffected by the lamp, it might not have been the cause. I would try it again, maybe at a greater distance and eventually move it closer.

[mingzm]

A point to note. I had turn the uvb light back on this morning and they seems to like it or maybe I'm just feeling their happy face

Distance is about 12-13 inch away though. Would the uvb (repti glo 5.0 26w) lost its purpose at that distance?

[steve]

No, it will still have an effect, but it would be much more useful if it were closer.

[franciskeith]

Re: Help =( my baby has been sick..
by mingzm » Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:37 pm

Thanks Steve for your reply!

I'm using Repti Glo 5.0 and Yes, it is new i got it all together the same time with my babies like a month ago.

The burn in period that's causing the swollen eye maybe? If that's the case, turning off the UVB for sometime would help?

Or the other vit supply like cod fish liver oil is still a must in current stage of his recovery?

mingzm, can i check with you where u got the Repti Glo 5.0 from Singapore? I search several locations, cannot find.

and my RES is having similiar problems like urs. but she experienced soft shell. brought her to vet yesterday (26/8/2012). had isloated them, coz my other RES semms to be having soft shell too. both hasnt been eating since i got them on 20th Aug...

tried pallets, dry shrimps, they dun seems to be eating. but surprisingly, my other girl which is the falling sick one, seems to be eating guppy food instead, coz I brought her back to the pet shop, and we attempted other food products, hoping that she eats them...