Urgent Care :: Eye Injury?

[Noemi]

My turtle seems to have a problem with his left eye. I noticed it a week or so ago, but he wasn't acting weird or anything, so I didn't do anything about it. Since yesterday, though, he's been basking the whole time. He's also lethargic and keeps scratching his neck although it looks normal. I've attached some photos. Does anyone know what I should do?

Thanks!

[steve]

It could be an infection or injury... do you have another turtle in there?

I can't tell the severity from the picture, but you can try the zoo med turtle eye drops. I would consult a vet if there is no change or if it gets worse.

[marisa]

It looks raw and infected to me and it's in a bad place to be trying to clean and disinfect it. I'd have a herp vet look at it.

Being lethargic is not good, but if your RES is scratching at his neck and twitching while basking, it could just be that he's getting a little too warm.

[Moose]

His eye is definetly infected, like steve said you can get some eye drops from zoo meds that they sell at your local pet stores. also...what is your tank looking like? did you put anything new in it, or any algae?

[Noemi]

He's alone in his tank, and there's nothing but a few big rocks. I read in another forum that I can use Betadine solution, but he really doesn't like it and keeps hiding hiding his head. He seems to be shedding - I see scutes coming off his shell and there's a lot of white stuff in the water. He's just been sitting there basking all day, scratching his neck, poor baby. I am trying to look for a herp vet, to no avail. They're rare in this part of the world (Manila, Philippines) but I have a couple of leads that I will follow up tomorrow. In the meantime, I just sit here worried sick.

[steve]

Is he still in his tank or is he out of it? Is he still eating and lethargic?

[Noemi]

Is he still in his tank or is he out of it? Is he still eating and lethargic?

Hi Steve,

Thanks for answering my questions. He is in the tank - the basking area. He left it once or twice to eat a little bit. He's sitting there again and is quite lethargic. He is responding to me more, though, and his eye looks a bit drier than yesterday. I just noticed that he makes this strange croaking sound every now and then. I am getting even more worried!

[steve]

I would consider dry-docking him so he can stay dry. Hopefully that will help it heal faster. Lethargy is a serious issue (croaking is not necessarily a symptom of something serious) and that does warrant a vet visit.

[marisa]

Noemi, if you can't get your RES to a herp vet and want to try to treat that infected area with something safe, get some plain honey and start to apply it to it with a q-tip. It has antibacterial properties and will keep the area a little moist, which will help it heal faster. It won't hurt your turtle. Keep the turtle out of the water while you do this. You can let him get hydrated a few times a day in a container of clean water, as well as feed him.

You have to be really careful if you use Betadine, and it should be diluted to the color of weak tea. If you chose to use it, I'd apply it a little bit at a time with a q-tip, being careful not to get it in the eye. Leave it on for a bit and then rinse with water.

Good luck finding a herp vet.