Urgent Care :: eyes?!

[rayzherup]

ok so i finally got a uvb light (5.0) about 3 days ago and last night and all today i noticed that my turts (especially one of them) eyes are puffy and a bit swollen. like there is a clear film over their eyes. And they are keeping them closed alot. So i moved the uvb further away and turned it off for today. What else should i do?! They are both still eating and swimming around fine just not really basking.


How big is your turtle? almost 2 inches long
How long have you had it? a month

What is the water temperature? 78
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 9 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? unsure
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 dock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? reptemin, shrimp, cricket, tuna...
When was the last time your turtle ate? today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? varies

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















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[SpotsMama]

It's a reptisun?

How far away is the bulb currently from the basking spot? What sort of fixture do you have? Is it shiny inside or white?

What color is the light from the bulb?

[rayzherup]

It's a reptisun bulb. it was like 30 bucks. I have a porceline lamp. It was like 5-6 inches from the basking spot. now its like 10-11 away. The bulb is spiral. What do you mean what color is the light from the bulb? the bulb is white and so is the inside of the lamp. The outside of the lamp is black.

[SpotsMama]

I've heard of some CF UVB's glowing with a purplish or violet light. Wondered if yours was.

Is your lamp mounted horizontally or vertically?

[rayzherup]

I would have to say horizontal but a bit tilted. I'm probably overreacting about this, i just want to make sure i'm taking good care of him. Thanks!

[DavidY]

Well you do need to be somewhat careful with UV bulbs as they can cause eye irritation and even damage if not used properly. The 10 to 11" distance is good but you could go to 12".

[SpotsMama]

I agree with moving it to 12". Don't turn it on again until your turtles' eyes have cleared up, and then watch carefully how they behave and how their eyes look.

Why don't you give us feedback as to how it goes. The compact flourescents are still relatively new to a lot of people and the more information we can get as to what works and what doesn't that we can share with other people the better.

You are definitely not over reacting! This isn't the first time that turtles eyes have been affected by a UVB bulb. It's better to catch it early so that hopefully you can keep it from getting too bad.

[DavidY]

You might want to position the UV light so it is directly above the basking area and pointing straight down (less likely for the turtles to stare into the bulb).

[rayzherup]

Ok i turned both of the lights of and he is swimming around more now but still keeping his eyes closed alot but opening them a bit more. I wish I could position it directly above them but then it would be to close seeing as i have one that clamps to the side and my water level is pretty high. How far away should I place my heat lamp again? For the uvb lamp, does it have to be pointing directly at them for it to d any good? Damn he's swimmin around like crazy right now. I don't like leaving the heat lamp off tho...

[SpotsMama]

You can leave the heat lamp on. You don't need to change it's distance. It's the UVB lamp that's probably responsible and needs to be turned off. Once turtle eyes have been hurt (it's like snow blindness in people) it takes a few days for them to heal.

Here's a caveat: Lots of things besides UVB burn can cause turtles' eyes to swell. Some are injury, infection from dirty water, too much chlorine in the water, too much conditioner in the water, RI. Just be aware of that in case turning off the light doesn't do the trick or if your turtle starts showing other symptoms.

There are eye drops - Zoo Med Turtle Eye Drops - that are soothing and help turtle eyes heal. If you can get some for your turtles' eyes that would be good.

[rayzherup]

yea i thought bout the chems in gthe water cuz i put in conditioner and waste degrader, so i changed the water and only put in a LITTLE BIT of conditioner. lol. So ima turn the heat lamp back on and ima post some pics of their eyes.

[rayzherup]

OMG i'm so afraid my turtle is gonna die. he just sits with his eyes closed! they are both still eating well... R u sure I should turn the heat lamp back on? Is there anything else I should do? Eye drops maybe?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Dont worry. When my turtles eyes were burned by the UVB light (a reptisun 10.0) he was pretty much lethargic..give it a few days and if it doesnt go away then take him to a vet. You can try eye drops, if you want..

And yes, the heat lamp doesnt give off UVB. Turn it on for now. But the UVB light off temporarily.

[rayzherup]

I can't afford a vet so I hope he gets better... What else could be wrong with him? If it wasn't the uvb light? Could it pnuemonia or RI or something wrong internally?

[rayzherup]

he's not open mouth breathing or gasping or anything like that...