Urgent Care :: HELP!! I think my RES's eyes are irritated

[wyvern17]

I think the irritation was caused by chlorine in the water. Before, we're using deep well water which has no chlorine and when our water supply had been changed (with chlorine) its eyes are always closed and it frequently rubs its eyes. I noticed that a white, opaque substance is coveing both its eyes. How can it feed when its eyes are always closed?

How can I treat this?

[missibsu]

There are a bunch of other threads concerning this topic. I suggest doing some of your own homework first.

[steve]

Are the eyes open when the turtle is out of the water? I would imagine some eye rubbing, but not completely closed. Also, I've never heard anyone saying a white film developing over the eyes due to chlorine.

Is the substance crusty.. or the eyes swollen?

[wyvern17]

One eye is closed while the other is slightly open, but both are swollen. The substance is not crusty, it is somewhat like the eyes of person with cataract.

[steve]

Many turtles will not eat what they cannot see. It may be a vitamin deficiency or a bacterial infection.

You should get a vet to check it out, but here is some more info:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/eyeprobs.htm

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medeyes.htm

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/turhealth.htm#eyes

[marisa]

The covering is on the actual eyeball or on the lids? When I first got my turtle (as a hatchling), he had the white cottony covering on his eyes much like you mentioned, and he would rub at his eyes both in and out of the water. He did A LOT of basking the first 5 days I had him ( I had to put him in the water to hydrate him and try to get him to eat). The white covering eventually came off like wet tissue paper with an improved habitat and diet, but it took a few weeks.

Does your turtle have a proper basking area with correct lighting and a temp in the range of 88-90F?

Try feeding small bits of something smelly (tuna or sardines, soak pellets in the water from them to give them a stronger scent). If he can't see, hold the food in the water in front of his nose so he can smell it better.

For the eyes, try also some plain cod liver oil on the lids applied gently with a q-tip.

[wyvern17]

thanks everyone...=)

[sweet_sorrow004]

This is normally respitory infection (aka RI) take to vet very soon! try to treat the problem before it gets worse! RI is normally caused by warm water, cold air, vice versa, not providing dry warm spots, etc. do some good research and call up the REPTILE vet, not all vets know about turtles. find a herp vet.

[steve]

I don't think I've ever heard of eye irritations as a symptom of R.I.

[wyvern17]

Only few of the vets here in the Phil. knows about taking care of turtles and yet they're expensive. My turtle's eyes are now better and improving because of everyone's advice, so I think that I don't need to bring my turtle to the vet anymore because of his present status

[sweet_sorrow004]

opps, wrong post place, srry, just ignore that little thing.