Urgent Care :: white eyes

[jamie]

How big is your turtle? 1 1/2 inches
How long have you had it? about 4 months

What is the water temperature? 80 degrees
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 10 gal tank 3/4 full
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? not sure
Is there a basking light? hm sort of the hood has a light in it that creates warmth
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? turtle dock (plastic?) bought in store
Is there a UVB light? I just bought one, but I can't really put it up because of the hood. I am working on buying a new tank also.

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets, cuttlebone (they don't touch it), I tried to feed them romaine lettuce several times unsucessfully.

When was the last time your turtle ate? not sure lately :/ but I have seen him eat within the last 4 days(and the food has been disappearing so I am assuming s/he is fine, food-wise)

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gal

Is the tank near a window? yes

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? I've glanced over eye problems.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? eyes are covered with white substance.

I have seen him go up on his basking rock and moving about a little but not very much. And he has been sleeping upside down the fake plant that he sleeps in.

[steve]

How long has he had this condition? Are the eyes or eyelids white? Can he open his eyes? Does it only appear when your turtle is basking for awhile? Does it go away underwater? Can you post a clear picture?

[jamie]

it's been like this i'd say 2-3 days. it is like that even under water. when he first got it it seemed like he could open his eyes and the white stuff was on the outside surrounding his eyes. i think it is a film on his eyes... maybe his eyelids(?). i went to the pet store they gave me repti turtle eye drops... i haven't given them to him yet i wanted to make sure it was safe to give first. do you think it is ok to give to him? i will post a picture tomorrow.

[jamie]

(I took off the website with the pics because I posted it at the bottom)

[fishandcandy]

The pics are a little dark but it looks like that's his eyelid.
Start using the drops.
Take him outside for a little while each day to get some sun.
You might want to lower the water level or add lots of plant and things to make swimming easier.
If he doesn't start opening his eyes or if he starts to have any problems breathing (breathing with his mouth open or gasping for air) or if he starts swimming/floating lopsided, he's going to need a vet visit.
My hatchling died yesterday. I'd had him for two months. For about a week his eyes had been closed and then yesterday when I took him outside I noticed they were starting to open but it also seemed like he was breathing strangely. He died about an hour later.

[jamie]

what's wrong with his eye lid?
i put in the eye drops

should i separate him from his brother?

should i take him outside? it's in the 40s in NY... isn't that too cold?

i don't want him to die =(

[marisa]

The pics don't really show the eyes that well...From them, I don't really see what's wrong with them...

Don't take him outside if it's only in the 40's---work on setting up the UVB light for him to bask under in addition to the heat light. You didn't say---what's the temp of the basking area? If the light in the hood is flourescent, it's not providing enough heat. He needs to have a heat light and UVB light positioned over the basking area and the temp should be 88-90F.

You say there's a white crust around the eyes?

For the drops, follow the directions on the box---iif I remember correctly,t says if there's no improvement in about a week, see a herp vet. If you see other symptoms within that time, I'd take him in earlier.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Does the white stuff disappear when he is in the water? Does it only appear when he is dried off? If so, it is most likely just dried minerals from the water or a little bit of loose skin (which would be normal).

Can you post picture which zooms up on his eyes a little more?

[jamie]

there is no crust it just is white and jelly like and he hardly opens his eyes. and he is lethargic compared to his sibling.

the light in the hood is not flurescent and does produce some amount of heat ( but it isn't a heat lamp)

[SpotsMama]

Does it seem to be mucus oozing from his eyes? That's what it sounds like to me. Frankly, your little turtle doesn't look too happy - I'd get him/her to a vet right away to check for RI. He also sounds quite lethagic - sleeping upside down in the plant doesn't sound right at all - and that combined with the eye problem is an RI indicator.

[jamie]

his eyes aren't oozing white stuff either

it looks like he has cataracts... but I'm quite sure that isn't posible.

[marisa]

Cataracts are possible in turtles, but very unlikely in a turtle so young. In the pic above, his eyes are closed. Is he alert at all?Can you see the black pupils moving around behind them? Can he open his eyes? To me, they look a bit swollen, which, with his lethargy could be the beginning of a respiratory infection.

You might want to separate him and keep him a bit warmer than your other turtle. A visit to a herp vet would be a good idea.

[jamie]

So I found a vet that is going to see him on Monday.

It is really cold outside ( like 35) so how do I keep him warm on the trip to the vet? I have the small turtle carrier and iwas think of just putting towels to insulate that. Is there any other way to keep him warm though?

[marisa]

How long is the trip to the vet? You could buy one of those little hand warmers that you shake to get it to heat up and wrap it in a towel (you don't want your turtle to be able to touch it) and put in on the bottom. Provide a cloth for him to burrow under. Keep him out of drafts and breezes.

[SpotsMama]

People have had luck on short trips with hand warmers - I think they are little packets that you heat in the microwave and they hold heat for a long time. Just be sure it isn't so hot that it burns your turtle. Wrap it up real well in a towel or wash cloth to keep it away from his/her skin. Also, heat up the car before you get in it with your turtle.