ellaasmith23
New Member
My terrapin has swollen eyes and won’t open them, he hasn’t been eating either... any advice?
Terrapin eye infection HELP
- Thread starter ellaasmith23
- Start date
Yikes, sorry!
Jamie
Jamie
Welcome to the Forum, Ella!
When a turtle or tortoise stops eating, the first thing you see is the swollen shut eyes.
We need you to answer a few questions for us, so we can help you better:
What is the water temperature?
Does the turtle have a landing dock where it can climb out of the water?
Do you have a UVB or any light over the landing dock?
What type of food are you offering?
When a turtle or tortoise stops eating, the first thing you see is the swollen shut eyes.
We need you to answer a few questions for us, so we can help you better:
What is the water temperature?
Does the turtle have a landing dock where it can climb out of the water?
Do you have a UVB or any light over the landing dock?
What type of food are you offering?
ellaasmith23
New Member
Water temp is 28 degrees
Has a landing dock
UVB over landing dock
Mostly eats mealworms
That is a pretty advanced problem! Your Sabine Map turtle is in need of immediate attention. Get some antibiotic drops you can apply to the eyes immediately. But we must treat the cause and I see three possible things to look at...
Map turtles tend to be more sensitive to water conditions so a good filtration system is a must for clean water and keeping nitrite levels down. The early cycle of a tank with inadequate filtration is ammonia that is not being converted by biological action. That is extremely irritating to the eyes.
The diet is inadequate. Meal worms are not a good staple food at all. Most turtles love them, but even with gut loading, you need to get it eating a good balanced commercial turtle pellet. Vitamin A deficiency can indeed cause the eye problem you see. With the diet of just mealworms, I am sure you map turtle is vitamin deficient in many areas.
A UVB bulb mounted too close to the turtle where it basks can also create eye issues. Why type of bulb are you using and how close is it to where the turtle's head can reach?
Map turtles tend to be more sensitive to water conditions so a good filtration system is a must for clean water and keeping nitrite levels down. The early cycle of a tank with inadequate filtration is ammonia that is not being converted by biological action. That is extremely irritating to the eyes.
The diet is inadequate. Meal worms are not a good staple food at all. Most turtles love them, but even with gut loading, you need to get it eating a good balanced commercial turtle pellet. Vitamin A deficiency can indeed cause the eye problem you see. With the diet of just mealworms, I am sure you map turtle is vitamin deficient in many areas.
A UVB bulb mounted too close to the turtle where it basks can also create eye issues. Why type of bulb are you using and how close is it to where the turtle's head can reach?
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