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I have 2 baby RES turtles with about 1.5 inch shells. One of them developed swollen eyes about 2 weeks in. I tried feeding them more greens and her eyes seemed to get better. Recently the swelling seems to have come back. The tank water is usually between 80-85 degrees, and it had dropped down to 80. I moved her to a tub with 86 degree water and her eyes opened right up and no longer looked swollen. I raised the tank water to 85 and put her back in, but now she's swimming around with her eyes closed again. She eats well, and from what I see she basks all day. Around the time I feed her she'll start swimming around asking for food, and swims around at night. The other turtle is completely fine. What should I do?

What kind of lighting are you using? Can you try to answer some of the questions in my signature?

If you haven't already, please do separate the turtles. If the sick turtle has an infection, you definitely don't want the other turtle to catch it.

I know it's been awhile, I apologize. My other, smaller one got a bacterial infection on her mouth, so I ended up taking them both to the local SPCA. (So I did separate them!) The smaller one is eating again and the infection seems to be almost gone in 3 days after the injection from the vet. He looked at both of them and said they looked fine. The little one has these white spots on her shell along the line of the scutes. He said to monitor it and come back if it grows. I've found it challenging to find a herp vet, since most pets in my area are dogs and cats. (The interns in the office went nuts over my baby turtles.) So I figure it can't hurt to fill this out in case there are other opinions. (Is it possible to move this to a General Discussion Thread, since I don't think it's urgent any more?)

I am still wondering about this question though. It hasn't happened again in a few weeks, but I'm concerned if I don't change something it'll happen again. Maybe the new lights will fix it?


How big is your turtle? 1.5 inches
How long have you had it? 2 months (5 mo. when I bought them)

What is the water temperature? 80 degrees F in this season
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? No (I'm living in the Philippines, and this is the cool season so it should only get warmer.)
How much water is in there? About 3 inches
Are you using a water conditioner? Not yet, though I did just order one and should have it by next week.
Are you using any filtration? Yes. (I have a Tetra 26038 ReptoFilter for Terrariums up to 50 Gallons, 125 GPH, and I installed in at the beginning of the month. About 3 weeks later I noticed this build up at the top where the water waterfalls out. It rubbed off, but I changed the cartidge, which was brown and mushy on one side. Is that abnormally dirty? I thought they'd last at least a month. I feed them in a separate tub, although I do float lettuce in the main tank.)

What is the basking temperature? Not sure.
Is there a basking light? Not yet. I ordered that from the US as well, with another thermometer, so it's coming. I hadn't been able to find it in the stores here.
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Zilla 11607 Basking Platform Ramp, Small. It says it's crafted out of "realistic rock." It's pretty heavy/solid.
Is there a UVB light? Not yet, that one is coming, too.

What have you been trying to feed it? Pellets and romaine lettuce. They love dried shrimp (occassionally) and water-based canned tuna, but I read that's not really great so I stopped.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Eating regularly, once a day.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon
Is the tank near a window? Yes.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No.

Have you read the Basic Care section? No? I just spent like 15 mins trying to find it and can't seem to...
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Nope. They both seem alert and active, swimming well. I'll find them out of the water a lot during the day. The smaller one likes to play with her reflection. The bigger one swims all over the front of the tank when she knows it's time to eat. She eats in like 3 minutes. The smaller one won't eat in front of me, so I leave her alone for like 20 mins. They are growing at different rates. They were the same size two months ago. I've noticed the bigger one shedding a few times and she eats more (partly why I feed them separately). The younger one hasn't shed yet that I've noticed.

Thanks for any information!

So is the issue still with they eyes? If it's coming and going, I would think it might be chlorine. Does it happen right after water changes/topping off?

I hadn't noticed. I'm using purified water though, since I'm not entirely sure about the tap water here. But I'll watch for that too.

I'm a bit stumped. I'd try the turtle eye drops or cod liver oil first.

norasedillo wrote:I hadn't noticed. I'm using purified water though, since I'm not entirely sure about the tap water here. But I'll watch for that too.

Is the water remineralized? If you are using reverse osmosis water with a very low hardness, you water may not be able buffer ph swings. It's possible that things happening in the tank like algae or bacterial growth are sometimes making the water too acidic or alkaline.

That could cause eye irritation that comes and goes.

Oh wow, I actually have no idea. If I can't buffer the pH swings, does that mean there's no real way to check if that's what's happening? Just test the water periodically, and if her eyes swell up again?

Should I try different water? I don't know if the store-bought distilled drinking water would be any different, or even potentially the tap water with the conditioner since I haven't had any problem with brushing my teeth/washing dishes/washing fruits and veggies, etc in tap (although I haven't tried drinking it as my regular water yet). Is it a whole different story for a turtle, though?

Thank you both for your help!

I'm just guessing at possibilities.

What is the issue with your tap water?

If you have a ph test kit, you could see how well your bottled water can buffer. Take a cup of bottled water. Test the ph. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar and mix it, then test the ph.

Try the same experiment with your tap water.

My tap water is very hard, which means it will buffer well.

And, it's very possible something else is going on. I'm just taking a guess.