Swollen eyes after bath?

[mstodd]

I have noticed a few times that George's eyes are swollen. It isn't all the time, but it still causes me concern. I have been watching him carefully since noticing this, trying to figure out what is irritating his eyes.

The eco earth under his light gets dry too fast. I get it wet and within the hour it is dusty again. I noticed him laying under his light and when he breathed out a bunch of dirt went up. So, I pushed all the eco earth away from the lights and for now he is basking on newspaper again. I thought that solved the problem....

A little while ago I gave him a bath. When I set him back down I noticed his eyes were swollen again! I immediately got online to see what was up- they were fine before the bath. After maybe ten minutes I looked back over and his eyes had gone back down.

Is this normal? I feel so bad when they get swollen Can the water really be irritating his eyes?

 

[Seiryu]

I don't have any experience with swollen eyes. But as far as the dusty eco-earth. I used eco-earth for over a year, kept it very moist and never had it ever turn "dusty" even under basking spots.

It's likely your substrate is not deep enough, or moist enough (or both).

2-3 inches of eco-earth under a basking spot, that is moist should do fine. Just add water on a daily basis.

 

[Kristina]

If your substrate is getting dry within an hour, it is not wet enough to begin with. It should be throughly saturated with water, but you should not be able to squeeze any droplets out of it. Use warm water and mix it around a bit.

Do you live in town? If you have chlorine or chloramine in your water, it may be irritating his eyes. You can use a dechlorinator such as Seachem Prime. It only takes one drop per gallon of that particular product.

 

[mstodd]

I will start adding even more water to his substrate then. It had been staying wet underneath the surface, but the top level was getting dry quickly. Instead of misting it, I will just pour water in and mix it around. Hopefully that helps.

As for the water, I think there is chlorine in the water here. I asked a coworker how water could bother his eyes, and she told me it could be from the chlorine. I will look for dechlorinator tonight. If I can't find any, do you think bottled water would work for a while? Should I put some into the water I use to moisten is substrate too then?

Luckily, I'm on spring break right now, so I have been able to observe him a lot and try to see at what times his eyes are becoming swollen.

---

Does this look okay?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4253004&findingMethod=rr

My only concern is the extra stuff added to help fish be slimy or something... but if fish live in it then it should be okay for George to drink and bath in, right?

 

[Mean Guy]

Get a charcoal water filter if you can and some litmus paper to test basic/acidic levels. The alkali and chlorine in our water here was causing problems for Ted, but we use a solid block charcoal filter for any of his needs now. It takes care of both problems.

 

[mstodd]

Get a charcoal water filter if you can and some litmus paper to test basic/acidic levels. The alkali and chlorine in our water here was causing problems for Ted, but we use a solid block charcoal filter for any of his needs now. It takes care of both problems.

thank you. I will look for a charcoal water filter.

 

[Laura]

or just buy large bottles of drinking water.. use it to soak him in.. see if that makes a difference..

 

[Mean Guy]

or just buy large bottles of drinking water.. use it to soak him in.. see if that makes a difference..

Good point, if you just want to see if the water is the issue. I would just make sure you get purified water as drinking water still sometimes has minerals and chems like chlorine in it.

 

[mstodd]

I tried using purified water today and his eyes still swelled up. Admittedly, I didn't spend a lot of time reading the labels and picked one up that is "enhanced with minerals." Ugh, slow and steady... next time I will be more patient.

 

[ChiKat]

I noticed swelling around Nelson's eyes sometimes when I soak him (which is very rarely) but I usually notice it after he rubs his eyes or puts his head under water.