Urgent Care :: NewRES Owner, wanting opinions on my male turtles eye...

[JaxFloridaBabyGirl28]

I already called a vet and called the turtle rescue to ask them about it cause Im not really all to familiar with turtles but a friend of mines husband is getting stationed somewhere they cant take the turtles so I took them over, I want to give them a long and healthy life and my male turtles one eye looks swollen and its closed, well the vet and turtle rescue both said to get some eye drops and put them in his eye for a week and then if things dont look better to take him to the vet to get a shot of antibiotics, so Im hoping that things are going to get better soon, is there something that I can be doing wrong cause Ive only had them since the 15th of Dec. , I went and got them an aquarium, for right now its only a 10 gallon and I know that I will have to get them a bigger one soon, they have a lamp with a 60 watt basking light, their turtle food which is nutrafin max, and they have a swimming area, a beach like area and then the basking area, so Im just wondering if theres more that I need, like I was reading up on them and it said to get a water pump (filteration)?? Well the female is doing fine and the male still eats and is very active but just worried about what could have caused his eye to do this, I mean I just got them two days ago and my daughter and I were admiring the turtles and then we noticed his eye that way...it was pretty much right after I picked him up from my friends, so I just want to make sure Im not doing something that will cause them to die...thanks for any help that you can give me!!

[Kallistos]

You need to provide a UVB bulb, try the ReptiSun 10.0 compact. It's necessary to have a filter so the water stays clean, and the infected eye stays in clean water. That shouldn't be too expensive, considering it only has to be rated for 20-30 gallons. The Zoo-Med eye drops work well and will open up your turtle's eye.

[cam722]

A few things.. do you use a water conditioner? I'm assuming Virginia Beach has treated city water. That can create eye problems. Also, do you have a water heater? I know it's warm there but it also gets cold. Their water should stay at a constant temperature... that temp depends on their age. Hatchlings should have temps around 78.. older turtles can go to 75-76. If there is a suspected illness the temps can go up a bit to help kick in their immune system. Also, if you suspect one of being ill, we usually recommend that you quarintine the sick turtle.

How large are these turtles btw? Knowing a bit more about their setup could help in determining what is wrong. How much of their 10 gallon tank is filled with water, do you have a UVB basking bulb or just a 60 watt basking bulb for heat? Sorry for all the questions but sometimes you have ot ask some to find the solution

oh and I forgot to say.. first, welcome to the forum and good job on making the calls you did

[JaxFloridaBabyGirl28]

How big is your turtle? I want to say 4 inches or bigger or maybe smaller I dont know, I havent really measured them
How long have you had it? 2 days

What is the water temperature? unknown
Are you using a water heater? no (what is this and how do you get it?)
How much water is in there? about 5 inches or a little more
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? no

What is the basking temperature? its a 60 watt bulb but other than that I dont know
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? pebbles or rocks that you would put on the bottom of a fish tank
Is there a UVB light? no

What have you been trying to feed it? nutrafin max
When was the last time your turtle ate? today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallons
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? I believe so

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes but I dont know everything that it is talking about.
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Im new so Im stilling trying to figure out how to do that.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Unkown, Ive only had them for two days.

[JaxFloridaBabyGirl28]

Thanks for the replies and also I put up some more info, and I am using the zoo med eye drops for him and also I clean there water everyday right now cause it gets cloudy and I dont want them in dirty water, I am going to put them in a bigger tank really soon, so I am really trying to get everything that I can to help them have a better life and to be healthy so if you know of any good places to go to get a good water pump (filteration), the water conditioner that I am using right now is reptisafe instant terrarium water conditioner, what size tank would you reccomend for them, Im not sure of their size, I will call my friend that gave them too me and see if she can tell me more about them, cause Im not even sure how long her and her husband has had them, so if I get a little more background then I might be a little better at knowing what to do. thanks again for all your replies.

[cam722]

A water heater is the same type you'd use in a fish aquarium. A lot of us, myself included, use the Visi-therm stealth heaters, they are fully submersible and nearly indestructible.

