Urgent Care :: Turtle rubbing his eyes

[nfnsprite]

Yeah this morning his eye was shut, so I just applied it to the lid and around the eye. I hadn't read anything about adding it to food, but thank you for the suggestion. I will look for that.

[marisa]

If it's only one eye, I would think it's either an eye infection or an injury that is getting infected. What are you feeding him? If he has a balanced diet, he shouldn't need more vitamin A in the diet. And if he's getting adequate Vit A in the diet (in the form of foods that contain beta carotene, like carrots) I wouldn't add any to his food.

I'm not sure I'd use cod liver oil, but if you do, apply it gently with a q-tip to the lid. If you try it for 2-3 days and there's no improvement, stop.

Keep the water really clean if it's an eye infection. If it doesn't improve/gets worse I'd take him to a herp vet.

[nfnsprite]

Yeah it's just really confusing. His water is very clear. I used ReptiSafe to condition it and have an excellent Fluval filter. I am feeding him ReptoMin along with leafy greens (mostly romaine) and I do give him shredded carrot, but he barely picks at it. Would it be safe to soak his ReptoMin in the cod liver to get more Vit. A into his system? I do have a really great vet and plan to take him if no improvement is made. His appetite is still up, so I'm glad to see that. I honestly am so happy to have found this board and really appreciate all the advice you guys have given!!

[marisa]

I'd try the cod liver on the lid first and wouldn't repeatedly give him cod-liver oil soaked pellets, the reason being that Vit A is stored and too much over time can be harmful/toxic to turts (humans as well). If he's really small, you don't know how much is safe; he'll still get some Vit A absorbed through the skin/lid.

If the other eye stays clear and open, I'd suspect an eye infection rather than a Vit A deficiency.

[nfnsprite]

Oh no I'm glad you said that! I definitely don't want to give him anything toxic--especially because he still is quite small. For an infection, I'm assuming nothing can be done at home, and I should make an appt. with the vet? Because it is rather unbalanced--his right eye seems to be ok.

[marisa]

Don't know the cause of the infection (if it is one). I'd keep the water clean, try the cod liver oil on the lid if you want to. If it doesn't improve, take him your herp vet.