General Care Discussion :: Question about eyes.

[Rickiew04]

I was wondering if it is normal for Willy not to open his eyes very quickly. When I had to pick him up while he was asleep basking, it took him a minute to open his eyes. One eye opened first, then the other opened. Is that normal?

[SpotsMama]

Not really. How big is Willy? Have you had him long? Has he always been like this? Has he been eating all right? Do his eyes look swollen at all?

[Rickiew04]

I've had him for 2 days. He's about an inch. I'm using a Reptisun compact 5.0. I've heard from this forum that they should be about 5-6" away. He's eating good for the 2 days that I've had him. I was wondering about his eyes being swollen, cause they look like they might be when they are shut, but when they are open, they don't look swollen, so I thought it was just his eyelids making it look swollen. If they are swollen, what can I do to make the swelling go down? I don't want to just buy eye drops to force the eyes to open.

[SpotsMama]

He's a tiny little brand new one isn't he!

Is the Reptisun compact in a reflective fixture? This would concentrate the light to the point that it might irritate the turtle's eyes. The remedy for this would be to move the fixture further back.

Also, I'd back that bulb back just a little to about 6". If it were too close, it might be a source of eye irritation.

A lot of things can irritate a turtle's sensitive eyelids. Too much water conditioner, not enough conditioner (leaving chlorine in the water), dirty water, vitamin deficiency and respiratory illness can all cause swollen or sensitive eyes, where the turtle wants to keep them shut. The zoo med turtle eye drops won't hurt your turtle and might help with simple irritation. Just follow the directions on the box. I've used them when Spot's eyes were a little irritated from chlorine in the water and they worked really well.

I wonder though about your being able to walk up to your turtle and pick him up while he's basking. It sounds like he was slow to respond when you did that. It's more typical for a brand new little bitty turtle to be very skittish. They will usually run and hide whenever they see you. They often won't bask or eat for several days - up to a week. Your turtle sounds unusually sleepy. Is he normally this sleepy or does he usually run and hide?

[Rickiew04]

I do have a reflective structure around the light. Should I take that off? And for the 2 days I have had him, he has been basking and sleeping a lot (I was thinking that was a good thing, because I just thought he was adapting to his new surroundings well). There are some times that I can sneak up on him and he doesn't know I'm there cause his eyes are closed, and other times he will dive into the water and swim away. Do you think he is sick or something? Cause that would suck! And I'm using Reptisafe water conditioner, and I put the amount per gallon that the bottle said.

[Rickiew04]

Ok, so this morning I went down to look at Willy. I have his lights on a timer to turn on at 10:30am. I went down after the lights were on and he was still sleeping on top of his floating log. I picked him up and for a few seconds he didn't squirm too much and his eyes didn't open until he got in the water about a minute later. His left eye doesn't look swollen and its the eye that opened all the way first. The right eye is the one that looks swollen and not open all the way. I measured his UVB light and I had it moved back to 9in. Should I leave it there, or should I move it up to 6in.? He isn't listing and he leaves his basking ramp if he sees me. The times that I've been able to sneak up on him, he's been sleeping.

[marisa]

Since it's a 5.0, I'd move it a bit closer. Maxiumum benefit, at least for the 5.0 UVB tube, is 6-8 inches. That said, I can't see the reflective dome you have the bulb in or how it's positioned. An inch or so closer would increase the UVB rays your turtle would get. If you think the closer distance is bothering him, then move the light back again.

[SpotsMama]

You are probably able to catch him/her unawares from time to time because, like you said, he's sleeping with his eyes closed. Regarding his eyes, it won't hurt to put some zoo med turtle eye drops in them in addition to adjusting the light.

Just watch for other signs of illness - some of them are lethargy (tired, lacking energy, sleeps a lot), poor appetite, swollen or irritated eyes (hopefully that problem will improve when you find the right position for the light), yawning or breathing with the mouth open, swimming lopsided, difficulty submerging, mucus around the nose. He/she doesn't have to display all these symptoms, but if he/she is having several, then you should see about getting him/her to a vet.

Good luck!

[Rickiew04]

Ok, I am worried now. Today, when I left for work (1:30) he was sleeping/basking with his head out. I came home on my lunch break (6:15) and he was in the exact same position, except his head was in. I picked him up, and he barely moved his legs, his eyes didn't open, and when I put him back on the platform, he didn't even jump off into the water, he just stayed where I set him. He's never done that in the 3 days I've had him. I think I bought him sick. He's been basking/sleeping everyday. I watch when he does swim, and I didn't notice any listing. Once in a while a bubble or two would come out of his nose, but it wasn't like all the time. He just seems very lathargic. I have fed him for 3 days and he eats very well. I haven't seen him yawn or breathing with his mouth open. Tonight he is sleeping on his floating log with his head in. I put some ponchos (the only thing I could find) over the tank to cover it and keep the heat in and drafts out, my basement gets kinda cool. I'm going to call the vet on monday. Any advice???

[SpotsMama]

Keep him nice and warm. Do you use a water heater? Cool temperatures in and of themselves can cause a turtle to slow down, and will make them vulnerable to illness. You should crank the water temp up to 82. Normally, 78 to 80 is recommended for a hatchling but if he/she is ill then a higher temp is recommended to speed up the immune system.

Putting ponchos over the tank to keep the heat in is a great idea.

How deep is your water? If it's pretty deep, make sure there are some floating plants or things around for the little guy to rest on so he doesn't spend too much energy trying to swim.

Take extra care to keep the water very clean.

I'm pulling for you and your new little turtle. It's a very good sign that he/she is eating well. Hopefully if he/she's sick you've caught it in time. When they're so small they're rather delicate. Also, if they've been kept in less than ideal conditions before being adopted (which is very common), they are sometimes ill when you bring them home though they may not show it right away.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[Rickiew04]

I am using a water heater. The water is at 80. I'll try to boost it to 82. I have a 55 gallon take filled up 14in. high. I have a floating log that he likes to sleep on. The temp in my basement was around 64-66degrees. So I put those ponchos on lastnight, and when I checked the temp this morning, the air temp in the tank was 76, so that worked very well. I have a fluval 4plus in the tank right now. How would I keep the water cleaner?

[Rickiew04]

I don't know what to think, whether he is sick or not. Is he supposed to sleep alot because he is a baby? I think he has a hard time opening his eyes after he has been basking for a while and is dried off. Is that normal? How does Willy look? Here are some pics of him basking/sleeping today.

[SpotsMama]

He's awfully sweet isn't he.

Someone else needs to answer your specific questions on hatchling behavior. My turtle was a little older when I got him and he was ill to boot.