You really need to make a number of important changes. I know you just got these turtles but their tank size is totally inadequate for the size of turtles you have. You can also get a rubbermaid/sterlite container.. and use that as temporary housing. It is recommended that you get a tank/container the equivalent of 10 gallons per inch of turtle shell.. (measurement minus the curve).. that would mean you'd need at least an 80 gallon tank/container. You really need a filter. Turtles are very messy .. we recommend a filter that is rated at least 3 times the tank size. This means that most filters are rated for fish tanks which don't have nearly the amount of waste that a turtle tank does. so therefore will be 3 times messier

Turtles also need a UVB light in order for them to metabolize the calcium in their diet to maintain a healthy shell and bones. With this in mind, they also need calcium in their diet, in addition to that found in their pellets and other food. You can buy a cuttlebone like those used for birds. You just need to remove the hard backing and place a piece of the cleaned cuttlebone in their water.

I know this seems like a lot to absorb but in honesty, once you get their setup done up properly, you'll be surprised at how little work they can be. Most people freak out when they think of cleaning a larger enclosure but truthfully, the more water, the less work. It doesn't need to be cleaned nearly as often as a small tank with little water and no filtration.

Also, on the basking area/beach.. you need to make sure that whatever they have to bask on is easy for them to get too.. and allows them to completely dry off, top and bottom. Make sure you don't have small gravel in their tank. You can read many sad stories on here of owners who turtles died because ingesting it and becoming impacted. Another downside to gravel is that all the waste and food it holds and how difficult it makes to clean the tank and keep it clean.

I'm not sure if I covered everything but if not, I'm sure someone will fill in the missing holes. I do realized you just got these turtles and it takes time to get everything up to par..

[flutterby]

In addition....

The first thing I noticed is the gravel, it should be removed. Turtles have a tendency to eat it and it can lead to impaction, which can mean expensive vet bills and/or death.

Second, nutrafin max is a fish food not a turtle food. Most of us, I believe, recommend Reptomin as a turtle food though there are others available.

I strongly recommend you get some kind of thermometer for the basking area and water, whether it is the kind that float or one of the inexpensive digital thermometers is up to you. But knowing the temperatures is important, because too cold of water they can get sick, too cold of basking area they won't bask, too hot can cook the turtle.

[JaxFloridaBabyGirl28]

Well it says Nutrfin Max Turtle Gammarus Pellets and the lady at Petsmart in the reptiles section is actually the one that picked out the rocks for me and said that they were fine so please dont jump on me because like I said I am new to this and dont know alot about them which is why I am reading up on them and trying my best to do everything that I can, I have found a vet that will see them if they are sick, I have called turtle rescue to ask them questions and I joined here to learn more and ask questions too so please dont be upset with me because I was misinformed by other people that are supposed to be knowledgeable to these kinds of things....thanks for the reply though!!

[flutterby]

Nah, we're not jumping on you or upset. Most people are misinformed by either well meaning pet store employee's or people who just want to sell you products you don't really need.

[JaxFloridaBabyGirl28]

Nah, we're not jumping on you or upset. Most people are misinformed by either well meaning pet store employee's or people who just want to sell you products you don't really need.

Thanks Im just trying to do whatever I can to make them healthy and live a long life span, cause my friend just couldnt keep them or take them with her, so she gave me the food for them and it says that it is complete food for all turtles, they are eating right now as we speak, I havent seen them try to eat the rocks so far but I can go and get them bigger or whatever kind you can recommend because they tried to sell me some big rocks that you pile up but I was afraid of the turtles flipping upside down and drowning, they also had some really big gravel that I know for a fact wouldnt even fit in their mouths, so any info that you guys can give would be great, I will have to wait until the 1st of Jan before I can get too much more cause my husbands deployed and I only have so much money left after all the bills for me and the kids to eat and do things off of, so I can get a few more things now but will have to wait to get the rest later, do you think if I got some big rocks could I build their habitat from a plastic storage container, cause I have a really huge one in the closet that I put my daughters old clothes in, I think its like an 50 to 80 gallon container cause it fits alot of clothes, and I have a basking light but the lady at petsmart never said anything about a UVB light, also I dont even think that the girl that had them before me had any lighting at all but then again she was moving and had alot of things packed and ready to go so I dont know and she couldnt give me her aquarium cause it was an antique one that has been passed thru the family for awhile now, so Im really trying all that I can I mean they arent going to get sick and die right away are they?? Im trying and so far they are still very active and they are eating...Oh wow I feel so bad cause if I would have known that there was so much involved I would have tried to be better prepared or something...

