Urgent Care :: Hatchling eyes swollen shut-please help

[yan]

I think Zilla is one of the brands that's known to have caused photo-kerato-conjunctivitis. I had the same problem with my turt lately, I was using a reptisun compact. I was told that my turt need to be "detox" and should stay away from UVB light for 2 weeks. But you can still use a household bulb to bring up the heat in the basking area so that your turtle could continue to bask.

As for the bulb, I was told that reptiglo is a good brand to go for and it doesn't have a burn in period.

Here's the site to to go if you want to learn more about photo-kerato-conjunctivitis

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-info.htm

Hope this helps.

[ashipyor]

Thanks! That's good to know about the two week detox period. Also, on the reptigloa I heard there is a 100-150 burn in period. Someone posted that they had a care sheet that indicated that. Not sure if it's true but I've been burning-in my light for the last 5 days to be safe. In Tilly news, Tilly is all better or at least appears to be!

[yan]

Glad to hear that Tilly is getting better.
The one that's got the burn in period is reptisun compact. Reptiglo doesn't need to be burnt in.

This is the one
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/co ... _bulbs.php

I bought a reptiglo 5.0 but I haven't started using it yet since my turt is still within the "detox" period. But I noticed the light ray from this bulb is more gentle and soothing than the reptisun that I got earlier on.

[ashipyor]

Yan- I noticed that the reptiglo extends past my clamp lamp. Is this a problem?

[yan]

I guess it's ok, I've seen them done it at the petshop and in some of the catalogues. You just need to make sure that your turt wouldn't be able to touch the part that sticks out.

Also make sure you don't get reptisun mixed up with reptiglo. I used to think that they're the same. Reptiglo is much shorter in length and is in the form of a coil. That is the one you're looking for.

Reptisun (compact) comes in a bundle of 4 straight tubes, when you use them with a clamp lamp, about 1/3 of the bulb sticks out of the lamp. This is the one I used to use and causes problem.

[ESG4Life]

Is your turtle new, like did you just get her? if you just got her from where? if she was in a pet shop then she probably isnt used to the lighting (JUST MY OPINION!)

[ashipyor]

I've had her for almost a month now. I rescued her from and illegal seller in Chicago so she's never been exposed to UVB (as far as I know) since the bad UVB light incident. I'm moving her to her new tank this weekend when I hope to integrate the reptiglo light.

[queenjane]

I'm so worried I can't sleep It's amazing how attached I've become in just a few days...

I hear you. I get physically ill when my turtle is exhibiting strange behaviors/illnesses. I think it's from knowing that I alone am totally responsible for what happens to this creature-- whether it lives a happy life or a painful one, or whether it dies prematurely. After becoming a turtle parent, I am certain I do not want to become a human parent! The responsibility!

Also, my turtle has chronically puffed up eyes. (I'm posting in the General Discussion session re: RI, eyes, and water quality.) I use ZooMed weekly but she still flares up now and then and her eyes will look like Rocky Balboa for days on end. It's upsetting. As it is, I have no idea what brand of UVB I have, but since they're like $30 I can't afford a new one so I just moved it back further.

I read this on the link provided above and thought I would repost it:

Does your reptile refuse to open its eyes, or have swollen eyelids? (Symptoms of photo-kerato-conjunctivitis)

Please understand that there are many other causes of eye problems in reptiles. Turtles and tortoises are particularly susceptible. Similar symptoms can occur with eye infections, certain vitamin deficiencies and even dust or sand in the eyes. Your reptile should be examined by a reptile specialist vet to rule out other causes - which may need specific treatments such as antibiotics. If you are concerned that the lamp may have contributed to the problem, print out some of the information from this page to show your veterinarian.

However, if your reptile is showing these symptoms AND you have recently installed one of the lamps featured in this report - especially if your reptile can get close to the lamp - yes, it is possible that your pet has developed photo-kerato-conjunctivitis.

It will do no harm, in the short term, to switch off the new UVB lamp for 1 - 2 days. (The sun does not shine every day, even in the tropics.) Do not switch off the (non UVB) basking light or heating! If the UVB lamp was the source of the problem, recovery may be seen (but do not wait 1-2 days before seeking veterinary help, if your reptile is ill.)

Double check the distance of your lamp from the reptile. Check out the manufacturer's instructions regarding minimum basking distances and also read our reports carefully, to see whether at the distance your lamp was set, the UV radiation could have been excessive. If you plan on continuing to use the lamp, ensure that when you use it again, it is placed at a suitable distance.

Were you using an aluminium reflector? This can boost the UVB beneath a lamp to extremely high levels. Check the details in our report.


I've decided I'm going to turn mine off for the weekend, and see if she doesn't improve.

[yan]

Hi queenjane. I guess if the puffiness of your turt's eyes is caused by the UVB, she'd close her eyes every now and then due to the pain cause by the light. This's what happened to my turt. If it's just red and swollen, it might be something else.

If you want to continue to use your UVB bulb, you might want to raise it a few inches higher . Are you using a tube type or a compact type? If it's the compact type, you might want to take a look at this, here's some guidelines I found in the ZooMed website:

http://www.zoomed.com/Library/ProductDB ... sun5cf.pdf

The ZooMed reptisun compact is the one known to have caused photo-kerato-conjunctivitis. So, just read this as a reference, never ever use the bulb, my turt is a victim of it.

[queenjane]

Tank's eyes swell shut.

Her UVB bulb is a coil bulb and I've had it since probably June of 2008. I use it with a white reflector and it's 12 inches from her basking area.

She just seems to get eye infections allllll the time.

Here is a photo I took of her eyes on 23/1/09:

[yan]

Oh, if you call this swollen, my turt's got the same problem too. That is, before the infection caused by the uvb bulb. Her eyes kinda bulges out all the time, I used to think that it's ok as long as it's not red.

But I'm pretty sure the redness and the eye shutting is caused by the problematic bulb. Ever since I shut off the light, these symptoms were gone.

I think you could try shutting off the light and see if it gets any better. As for the UVB light, you need to change a new one every 6 months (some said 1year, I dont' know which one is right). So maybe you wanna try the reptiglo next time. Anyways, I'll let you know if reptiglo is good after I start to use it next week.

[marisa]

A regular UVB light (the Reptiglo would qualify) every 6 - 8 months.

A mercury vapor bulb like the T-Rex Active UVB Heat or MegaRay, about yearly.

[yan]

I was hoping to turn on the UVB lamp today for a few hours and see how it goes. Unfortunately, as soon as the light's on, my turt starts the blinking again. I guess I might need to wait for a few more days.