Urgent Care :: Please Help, Turtle keeps his eyes close all day

[Shinigami]

well i got a new UVb light reptisun or zoomed,its 10% uvb and 36% uva.But this morning,i noticed my RES keeps his eyes closed all day. I pick him up den he like sleeps on my hand,when i put him in the water he swims all around with his eyes closed. Im really worried does anyone have suggestions?

How big is your turtle? 1.5 inches
How long have you had it? around a month

What is the water temperature? 79,but today i put it 80
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? about 10 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? Fluval 2+

What is the basking temperature? Dont kno,but its 10 inches away
Is there a basking light? Yes,Repti Glow Infrared
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes,ZooMed or Reptisun 10% UVB light

What have you been trying to feed it? Pellets,krill (doesnt eat romaine)
When was the last time your turtle ate? This morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallons
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
Swimming in tank with eyes closed!

[marisa]

He's just started doing this? Absolutely no other symptoms?

How often do you change the water and clean the filter?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

hmm, are you using too much water condiotioner?
because i used to put in a little more than the recommended dosage, and it would irritate my turtle's eye's a bit. and sometimes they will have it closed for a while, i quickly used less water conditioner and cleaned out my tank realy good, and within hours they were irritation free.

[steve]

Does his eyes look swollen or puffy? Are they just closed? Will the eyes open up if you take him out of the tank?

[Shinigami]

well i have been putting a few drops too many inside the tank!!
should i immediatly clean the tank and put less conditioner?
if it is the conditioner can this be permanent damage?
his eyes are jsut closed and a little big like they always are.
When i take him outside the tank he still has them closed!

[steve]

What brand of conditioner did you use? It is probably not the cause, but a water change at this point couldn't hurt. Can you take him out of the tank and let him dry off and offer and basking lamp at one end.

[Shinigami]

its definitly the water conditioner,i dotn have the name at this exact moment but i'll check soon.
when i take out my turtle sometimes itll open its eyes very slightly.
so i took alot of water in the tank and replaced it with tap water just to neutralize some of the water condionter.
So i know my turtle does open its eyes sometimes,so he WILL heal soon? I hope he does because im going to be very careful with conditioners.
So ill im asking is,Will my turtle heal very soon or will it be permanant?

[marisa]

I doubt the condition would be permanent (if that really was the problem). Most "conditioners" I've seen take out chlorine/chloramine from the water and add good things like electrolytes; I haven't seen any warnings that say using too much could cause permanent damage. If you were using too much (do you use a measuring spoon to add the proper amount to the water?), it would be more of an irritant.

[CountryGirl68]

Although the containers don't have a warning about using too much, it is possible to add too much water conditioner. Now, I'm talking about fish here: many water conditioners made for fish aquariums "promote" the slimy coat buildup on fish. But in order to promote that buildup, the conditioner actually irritates the fish's skin, which in turn causes the slimy coat buildup.

I don't know if too much conditioner can cause irritation in turtles, though.

[Sparkydoodle]

I think I know whats wrong. He could either have swollen eyes or swollen eye lids.

[tinkerbell_pg]

this is also happening to my RES but i dont think it is the conditioner cause my hardly goes in the water any more for some reason , so i have to put him in the water but then he comes right back out. some people on Turtle Talk said to take him to a vet

[mkoby]

I got my baby 1 week ago today and he started doing the same thing yesterday. He's swimming with his eyes closed and seems to spend more time out of the water. Usually he won't let you see him basking. Was it the water conditioner?

[Muirner]

When my turtle basks she has the skin over her eyes, and even when she wakes up and goes in the water it will stay, but after some time she will work it off. It's just a piece of skin that covers their eyes when they are basking.

Does your turtle ever work the piece of skin off so his/her eyes are open?

Tinker- does your RES eat? what is the water temps? It sounds like it's lythargic. (sp). (and TurtleTalk is here right??)... If People suggested a vet, then do it.

[Kallistos]

You can always try eye drops. That usually opens up the eyes, although you should make sure the water is balanced before you do that. Try ReptiSafe, that's a great water conditioner, makes it safe enough for them to drink. Buy a water test kit and check if anything is ubalanced.

[Muirner]

Or take your water to a pet store, they will check it for anything bad... usually free of charge.