[xsavingsaturdayx]

You can use the plastic storage container,i actually use one myself with no problems.But keep in mind 50 gallons is alot so you are going to need a filter three times the size of the enclosure a canister filter is said to work well,you will also need a water heater rated for 50 gallons or more.And a UVB bulb is very importan so get that,you are going to need two lamps and two bulbs one bulb is for UVB they sell different types of them in stores and the other can be a regular housebulb(for heat) im not going to lie to you,its going to be pretty expensive for all that i mentioned above it comes out to probably 200$ if you buy everything at the store but that is not wise because at online stores like www.bigalsonline.com you can get things like water heaters for 50 gallons that would cost you 40$ at petco but at bigals it would cost you around 20 bucks.Same goes for filters,the xp series is said to do wonders for enclosures 50 gallons and up its around 70$ at bigals i think,at a store it would probably be around 100$ a UVB bulb is around 50$ and some of them include UVB and UVA which means you dont have to have two lamps aiming at the basking area,just one! UVB bulbs last you for 6 months then you have to get a new one.Also keep in mind that buying all this stuff is going to save you ALOT of money in the future,you wouldnt have to upgrade for a while with all that stuff.A tank isnt neccesary storage bin containers do well and save big bucks$$$ .

[SpotsMama]

Hi Jax - I must say I really admire what you're doing. It took a lot a lot of compassion to take in the little turtles that were about to lose their home. There's quite a bit of setup involved in creating a good environment for a water turtle where they can thrive and live a long life. But be assured, once you get the pieces put together, it's pretty easy to maintain and you'll have years to enjoy your turtles. They are wonderful creatures! Some of the people on here that are giving you advice are very experienced hobbyists that really know their stuff. They've been a lot of help to me and I'm sure they will to you too.

[JaxFloridaBabyGirl28]

UPDATE: I went to the store and bought alot more of the things that were needed for the turtles, I did it with the Xmas money that my husband gave me, hes deployed right now so he told me how much more I could take out of our account, the male turtle is now able to open his eye, its still a little bit closed but the swelling has gone down alot and the drops seem to be working well, they both eat well and love to swim around, the pet store by my house was having a very big end of the year sell and I was able to get a 80 gallon aquarium for just 98.88, I will have to afford the stand for it later though, also I have a water pump that is fit for the size tank, thermometers, heating, UVB bulb and lamp, but I also still have the basking lamp so do I use both and also do you turn the lights off at night for them to sleep cause my basking light says not to use more then 12 hours a day...and what kind of water plants or land plants do they usually like to eat?? Sorry for all the questions, just wanted to know and also let you know that the male turtles eye is doing great with the med zoo drops...thanks for all your help and as soon as I get my digital camera for Xmas I will let you guys see my new lil babies, thanks again!!

[Muirner]

GREAT deal you got on the tank! and i applaud you for going out and getting that setup! very nice. As far as lighting goes. You will want your UVB and your basking light, to be on for no more then 12 hours a day. When i had my turtles i had the timer come on at 7am and off shortly before 6pm.

Plants, you can use Anachris, Amazon Sward, Horwortt (sp), duckweed, and many others.

Something you should know, top floating plants such as duckweed that have long roots that are in the tank (floating from the top down) these will help with algae, and they are ok for your turtle to eat. For a complete list of plants check out this list, it gives you everything nutrition based for the turtles. http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition_1.html

[cam722]

wow.. great job.. and a great deal too

You don't NEED to put plants in the tank.. those are more for decorations.. unless you want to feed them plants. I personally found it to be quite expensive to buy plants for them because they devoured them almost immediately. You can use any plant either real or fake that you can put in a fish aquarium. Try not to use fake plants that have tiny pieces as they may try to eat them and they could choke on them. You could try offering them some veggies from the what to eat list that Muirner posted before spending money on live plants.

Again, I'm impressed that you did such a good job so quickly