Urgent Care :: Sick new RES

[camaudio]

Got a RES about 5 days ago, and just today his eyes started swelling
i had another baby RES that died in this same tank 3 weeks ago

I cannot think of what im doing wrong

How big is your turtle? 4"
How long have you had it? 5 days

What is the water temperature? constantly 79
Did you use a thermometer? yes, digital and DMM
Are you using a water heater? Yes 250w
How much water is in there? 40 gallons in tank and filtration units
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? Fluval 403 Bio on top/carbon middle, mechanical on bottom

What is the basking temperature? 86-90 degrees depending on ambient
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? Turtle Rock...Petco
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Pellets, guppies, romaine
When was the last time your turtle ate? Still eats Consistently

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 60 gallon
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Not calm, but not hectic

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Swollen eyes, Rubbing Eyes, shedding skin

[SpotsMama]

Sorry to hear you and your turtle are having such a hard time.

Did the turtles come from the same place? After the first one passed away, did you clean the tank thoroughly?

The shedding may be caused by the warm tank temperature. When your guy is well again, you can lower the temp to around 75 and it should help with the shedding. For right now, though, if there is a chance he's ill, it's best to keep the temp where it is and just put up with the shedding.

What kind of UVB bulb do you use - brand name and strength? Some of these bulbs have been known to cause eye irritation.

It's a very good sign that he's eating well. That means that if he is ill it's not too advanced. If he starts to show other symptoms of RI like lethargy, yawning a lot or breathing with his mouth open, poor appetite, swimming lopsided or difficulty submerging, mucus around the mouth or nose, then he needs to see a good herp vet right away.

In the meantime, try giving him some Turtle Eye Drops. These are made by Zoo Med and you can get them in the reptile section of the pet store. Just follow directions on the package. If his eyes don't clear up after you've put drops in for a day or two, then he should see a vet about his eyes.

Good luck...Please keep us posted.

[TheComputerGremlin]

You can also bump up your basking temps a little. The low end number should be around 90 if possible. They appreciate the 90s more than the mid-80s. Basking will also help with shedding. Turtles often shed right after being introduced to a new (or better) environment.

[steve]

In addition to the UVB bulb question, is it new?

[camaudio]

it really seemed like he was shedding when we got him, i did clean the tank and all equipment very thoroughly and had it up and running for a couple days before putting the new turtle in

UVB builb is a petco r-zilla?
just tested pH and it was 8.0 on the dot :0
so i put in some ph-down and ill recheck it tomorrow
i have the eye drops and will try that, but id hate to just mask the problem
the basking light is only a 50 watt, and i fear its to close already, but i put my DMM right about where he sits and it was right at 90

[octpusgirl8]

What is the strength of the UVB bulb?

[TheComputerGremlin]

If you can use a regular incandescent bulb, you can bump it up to 60 watts or maybe 75 watts, just check the temps when you add a new bulb. How old is your UVB bulb? pH isn't super important, my water tests at 7.8, since you add ions into the water, it can cause the pH to fluctuate. If anything, it's better to be slightly basic (over 7.0) as opposed to acidic.

Have you ran the other water tests, like ammonia and whatnot? They make test strips that will do a number of tests all at once, they aren't too expensive.

Can you post a picture of your setup and maybe your turtle's swollen eyes if you can get a good shot?

[camaudio]

bulb isnt even a month old, it is this one:

[TheComputerGremlin]

Okay, I don't know how to compare that with other UVB bulbs, but since it says "tropical", I'm going to go with it's too high of a percentage and thus irritating his eyes. I would go and buy a 26 W compact fluorescent ReptiGlo or ReptiSun (two different brands) at 5% UVB. That's the middle of the road, not desert or tropical.

[camaudio]

here is a pic of the tank and his eyes

[camaudio]

should i just move it fairly far away till i can get a new bulb?

[octpusgirl8]

The lights look really close to the basking area, what are the distances?

[camaudio]

8" for both

[mikee]

cam-dio -- Are the eyes okay? They look a little swollen?

[AllisonChains]

camaudio - I have been fighting eye problems with Izzy for about a week now - even so far as she went to the vet and thinking it was vitamin A deficiency and got a shot. Her eyes are just like your picture.

I just found this article on the exact same bulb from Petco, the same we have. It makes sense of why her eyes were less swollen and open in the morning - the bulb wasn't on all night.

http://www.zilla-rules.com/assets/006/13278.pdf

Now - I don't know if that is your exact problem, but just in case. Our bulb is the first one listed in the second box after the paragraph.