Urgent Care :: Eyes won't open

[Mr_Great]

How big is your turtle? Around 4 inches
How long have you had it? Since July

What is the water temperature? 80 Degrees
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 29X12X9 inches, or apparently only 14 gallons.?
Are you using a water conditioner? "ultimate" by Aquarium solutions
Are you using any filtration? Eheim Aquaball 2210

What is the basking temperature? Dont know
Is there a basking light? ESU reptile 75Watt incandescent Nocturnal black heat lamp
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Rock platform
Is there a UVB light? RZilla 9Watt bulb X2

What have you been trying to feed it? Yes
When was the last time your turtle ate? Last night

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 30 Gallons?
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Lethargy

Last night after changing the water i put my turtle back into the tank and now she doesn't seem to be opening her eyes. Im scared it could be an RI but i doubt it. It could be a Vit A deficiency because ive only been feeding her pellets Romaine and Green leaf.

If my UVB light was too strong how would it have affected my turtle?

Thanks for your help. I'm still really new to this turtle stuff

**Edit** I'm trying to put pictures up rightnow, and when i took her out of the water, she opened her eyes. They seem to be puffy and irritated

[erinemcgreevy]

Is she having trouble opening them all the time or just when she's basking? You could rub cold liver oil on her eyelids, that would help with vitamin A. Lethargy is not a good sign, if it were me I would find a vet.

[megcornell]

For the basking light you should just have a UVA bulb (house bulb) and a UVB bulb. The bulb you currently have may be irritating your turtle's eyes. You should change it asap. Since his eyes are already irritated, I'd skip the UVB bulb until the irritation goes away. You can buy commercial eye drops by Zoo Med which usually take care of most swelling and irritation. You should also be adding some vitamin A to his diet- carrots are very good for eye health.
Did you add more water conditioner than usual after changing the water? That can irritate eyes too.

As you may have realized already, your tank is too small so you should also be looking into upgrading your set up. Water quality is easily compromised in tanks that are too small and that too can affect the eyes and other areas of turtle health.

[Mr_Great]

Alright thanks for the help.

ive already started adding carrots to the diet.

when she comes out of the water she starts opening her eyes more.

Ill go get some cod liver oil and the lights like you suggested. If the problems consist ill take her to a vet thanks for hte help

[SpotsMama]

For the cod liver oil, dip a q tip in the oil and dab a little on the turtle's eyelids a couple of times a day until his/her eyes are normal again.

A good bulb for heat is a plain vanilla household light bulb. A 75 watt bulb seems to be a popular choice. This bulb will generate heat which will motivate your turtle to get up and bask. Basking gives your turtle's shell a chance to dry out periodically, which is essential to prevent shell infections. The heat aids your turtle's digestion and stimulates his immune system. Additionally, when the turtle basks he/she should be exposed to a good UVB bulb. The UVB in the light allows a turtle to absorb the calcium he eats. Without it, his/her shell and bones will get soft, a condition which eventually can be fatal.

A good bulb for UVA/UVB is a Repti Glo 5.0 26 watt compact fluorescent bulb. This bulb will have to come from a pet store or from an on-line supply house that provides lighting for reptiles.

Swollen eyes can be caused by a number of things - some of which are minor and some of which are quite serious. If the cod liver oil and improved lighting don't correct the eye problem in the next few days, or if you notice other negative behavior changes, you are right to seek assistance from a good vet.

Have you read up on the info on this site? You'll find lots of very good info on setup and diet. For setup, here's a link to the basics of a good setup. Why don't you read through this and other info on the site and let us know if you have questions:

http://www.redearslider.com/startup.html

[marisa]

If she's opening her eyes more when she's out of the water, perhaps there's something in the water that's irritating them.

A 4-inch turtle in a 14 gallon tank sounds like the water would become unclear rather quickly...High ammonia levels can irritate the eyes, poor water quality can result in eye infections. Your turtle needs a bigger tank.

If you don't use a thermometer, how do you know the water is 80F (a little warm for a turtle the size of yours, btw)? You need to check both the water and the basking area temp with a reliable thermometer.

[Mr_Great]

i went by the submersible heater, I know, its not the best way to measure temperature, but it was what i had.

Also i raised the temperature because i read that when turtles gets sick you usually increase the temperature to boost its immune system.

Thanks for the help

[mikee]

Mr. G – Your tank is too small. The general rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. Your filter should exchange the amount of water you have in your tank at least 5 times per hour. Gph . If your turtle is healthy except for the eyes I would consider keeping the water extra clean until this passes. My suggestion for the swollen eyes or eye not opening is to dry dock the turtle for 4 or 5 hours and do the following: Make sure that he is in a box or container with a light that will keep the temp at least 90 degrees, next put eye drops in his eyes every hour until he can open them up. Dry docking has a tendency to dry out the eyes, but you don’t let them get dry with the eye drops. The eye drops that I use have benzyl ammonium chloride in it. You can get it at most pet stores.