Urgent Care :: Turtles eyes swollen

[XclickarooX]

How big is your turtle? a little over 3 inches
How long have you had it? 15 months

What is the water temperature? 79-80 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 7 gallons roughly
Are you using a water conditioner? rarely
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? Do not know
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? The landing dock thingy.
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Recently, pellets, krill, red leaf lettuce, But just found this site last week and up until than was only feeding him/her krill once a day.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 6 or 7 days ago, i try to hold him in my hand and hand feed him pellets or krill that have been dipped in vitamin powder because i think he is lacking vitamin A, but he barley opens his mouth to eat any.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? maybe 12 gallons
Is the tank near a window? yes, but blinds stay closed most of the time and the window is rarely open.
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? Will not eat, eyes have not been opened in 4 days maybe. Not much activity.


Okay so my problem is myrtle will not eat and his eyes are swollen shut. I read it may be because he does not eat right, well i do not feed him right. Maybe a lack of vitamin A? i checked out pictues on the web and it looks like the lacking vitamin A eye problem. So i bought vitamins for retiles but i am suppose to dose his food in them and then feed him. The problem he does not eat anything. I read cod liver oil works? If true where do i buy that? Last question what would it cost roughly to take him to a vet so they could give him a shot of his vitamins? i do not want myrtle to die, is this serious?
Thanks!!!!

[Maltliquor45]

how far away is the uvb light from the basking area?

[Kemul]

Like Maltliquor45 said, you might want to check the distance of your UVB bulb to
the basking area. Make sure it's at least 12" away, I think that's the right distance.

You can buy cod liver oil in any drugstore. They come in soft tabs. Get the liquid
out and put it on a qtip. Then, dab the qtip on the eyelids.

Not sure on the vet cost.

[gwennie]

You should call your vet and ask them how much it costs - it varies from vet to vet.

If Myrtle hasn't eaten in a week and is only a little over 3 inches, I'd try to entice him to eat something that's usually only a treat - maybe tuna?

He's obviously not feeling well if he's not eating...

[Furious George11]

Why is your enclosure so tiny for a turtle of that size? A 3" turtle ought to have at least 30 gallons to roam in. It can't be healthy for it to have only 7 gallons of water to splash around in.

[XclickarooX]

His dock is about 8 inches away from the light. i bought eyedrops from the pet store and have used them the last two days, when i apply the drops he does open his eyes! So that is good, but they still arent normal. He still is not eating. I also bought the sulfa turtle dip and have done that once so far. As for the tank, the tank is 15 gallons, but i fill it half way, i guess i need to buy a new tank. Thanks for the advice.