Urgent Care :: My RES has white spots in her eyes !

[eddy]

How big is your turtle? 16cm
How long have you had it? 6 years

What is the water temperature? 23 oC
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 15 cm depth
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? no, they only put in water two times a day for feeding and producing waste, swim whole day on sunday

What is the basking temperature? about 30 oC
Is there a basking light? common type
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? plastic
Is there a UVB light? yes, one whole day a week

What have you been trying to feed it? turtle stick, small fish and shrimp, cooked chicken,
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40cm x 80 cm
Is the tank near a window? yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? okay

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
no.

Vet has examined my RES and he cannot confirm, he says do not like eye infection, maybe lipid (fat) / cholesterol or some kind of substance crystallized in her cornea because I didn't let my RES stay in water most of the time, i say she seems doesn't like to stay in water for long time after she was three years old, and she is not overweight and like walking around, she lays two eggs (broken) today.

Anyone can teach me what I should do ? Thanks a lot.

[jenaero]

First, you need to greatly improve your setup. It's too small, not to mention, RES are aquatic turtles and spend most of their time in WATER. Please fix this situation. Improper diet/habitat can cause so many problems. Re-read the basic care section on this site.

[kmichael55]

I think the water might be a little cool, but not too much (73.4 F for those of you who don't get Celsius) what do you mean by you don't let your RES stay in water/only for feeding?? RES are aquatic and should be able to swim all the time, not just on sundays. I also think you should have the UVB light on every day, not just one day a week. Another thing is your water height. Your turtle is 16 cm (6.3 inches) and the water is only 15 cm (5.9 inches). The water should be at least twice the shell length deep, if not more. RES like to swim. I don't know about the crystallized substance in her eyes, but I think you should read the basic care info and at least let your turtles in the water.

[steve]

Was your vet qualified to look at turtles? RES need special vets that are skilled and trained in this field (called herpetology or "herp" for short).

Are the spots within the eye or outside it? Does your turtle have any vision problems (as a result from these spots)? is there any swelling or discoloring in/around the eye?

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. Can you post a picture of the eye?

Aside from improving the habitat (a water temp of around 73F is fine for a RES the age of yours, though), you need to improve your turtle's diet----it sounds like it's unbalanced and lacking vegetable matter.

[kmichael55]

k thanks marisa, i was unsure, seemed a little low but i'm used to little guys

[the_orphaned]

Your container is too small for a 6 inch turtle. Water level is too low. Water temperature should also be a bit higher to raise its immune system. As for the eye thing/issue, a picture would be most helpful. It would also be best to move your turtle away from the window for a while. Is it in contact with direct sunlight or does the window filter the light?

[eddy]

Welcome to the forum. Can you post a picture of the eye?

Aside from improving the habitat (a water temp of around 73F is fine for a RES the age of yours, though), you need to improve your turtle's diet----it sounds like it's unbalanced and lacking vegetable matter.

sorry, i am away for a few days and just took a picture of my RES eye, please see

http://hk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/adderd ... GBpo1Ircso[/img]

[marisa]

I'm going to assume that your turtle's white pupil is just the pic, that it's not really white (if this isn't the case and this is the problem, please say so). I see some white dots on the lid, but you said it was the cornea that had the dots...do you mean the light halo around the pupil? It appears lighter at the bottom. Is this the area you mean?

[DavidY]

It's hard to tell what's a reflection and what's a spot. If it's the spot right over the pupil then that looks like a cataract to me. That can be caused by too much UV light or it could be a genetic disease.

[eddy]

I'm going to assume that your turtle's white pupil is just the pic, that it's not really white (if this isn't the case and this is the problem, please say so). I see some white dots on the lid, but you said it was the cornea that had the dots...do you mean the light halo around the pupil? It appears lighter at the bottom. Is this the area you mean?

the white spot is actually inside the cornea, there is no spot on the eye lid, I don't know it maybe distortion of digital photo only.

[eddy]

It's hard to tell what's a reflection and what's a spot. If it's the spot right over the pupil then that looks like a cataract to me. That can be caused by too much UV light or it could be a genetic disease.

I didn't use flashlight, and there is actually a white spot, seems to be inside the cornea. Last night, there is one more small cloudy spot but seems disappeared this morning.

I now let she swims in a large tank most of the time. She does not eat a lot, doesn't like vegetable and fruit, likes chicken meat, small fish and shrimp, but I afraid she eats too much meat, so only a head-size once to twice (after laying egg) a week. She seems healthy and gave two beautiful eggs yesterday, but I am really worried about the white spots in her eyes.

[DavidY]

Yea, those definitely sound like cataracts. That's when proteins build up in the lens causing it to turn cloudy and eventually blocking the turtle's vision completely. Is it just one eye or both? Also how old is she? Usually cataracts develop in older animals (people too).

Do you let your turtle outside a lot? Also, do you use a UV light? What is the turtle's tank like (size, how much water, basking platform, lights, filter, temperature, etc.)?

You should try to provide her with more vegetables like red and green leaf lettuce. Also you can get aquatic plants from places like Petco in the aquarium section. That's a natural diet for RES. Things like carrots (sliced or shredded thin) may help prevent cataracts from getting worse.

Instead of giving her meat, you should give her aquatic turtle pellets like Reptomin. They are a nutritionally balanced diet made especially for turtles like the RES. Please read the information found in the RES Basic Care link at the top of this page. Also the information on Nutrition, etc.

[eddy]

Yea, those definitely sound like cataracts. That's when proteins build up in the lens causing it to turn cloudy and eventually blocking the turtle's vision completely. Is it just one eye or both? Also how old is she? Usually cataracts develop in older animals (people too).

Do you let your turtle outside a lot? Also, do you use a UV light? What is the turtle's tank like (size, how much water, basking platform, lights, filter, temperature, etc.)?

You should try to provide her with more vegetables like red and green leaf lettuce. Also you can get aquatic plants from places like Petco in the aquarium section. That's a natural diet for RES. Things like carrots (sliced or shredded thin) may help prevent cataracts from getting worse.

Instead of giving her meat, you should give her aquatic turtle pellets like Reptomin. They are a nutritionally balanced diet made especially for turtles like the RES. Please read the information found in the RES Basic Care link at the top of this page. Also the information on Nutrition, etc.

She is just six years old ! Thanks for your assistance !