Three Toed Box Turtle Question?

Question

My husband and I just bought a three toed box turtle at the pet store today. They said shes about a year old. She is in a 50 gallon tank with enough clean water, romaine lettuce, pears, and carrot.s Douglas fur to borrow in and some logs. And ofcourse that expendisive light we had to get with her.
I was just wondering... Her one eye looks sunken in and it waters up alot. I think it might an infection of some sort. Does anyone know how to go about treating it?
And any suggestions on caring for her?
Shes so cute!

I live in a very small town and we don't have a reptile vet around, just a general practice vet.

Answer 1

Though she may be malnurished, this is not likely to result in sunken eyes.

If both eyes were sunken in, this would indicate dehydration or possibly low blood pressure/blood volume. Keep guard on the condition of the other eye.

The fact that this centers on one eye may indictate that substrate or other foreign substance ( such as cleaning agents ) is irritating the eye. Many times box turtles rub their eyes with their forelimbs to remove soil/substrate that has gotten in their eyes, and this might have further irritated it. The eye could have become infected as a result of this, or for unrelated reasons. Infections usually result in inflammed eyes rather than sunken eyes...unless the situation has gotten so serious the eye is losing blood flow and there is tissue necrosis. Many times a sunken eye is bad news for recovering the eyesight and you need to get this turtle to a reptile vet right away. It is just good practice after getting a reptile anyway.

Until you get to a vet, rinse the eye liberally with sterile saline. DO NOT use Visine or any similar products which contain polyvinyl alcohols and such. You may also use a heavy liquid gel drop that contains carboxy-methyl-cellulose sodium/acetate, or a small amount of mineral oil. But if you use mineral oil, you will have to wipe away any excess or keep the turtle out of the substrate so as not to attract more debris to stick to the eye.

Rinse the eye frequently; and I recommend you double check that you are using safe substrate for a box turtle ( no cedar, it is toxic ), and that your humidity and temps are correct. The fir tree may also be an irritant and I would remove it until this conditions clears. Use a reptile safe, and treated, bark substrate for best results. Some people use soil, but this tends to get into the eyes as one would expect, and cause problems.

Also, ensure that you are using only filtered or conditioned water, not tap water. And the diet needs to be better. Box turtles are mostly carnivorous in their early years. You should also offer earthworms and crikets. Earthworms specifically are one of the most nutritious, low fat, high protein items for a box turtle. Offer plenty of fresh leafy greens too ( collards are best, but also mustard or turnip ) as they have a good calcium/phosphorus ratio. Use fruits only as treats, as they are not good for them in aboundance.

Parasites may also be a concern, as most box turtles sold in pet stores are wild caught, and many times they don't keep them in great conditions in these stores either. New reptiles, especially of unknown origin, should be treated with 100mg/kg fenbendazole ( Panacur ) for parasites.

If you have triple antibiotic, you can apply a small amount after rinsing for debris....until you can get to a vet. But again be careful that this does not attract more debris, and it is only a temporary measure, as over the counter triple antibiotics are not really meant for eyes ( the veterinary opthalmic differs a bit ), and the turtle may in fact need systemic antibiotics if there is significant infection, or infection in place subcutaneously. Topical over the counters will not stop subcutaneous tissue death.

If you don't have a reptile vet around, then you need to see the regular vet and have him consult with a herp vet in another town if he has to...or consult with a knowledgeable herp keeper.

http://boxturtlesite.info ( Tess Cook ) and look for her "boxturtles" yahoogroup.
http://www.anapsid.org/mainchelonians.html

Answer 2

They are prone to eye infections. An experienced reptile vet really should see it and prescribe antibiotics for her. Make sure her diet is much more varied than that, provide a heat bulb for basking and measure the temps with a digital probe thermometer (85-90F), change the UVB every 6 months, and the water source should be a shallow pool she can climb in and out of to soak. Loose substrate needs to be changed frequently because it harbors bacteria. Avoid calci or other sands. Also, the vet can check a stool sample for parasites. Go to:

http://boxturtlesite.info/diet.html .

Answer 3

A sunken eye could mean several things- dehydration and malnourishment come to mind.
You should take her to a qualified reptile vet, and read some books on box turtle care.

Answer 4

When my box turtle has a sunk in eye it is because she is dehydrated with is an easy fix but I don't know about the runny part