General Care Discussion :: turtle sleeping alot and possibly problem with eyes

[aon]

Hi, my baby res has been sleeping alot, and I would see him closing his eyes and opening them as if theres something wrong with them. any ideas whats wrong? and the water is just right if you're wondering, i will be taking him for a vet checkup sometime this week, just wondering as of now

[octpusgirl8]

Are the eyes swollen at all? From what you've described it sounds like a good idea to take him to the vet, eye irritation and lethargy are early symptoms or RI.

[aon]

his eyes arent swollen, atleast they look normal to me.

after changing the water for him, then i put him in the tank i saw him closing his eyes, then it looks like he was having a hard time opening them again.

if its like you said its early symptoms of RI, what if he doesnt have RI yet? how will the vet treat him then? give me medicines to prevent it? im sorry this is my first time going to the vet. and more advices would be nice, like the calcium shots that the vet give my turtle, do i tell the vet not to? cause i read somewhere that it could be dangerous.

[SpotsMama]

Be sure and describe the symptoms to your vet. If he's having early symptoms of RI, that means he already has it but it isn't very advanced. If he does have RI, the vet will probably give him some antibiotic shots. The typical treatment is a series of shots every few days over the course of a couple of weeks.

Until you get him to the vet keep him extra warm (80 or 82 degrees), very clean and avoid stress (ie, avoid picking him up unless you have to and keep the room quiet). Make sure he keeps eating. If he loses his appetite, it's ok to offer him treats like a little tuna, shrimp or boiled chicken until he gets well again.

Another thing that may help is Turtle Eye Drops, an OTC medication by Zoo Med. Just follow the directions on the package. It sooths minor eye irritation and helps if there is a vitamin a deficiency.

Here's the standard caution for anyone taking their turtle to see a vet. If the vet offers to give a vitamin A shot, first make sure the vet is positive your turtle really needs vitamin A and then discuss other alternatives to shots with the vet like eye drops with vitamin A, cod liver oil or food supplements. Several turtles have recently had very bad reactions to vitamin A shots and I think it's best that if vitamin A is needed (and often it's not) the safer methods be used instead.

[steve]

Are you using a UVB light? Reptisuns and other compact fluorescents might cause eye problems.

[res08]

after changing the water for him, then i put him in the tank i saw him closing his eyes, then it looks like he was having a hard time opening them again.

Did you add water conditioner to the tap water before adding it to the tank? Because it could be heavy metals, chlorine or chloramine that is irritating his eyes.

And make sure the temperature is the same before adding it to the tank because he could catch a cold if it is just a few degrees cooler.

[aon]

after changing the water for him, then i put him in the tank i saw him closing his eyes, then it looks like he was having a hard time opening them again.

Did you add water conditioner to the tap water before adding it to the tank? Because it could be heavy metals, chlorine or chloramine that is irritating his eyes.

And make sure the temperature is the same before adding it to the tank because he could catch a cold if it is just a few degrees cooler.

yes i think that is probably the problem, for those who said my turtle could possibly have RI, i took him to the vet and he doesnt.

by the way Res08 your turtle is cutee ( watched all your videos )

but what are other reasons why my res is sleeping alot?

[marisa]

Just curious, but what is the temp of the water and basking area?

[aon]

water is 80, im getting on my lights soon

should i go buy some eyedrops for him?

[marisa]

It probably wouldn't hurt. The drops are for inflamed eyes and contain a bit of Vit A in them, which would help somewhat if your turtle is deficient in the vitamin. Follow the directions on the package.

[aon]

thankyou. do you know where i could buy the eyedrops? and do you have any recommendations?

[imderanged]

Petsmart usually carried the eye drops