Something wrong with my turtle

[Briana Delgado]

I've had this turtle for 12 years and never had a problem with him (yellow bellied) or the RES but I noticed today his one eye is closed I think it's the water but I always use the same water and clean it twice a week! When I places him in a bucket of the same water his eyes opened but when I put him back in the tank he closed his eye and when he opens it he hits his eye with his hand and closes it again. I have no clue what's wrong.

 

[eric joranson]

I cannot speak to your area of the country. But Spring is a time alot of water systems flush chlorine through them. Some places its so strong it smells like a swimming pool. you might want to set your water in buckets for a few days before using; or find another water source till the chlorine dissipates The using his hand is a definite behavior associated with an eye irritation.. Have you looked closely or with magnifying glass when the eye is open to see if there is a foreign object in there or under the eye lid? The fact only one eye is affected kind of negates the water theory. Look for the obvious injury; then the not so obvious; He might have scratched it himself; or had a conflict with another turtle. It could be a combination of the two; where the chlorine is burning an injury; that's why it opens in old water. This is all hypothetical though; and suggest if you can get some photos posted of the affected eye; one of the members here will be able to give you a better explanation. Good luck and keep forum posted.

 

[Briana Delgado]

I'm not sure if this helps but I can't get him to open it

 

[mike taylor]

Could also be too much uvb lighting . Show pictures of your setup .

 

[Markw84]

Doesn't look like any swelling or infection. That's good. One eye usually is an injury related problem. My bet is he scraped it on something and it is just irritated. Try applying some eye drops a few times over 30-60 minutes and dry docking him for the evening keeping him warm.

 

[cdmay]

Here is another idea....if possible, try and obtain some tetracycline or similar antibiotic from your local aquarium store. They sell it for tropical fish infections but it also works wonders for infection cure/prevention in aquatic turtles.
What I would do is put your turtle in a separate tub than the normal enclosure and apply the powdered antibiotics to the water. Use at very full strength and leave the turtle in this overnight. The next day clean out that water and replace with clean water and re-do the same treatment for another night.
If there is an infection to the eye you should start to see it improve rather quickly. If needed, you can do this treatment for a third night.

As Markw84 pointed out, it may only be an abrasion but the addition and treatment with the tropical fish antibiotics will prevent it from becoming worse.

 

[Briana Delgado]

Here is another idea....if possible, try and obtain some tetracycline or similar antibiotic from your local aquarium store. They sell it for tropical fish infections but it also works wonders for infection cure/prevention in aquatic turtles.
What I would do is put your turtle in a separate tub than the normal enclosure and apply the powdered antibiotics to the water. Use at very full strength and leave the turtle in this overnight. The next day clean out that water and replace with clean water and re-do the same treatment for another night.
If there is an infection to the eye you should start to see it improve rather quickly. If needed, you can do this treatment for a third night.

As Markw84 pointed out, it may only be an abrasion but the addition and treatment with the tropical fish antibiotics will prevent it from becoming worse.

Thanks you guys so much!

 

[Briana Delgado]

Update: I've already tried dry docking him in the evenings and I been giving him eye drops every 30-60 min but now he started to close his left eye too! Again he opens them when he's out of the tank but is now using his arms to close his eye lids!!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

He's not using his arms to close his eyes, he's trying to rub away what he thinks is something on the eye. He's bothered by something. And I can see now that the eyes ARE swollen.

Has he been eating?

 

[Markw84]

Using the arms indicates something is bothering his eyes and he's trying to rub it. The eyes do look worse now. More swollen and some redness. IF not abrasions, then Usually one of two causes - poor water quality, or diet related Vitamin A deficiency.

Have you checked your water? Recently cleaned the filter and used chlorinated water, or cleaned the media too much killing off the good bacteria? As mentioned above, many municipalities start adding more chloramines to the water as temps heat up, and higher sun angles increase algae and bacteria activity. Are his eyes better after dry-docking for a day, and then gets worse when back in the water?

What are you feeding? What are you giving that would be a good source of vitamin A? As sliders age, they become increasingly vegetarian, and by the age yours is, would be mostly vegetarian in the wild.

 

[Briana Delgado]

Yes his eyes get better then when I put him back his eye is back to the same way. I feed him, yes. He is no where near windows. I feed them cabbage and carrots!

 

[cdmay]

Yes his eyes get better then when I put him back his eye is back to the same way. I feed him, yes. He is no where near windows. I feed them cabbage and carrots!

CABBAGE?!
Cabbage is not a good source of greens for turtles or tortoises. Spinach, collard greens and cabbage are generally considered to be unsuitable as long term staples in the diet. Excessive cabbage in the diet of Galapagos tortoise has been linked to goiter and other health issues.
It is possible that the cabbage is contributing to the swollen eye problems.

 

[Briana Delgado]

I don't really feed the cabbage anymore but because it makes a huge mess in the tank so I preferably like the carrots more

 

[Markw84]

You need to get the turtle some pellets like Mazuri aquatic turtle pellets, reptomin, any food the gives a balanced diet. Carrots only - I can't imagine your isn't deficient in many vitamins and minerals it needs!!

 

[Moozillion]

Briana, if you look at the very beginning of this "water turtles" section, you'll see especially helpful posts that the Moderators keep there for our reference. The one titled "What to feed aquatic turtles and why??" by Anthony P was VERY helpful to me when I first got my little mud turtle!!!!! You can order almost any of them from Amazon if your stores don't carry the one you want.
Good luck! I hope this helps!
@Briana Delgado

 

[TammyJ]

Apart from the great advice you have been given here about the diet, it may be a good idea to take him to a good reptile vet if you can find one in your area.
When I was very little living here in Jamaica, I was given my first reptile pets - two RES babies from the pet shop. After about 6 months both of them developed swollen, closed eyes and eventually died. I know a lot more now than I did then but I still do not really know for sure why they got this problem. It was probably a mix of bad diet and too much chlorinated water.

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

I have only Tortoises and i only use RO water....It's purified water, maybe that would help?

 

[Moozillion]

I have only Tortoises and i only use RO water....It's purified water, maybe that would help?

Ummm...I don't know what RO water is...

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

It's Reverse osmosis...

 

[TammyJ]

As has been said, you can let tap water stand for a day or two to get rid of the chlorine.
Or you can use rain or spring water (bottled spring water?)....right?
We get a lot of rain in the hills where I live and I use the stored rain water. As long as it's not polluted rain water.