Eyes closed a lot on hatchling and he won't eat

[Tom]

It is a zoo med non coil
UVB light in a ceramic housing.

Can we see a pic of your bulb? If it screws into a ceramic housing and it is a ZooMed bulb, then it is a cfl (compact florescent lamp), aka: coil type bulb. The fold over "U" shaped types that ZooMed makes are also considered coil types, and this could be the source, or part of your issue. Those bulbs hurt their eyes, and it can make them not want to eat.

Swap it out for a tube type bulb instead and see if things change.

 

[tiffew]

Yes it screws into a ceramic housing, but is not coil-shaped. I have the turtle in a small Rubbermaid container. How could I do a long tube light over such an enclosure?

 

[tiffew]

Can you recommend a specific tube type bulb? There is so much conflicting info online I have no idea what to buy.

 

[JoesMum]

Can you recommend a specific tube type bulb? There is so much conflicting info online I have no idea what to buy.

@tiffew switch your UVB off and leave it switched off for a few days. If your tort's eyes improve then you know it is the bulb. Your tort will be fine without UVB for a week or so.

The import word is compact here. They are not all coiled. It is the type that look like low energy light bulbs that cause problems.

 

[tiffew]

His eyes are improving, but I don't know if that's from the tobramycon drops or from the vitamins in his pellets. So my zoo med uvb bulb that looks like a regular light bulb is not a good bulb? I'm so confused about this. Thank you for helping.

 

[Tom]

His eyes are improving, but I don't know if that's from the tobramycon drops or from the vitamins in his pellets. So my zoo med uvb bulb that looks like a regular light bulb is not a good bulb? I'm so confused about this. Thank you for helping.

Show us a pic of the bulb, so we know what we are talking about.

If you can't take a pic, find your bulb on an internet search and copy/paste a link.

I asked before, but I can't find the thread where I asked, did you get rid of the red bulb, and replace with a white bulb for day time and a CHE on a thermostat for night heat and ambient temperature maintenance?

 

[JoesMum]

Photos of your bulbs would really help us here.

If your UVB bulb is also the basking bulb then it is a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) and it is fine.

If you have a separate basking bulb then turn the UVB lamp off now and leave it off for a few days. You have a compact bulb that could be causing the eye problems

 

[tiffew]

Here is our daytime bulb: http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...self-ballasted-mercury-vapor-uvb-lamp-1128450

For nighttime we switched out the red light for the heat emitting light with no color.

Is our daytime bulb ok or not?

Thank you

 

[JoesMum]

Here is our daytime bulb: http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...self-ballasted-mercury-vapor-uvb-lamp-1128450

For nighttime we switched out the red light for the heat emitting light with no color.

Is our daytime bulb ok or not?

Thank you

The daytime bulb is MVB and is just fine

This type of bulb gives out basking heat as well as UVB.

Be aware that the UVB output of this bulb fails long before the bulb blows and you just can't tell. You will need to replace this bulb at least once a year.

 

[tiffew]

Thank you. Great. Also, I forgot to answer earlier, we have a probe in the substrate that regulates the heating pad under the warm side of the habitat. I have that set to 83 degrees. I have a reptile thermometer on that end and use a laser gun to check heat on all sides regularly.

 

[tiffew]

His eyes seem 100% now so we are relieved, but he weighs less than when we got him 6 weeks ago. He eats Omega One pellets every few days and is dropping weight. Yesterday all night and most of today he slept buried in his moss in a position that looked like he was digging--his head was pointed down toward the floor of his home and tail up toward the sky. Seems an uncomfortable thing to have all the blood rush to your head for a day. Really wish he would gain some weight so I could stop worrying!!!!

 

[Cymmie]

I don't know why people are saying vitamin a can only be gained by veggies. Vitamin is actually not in veggies but a precuser to vitamin a is which is caretinoids. However most insects carry very little vitamin a. Animal and fish meat carry preformed vitamin a. If you are giving insects and are worried about a vitamin deficiency of any sort you need to not only gutload the insects well but also dust them with something that has a preformed vitamin a supplement. The problem with vitamin a deficiency is caretinoids require a lot of energy and other types of vitamins and minerals to be present to be able to process them correctly. How are you measuring your temps? Are you sure they are correct?

 

[tiffew]

Laser temp gun and in-habitat thermometers.

 

[Cymmie]

the laser temp gun will definitely do a good read. Have you tried mixing any foods that he absolutely can't resist with anything else?

 

[tiffew]

Yes we have. He only will eat pellets and only while he's soaking. Ugh.

 

[Cymmie]

Hatchlings can be so difficult, especially when they are just getting out of feeling not so good... I would just feed the pellets at the moment as much as possible. Have you tried feeding him some insects or proteins, maybe even pieces of green (chopped up tiny) when he's soaking? Maybe his appetite is more stimulated when soaking at the moment and you just gotta work with that >.<'

 

[tiffew]

This turtle is causing so much stress. I can't get the darn thing to eat for 6 days in a row again. His eyes are fine, habitat temps are ideal, proper level of humidity, etc., we offer worms, pellets, greens, dandelions, he walks away from food. Today he had a bright green poop, we have no idea from what because he last ate a week ago and it was one pellet and one Reptomin stick. What else can I do for this thing? I want it to thrive and be healthy.