Urgent Care :: res swollen and lethargic

[Zizu]

guys, i really need your help, i got a res 2-3 weeks ago, but recently the way it's acting is scaring me

it prefers to lie on the ramp of its basking dock all day, and only raises his head out of the water to breathe, and then return beneath the water level to rest on the ramp, apart from that, his eyes are swollen.

The moderater asked to fill out some basic information, so here it goes-:

How big is your turtle?
1.8 inch, the person from whom i got it from said that it's 4 years old

How long have you had it?
approximately 2-3 weeks

What is the water temperature?
room temperature is is 28-30 degrees Celsius, so water temperature would be 2-3 degrees less ?

Did you use a thermometer?
No, The tank building process in 80% complete

Are you using a water heater?
No, i don't think i need one.

How much water is in there?
15 Gallon

Are you using a water conditioner?
No

Are you using any filtration?
Internal filter.
Note, i got his aquarium a week ago, before that he was in a plastic tub whose water i used to change on every alternate day.

What is the basking temperature?
No idea i use a 60 watt bulb though

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?
Burma teak, made it myself for the little fella.

Is there a UVB light?
No

What have you been trying to feed it?
Pellets. It doesn't eat anything else

When was the last time your turtle ate?
12 hrs ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
2.5' x 1' x1' (LxBxH)

Is the tank near a window?
Yes

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
Not quite

Have you read the Basic Care section?
Yes

Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
no, he is not swimming lopsided, or blowing bubbles etc. but his eyes are pretty much swollen, and he lies around all day.

before his eyes got swollen, he would really get hyper just by seeing me and would do cool tricks like trying to stand ! (not joking !)
but now, he just lies around all day doing nothing, even when i put in his food(sticks/pellets), he doesn't do anything since the last 3 days. Instead, i have to hold him and take him near the floating sticks and only then will he eat them, But he still hasn't lost his appetite, only his eyes are swollen too much.

secondly, when i put him on the floor, he opens one eye and walks around, but the other eye usually remains closed and only seldomly opens it.

i read that for swollen eyes, you need to give him food rich in vitamin A, leading me to the reason for the creation of this thread; i plan on giving him cod liver oil, i searched many websites, and each had conflicting views on the way it should be given to them. Some said that cod liver oil shouldn't be put directly in their eyes, while others said that it's perfectly ok, how should i give it to him ?-----> a reply regarding this would be very appreciated !!!!!

Note-: everything i've learned about res is from this website, i don't have a vet in my city who specializes in reptiles...a detailed reply would be very much appreciated.

Thanks !

[steve]

Yes, you can apply cod liver oil to the closed eyelids. You might want to use a cotton swab to gently apply it.

What kind of basking light are you using?

Heavily chlorinated water can also irritate the eyes.

[Zizu]

^ I'm using an incandescent 60 watt bulb at the moment, will add the UVB bulb in a day or two.

Secondly, We don't have cuttlebone available in our country, i was wondering if you know of alternate which i can use to provide the turtle with calcium.

I read on other websites that i can put the res in a bowl of water and add childrens chewable vitamin A(without phosphorous), because they easily get dissolved, the turtle can then drink that water to get his dose of vitamin A ? Is this method right ?

[steve]

Rep-Cal Calcium is a good product, but we usually recommend cuttlebone because it's easier to find. Check other pet stores, this can usually be found in the bird section.

As for the vitamins, we also recommend a 50% water/50% Pedialyte solution. Would you be able to find that in your country?

[Zizu]

hmmm....pedialyte, I'll have to find that out, but i think it is available... how many ml of water & Pedialyte should i use and how long should i put the turtle in the solution ? (no. of days, minutes ?)

as for the calcium, can i use normal calcium which humans take ?

[steve]

It's only used for temporary soaking. How long and often are up to you, but I'd concentrate on finding out why his eyes are swollen. How close is the bulb?

[Zizu]

the bulb is approximately 10-11 inches away...I didn't used cod liver oil for his eyes, because yesterday, after creating the thread, i went to check on the turtle after 2 hours and surprisingly both his eyes were wide open and he was acting his usual hyper self...but his eyes are still swollen and i used a cotton swab to apply glycerin (glycerol)...if that doesn't do the trick, then I'll apply cod liver oil.

[steve]

It's possible your water has high levels of chlorine or your turtle is sensitive to it. Consider a water conditioner or only partial water changes. I'm not sure the point of Glycerol, cod liver oil has strong amounts of Vitamin A.

[marisa]

For vitamins, I'd try liquid bird vitamins. Or, liquid vitamins for babies (there's a brand called Poly-Vi-Sol if you can find it). The pedialyte is more for hydration and to provide electrolytes. It wouldn't hurt if he's dehydrated.

[Zizu]

It's possible your water has high levels of chlorine or your turtle is sensitive to it. Consider a water conditioner or only partial water changes. I'm not sure the point of Glycerol, cod liver oil has strong amounts of Vitamin A.

well, he does rub his eyes occasionally while he is in the water. That's usually an indicator of high levels of chlorine in the water ?

I'll most probably use a water conditioner or put him in distilled water, the type that comes out from air conditioners.

For vitamins, I'd try liquid bird vitamins. Or, liquid vitamins for babies (there's a brand called Poly-Vi-Sol if you can find it). The pedialyte is more for hydration and to provide electrolytes. It wouldn't hurt if he's dehydrated.

hmm...so any specific method to use the baby drops ? and how does a turtle get dehydrated if he stays in water most of the time ?

[kachua-love]

Hey, where do you live? I went to buy cuttlebone and nobody understood what it was and i thought it wasn't available, then i found out that all the stores had it but it was called bird calcium or calcium bone or something, so you can try something like that.
You can also try putting a boric acid solution on his eyes (1/4th tsp in a glass of water) and applying on his eyes with a cotton bud. It worked wonders for my turtle. DON'T soak him in it because its poisonous, just put some on the eye.
I also give my turtle multivitamin drops which have a good amount of Vit.A, mixed with electrol (like pedialyte) and water with an eye dropper.