Urgent Care :: CLOSED EYES

[anka]

I have my turtle for 4 months and it is not older than 6-7 months.
But yesterday I noticed that it is keeping it eyes closed, not all the time but I saw it several times. Also, it is reacting when I touch it or when I'm knocking on the aquarium.
Also, it is not active as it was, but it is eating as usual.
Do I have a problem with my turtle or I'm dramatizing ???
A have another turtle in the aquarium, should I separate them?

[marisa]

Welcome. Is it getting cooler where you are now? What are the temps of the water and basking area?

[anka]

well the temperature is about 25-26 degree of the water.

at the moment the turtle is active

[megcornell]

Are you using a UVB bulb? And if so how far away from the tank is it?

Also, what is your turtle's diet like?

[anka]

in the moment i do not have a UVB bulb, because I can not find it in my country, so i ordered and i'm waiting it.
regarding the diet, i'm giving them shrimps, chicken meat, vegetables...

[Daniel3507]

really the staple diet should be pellets. shrimp should only be given as treats.

[megcornell]

If you cannot find pellets in your country, you can substitute protein with meats, but you need to do so rarely and it's easy to over-feed.
I would offer a small amount of chicken maybe once or twice a week (about a headful, if the turtle head were empty), but really finding a balanced pellet is ideal. It might also be a good idea to try feeding feeder fish- it's a more natural protein for the turtles to eat.
Also, you could try these turtle bites in this link:
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17486
Instead of pellets you could add the protein of your choice- it would be a good way to provide a balanced diet.

As for the eyes, try feeding more carrots. You can also apply cod liver oil to the eye lids, it will help with irritation if it is diet-related.

How is your tank water? Another common cause of irritated eyes is poor water quality.

[anka]

i'm not sure that it has a irritation and the eyes are not swell

i noticed that this turtle is avoiding the other one. they used to be together all the time and now they are on the different corners in the aquarium.

also, i didn't make any changes regarding the water or the diet, and the other turtle is ok.

should i separate them???

[marisa]

How big are the turtles (measure the lengths of the shell straight down the middle without the curves)? How big is the tank they're in?

Just because they're on opposite sides of the aquarium doesn't necessarily mean they're avoiding each other. But, if you think one might be getting bullied by the other one, yes, it would be good to separate them.

[anka]

one turtle is about 4 cm and the other one is smaller.
the tank is 70x35x40 cm
some period of the day it is active, and some it is with closed eyes, but still has the appetite.

[steve]

It would be good to separate them quickly. A disease could be contagious, or it could be an aggression issue. How often would you say the eyes are closed? Are they swollen or cloudy?

[anka]

ok, i'll separate them.
the eyes are not swollen nor cloudy.
and about the question how often the eyes are closed, i can not tell for sure, but they are not closed all the time, but enough for me to notice

[anka]

marisa, sorry, i've made a mistake regarding the measures of the turtles

the one is about 5 cm, not 4, ant the other one is smaller, as a and it is about 4 cm.

[marisa]

That's ok. So one of your turtles is about one and a half inches and one is about 2 inches. The tank is roughly 28" x 14" x 16 inches.

Just to be clear, both of the turtles are RES?

Once again, what is the temp of the basking area? Do they bask?

If you've separated them, keep the inactive one a little warmer than usual.
If the weather is getting cooler and if you have cold winters, a little adjusting for the cooler temps would be good.

[anka]

Marisa, both turtles are RES

their tank is placed near the window so when they are on the basking area they are expose to the sun. Do you think that I need a bulb?

the temperature of the room, where I'm keeping the turtles is about 27-28 degree and the tank is near the heating element. also i have a heater in the tank for the water temperature.

I have a problem with my camera so i can not send you a photos of my turtles.

Do you have any idea why it is closing the eyes??