my red ear turtle has got swollen eyes and is not eating, what do i do any suggestions.?

Answer 1

Understand that a turtle that cannot see usually cannot eat, so if you cannot fix this in a timely manner, take it to a vet.

There are a lot of causes of swollen eyes, but contrary to many sites teachings, vit. A is not usually one of them (although it IS if the turtle is a box turtle.)

Chlorine can do it, but the concentration has to be pretty high (swimming pool levels), and most chlorine outgasses in about 24 hours.

Infections are a common cause- respiratory infections, soiled water, cold water, poor diet, and much more can contribute to the turtle picking up an illness.

The general home treatment is simple, but not always effective without a vet's care.

1. Clean the tank well, and make sure to rebuild it per guidelines at good sites like htp://www.redearslider.com (temps, size, lighting, filtration, etc.)
2. Boost water temps from 75-80F to about 80-85F.
3. Use the fish medicine 'Stress Coat' in the water.
4. Use eye drops to try to lubricate the eyes so they reopen. Human antibiotic eye ointment, turtle eye drops, or cod-liver oil will work. Keep it out of the water for about an hour for the drops to work.

This often (but not always) signals that some of the cares or diet were imperfect, and reviewing good cares, like at the site mentioned above, is a good idea.

Answer 2

A turtle with puffy, swollen or closed eyes is not uncommon and something that you should familiarize yourself with treating. The first step is to determine what is causing the problem with the eyes.
If the turtle is experiencing problems with a single eye, it is most likely due to an injury, be it self-inflicted, scraped or poked by another turtle or possible done by something in the habitat (corner of the basking area, stick, etc). If both eyes are affected then, then you need to look into health-related problems.

One of the most common causes for turtles to have swollen, puffy, closed or red eyes, is related to water quality. In some species, a high concentration to chlorine can cause them to have adverse reactions. Typically, this is confined to keeping the eyes closed, some rubbing of the eyes and maybe some twitching of the head. This usually goes away within a few hours if left alone. If you notice that your turtle does have a reaction to chlorinated water, either dechlorinate the water before placing the turtle in the water, or let the water stand for about 24 hours before introducing the turtle.

If the turtle is having a reaction to water quality, then the first thing you are going to need to look at is your filtration. The filter might be clogged or is unable to meet the demands and a larger or otherwise better filter may be needed to assist in improving the quality of the water. Frequent water changes would benefit your turtle and would assist you in determining if this is indeed the problem.

Vitamin A deficiency is another common problem. If your turtle is not eating a varied diet which is rich in vitamins or is not being offered a supplement, then this may very well be the problem your turtle is having.

If your turtle has an infection of the eyes, then prompt attention is needed. Keep in mind that not all eye infections are actually problems within the eye itself. It may also be in an infection within the body and is simply manifesting itself in the eyes in the appearance of swelling.

Answer 3

I think you should take it to the vet. My turtle had the same problem a few weeks ago, so i changed it's water and gave it new things to eat. But it died of starvation. I had another turtle who seemed fine. But I didn't want another pet to die and i was really upset about my first turtle dying, so i gave the other one back to the pet store. But if your turtle isn't opening it's eys and isn't moving around, or eating anything then please don't take it lightly.

Answer 4

You should take it to a reptile vet.