General Care Discussion :: Problem with eyes

[BabyBlue]

My turtle's eyes are a swollen with a little pink. I assume its water quality but I'm not too sure. I keep him in my room and it's pretty cold, especially this winter because there was no heat, I have no idea why. My room was freezing. He has a habit of not eating during the winter months. Even if I move him somewhere else with a little warmer water or a lamp to feed him, he won't eat because he'll sleep throught the cold months. I assume it's the water because I don't change it as often because he's sleeping all the time. I have him in a half gallon plastic container, planning to switch him with my white crayfish that's in a 5.5 gallon, with a piece of driftwood in it

For some reason, he likes to go underneath the wood to sleep and has only recently climb on top to sleep on it. If I take the wood off him, he'll just go crawling back underneath it again. Like I've said, he won't eat no matter what I do to him during the winter and this is his second winter. He didnt' eat either during his first winter so I'm guessing he just don't want to eat. His shell doesn't get soft or anything. I put a turtle nurtiler-thingy in it for calcium.

I feed him these carnivore sticks before the winter and my mom would give him some veggies. I had him in a ten gallon tank before with two inches of water with feeder fish, but the feeders are dirty and I'm keeping them, so I moved him out of there. I don't know what to do because there aren't vets around here for me to ask. I want to try and do something first before going out to find a vet, find it's only dirty water and have them charge me $60 for the examination. Right now, I'm using a few drops of Melafix, a natural medicine that's made for bacteria. It's for fish so I made sure to dilute it enough with water so it's nto too strong. It's already been like 15 to 20 minutes, perhaps even more like 30 minutes, and he's opening his eyes and moving around in the bucket I have him in. It's a foot in diameter, a little more than 5 and 1/2 inche deep with a little more than 1/2 of water.

Aftr putting him in teh 5.5 gallon, should I continue with the Melafix dip a few more times and see if he'll get better? He seems to be working now.

[steve]

What's the water temperature? How often do you change the water? What kind of filter are you using? Are you using a UVB lamp?

[BabyBlue]

The water temperature is room temperature, so it should be around 75F now. I change the water when it's dirty or abotu twice a week because I don't feed it that much. When I do feed it alot, I try to change it more often, usually when it finishes eating. There's no fitler in it since it's only a half gallon plastic container (will be changing him into the 5.5 gallon), and no lamp. I do, however, take him outside into the sun for a few hours, making sure to change the water so it doesn't get to hot, during the summer so he can sunbathe and get vitamin D, and some fresh air. I've been doing the same things since I got him and nothign new so I don't understand why he has this problem now and not the last winter.

After the Melafiz dip, the pink-ness seems to be gone and there's less of the white-ness, I believe that's the skin that's peeling, and the eye looks a little bit better. I dont' know if I should continue or not. He ate three pieces of Reptomin baby food sticks I gave him, but left the sugar pea, I believe, the peas in the pods, alone. (I didn't have any lettuce.)

[BabyBlue]

The water temperautre is room temperature so it should be around 75F now. I don't change much during the winter, maybe like once in thre three weeks, since he doens't eat at all. I usually do it twice or three times a week, depending on how dirty it is. If he eats alot, i change it more often. Sometimes I change it again after he eats because he made a mess of things. There's no filter because, like I've said, it's a half gallon plastic container, (planning to swtich to 5.5 gallon tank). I'm not using any UVB lamps, but I do take him out during the summer to get some sun and fresh air. I take him out for a few hours in a plastic container he's in and changes teh water a few times to make sure it's not too hot for him. He jsut ate three pieces of Reptomin Baby food sticks but left the sugar pea, I think it's called, the peas in the pods, alone. I didnt' have any lettuce or other kinds of veggies. He eats theem before but I think he's picky abotu which veggies to eat. Sometimes I feed him after I change the water so he can eat in cleaner water, but I end up having to change it again, especially after he eats a large piece of veggie, he leaves tiny pieces behind.

I don't really understand why it happened. I didn't do anything different or than the previous winter and he was fine. This is his/hers second winter and it happened only this time. After the Melafix dip, the eyes seems to be doing better. The pinkness is gone and the white-ness, I believe that's the just the skin peeling off, is gone too. Should I continue with the Melafix dip?

[BabyBlue]

I moved him to the 5.5 gallon two days ago with about 4 1/2 inches of water. He seems to like it better and is sleepign less. Ate six pieces of food last night. It still doesn't have a filter or light though. In fact, I have to put a piece of cardboard, a plastic piece, and his previous tank, it was a 1 gallon something, not 1/2 like a thought it was, on top with the little crayfish. If I don't, my cat goes turtle-ing.

[Love of Animals]

Please read the attached link about basic care. 5.5 gallons is to small for a hatchling. Until your turtle receives proper care he'll always have some type of problem. I hope you can help him.
http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care.html

[steve]

It could be the chlorine irritating his eyes. I agree with Love of Animals, you need to reevaluate how you are keeping your turtle and prepare to offer it the basic requirements.