General Care Discussion :: Should I take my RES to the vet?

[Turtlebiz]

a couple of days ago i noticed that my little Bobbers had swollen eyes. i went right to the forum and realized that it was that darn ReptiSun light I had just bought. i turned it off right away and i've just had the heat lamp on during the day. i bought him some Zoo Med turtle eye drops, and they have really worked wonders!! while i was putting the drops in i noticed some pink areas on the bottom of his feet and also on the bottom of his shell. i thought it was because of this fake log i had in the water, so i took it out right away. i've been monitoring him very closely, but for the most part he seems ok. it's been a couple of days since i started putting the drops in, and his eyes do seem a lot better. i'm just concerned because he seems to be basking way more than he normally does. he'll even be on his basking area before i turn the light on in the morning. once i put the eye drops in, he'll be better for a little while. he'll go back in the water and swim around like he normally does and eat, but then shortly after he'll go back up on his basking area and stay there for most of the day. he hasn't displayed any other symptoms. i checked the care sheets, but the only thing that he has is the swollen eyes and the pinkness on his feet. should i take him to the vet just to make sure he's ok? or should i keep monitoring him and see if he gets worse? sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for you help!

[BullDog]

It would probably be wise to take him to the vet. He's already exhibiting a few signs of illness - The pink feet, the swollen eyes, and being a bit lethargic. It may be nothing, but it could also turn bad very quickly.

Probably a good opportunity to find a good vet in your area and make an appointment

[Chrisbarnett]

Yeah, I agree with Bulldog, They're very good at hiding illness so when they do show symptoms you want to get them to the vet.

[Dein211]

hm.... i use the ReptiSun bulb..... but rolo is fine.... was it too close or something?

[Turtlebiz]

dein211 - i think it was a little bit too close, but i read reports on other websites saying it was a bad bulb to use because i guess it would literally burn the turtle and make it's eyes all swollen. so i'd rather just not use it since i've had issues with it.

[Chrisbarnett]

I believe the bulb was recalled. But some Petsmarts and Petcos took forever to get them off store shelves so many people got bad bulbs.

Dein,
you probably have a post recall bulb after the problem was fixed and the bulbs were redistributed.

[SpotsMama]

What are your temps? Temps that are too cool will slow a turtle down. Also, if the water is cool but the basking area is toasty warm, your turtle will be more inclined to bask - they are heat-seakers. For a grown RES, water temp of 75 degrees fahrenheit is good, basking temp of 90 degrees. For a RES under 4", water temp should be a few degrees higher.

Also, a light bulb that is irritating a turtle's eyes will make him avoid the basking area. With the irritating light is gone, he may feel more like basking.

On the other hand, I usually trust people's instincts on these matters. You know your turtle's behavior better than anyone else. If it's worrying you, then by all means take him to see a vet. The worst that can happen is that he gets a good report.

For people taking their turtles to the vet's, here's a standard caution. 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.