Red ear slider with eye problem in only one eye?

Question

I have two RES in the same tank. They ear two likes of turtle pellets, they eat dried shrimp and also frozen shrimp, bloodworms, veggies and other things. I have a powerful filter but actually I am not too sure right now if the heater is working right. Anyhow... They were both fine wen I came home from work. I went out for about three hours and when I cane home one had a puffy brownish eye and she was batting it with her paw. (is it called a paw?) So I put a Dr. Turtle in the tank and I gave her a sulpha dip. The directions say to do the dip for a week. She is eating because I make sure the food is on the side with the good eye or I feed her by hand. Besides the eye she seems ok. I read on another yahoo answer that if it is only one eye it may be an injury. If it is an injury is it something that the dip will help? I ordered turtle eye drops but don't have them yet. Would human eye drops like visene help? if so what kind?

Answer 1

Hi, I would suggest taking her in to a reptile vet. That is the only way to get an accurate diagnosis.

I would highly advise you separate the 2, into their own, 150gal tanks. They need a minimum of 10gal per inch, PER TURTLE. But that is a bare minimum, the equivalent of living your life in your bedroom, the rest of your life.

It is possible that it is an injury. Keeping two turtles int he same tank, IMHO is just a recipe for fighting and injury. I have seen to many cases where a turtle was maimed of killed by their tank mate. They are not social animals, an do not need a companion. They only bask together in the wild becuz there is safty in numbers. But, yeah, I honestly think you should get an aditional tank, with filter and lighting.

I would also radically change your diet.  STOP the shrimp. Its just turtle candy and will make it hard to get them to eat the stuff they need to.  Go for veggies such as romain lettuce, redleaf lettuce, squash, carrots,ect.  Aquatic plants are also a great option, and what they would eat in the wild. give live feeders such as guppies or minnows once a week maybe. their diet should consist of 50% veggies, 25% live feeders, and maybe 25% turtle pellets.  Turtle pellets should only be a SMALL part of their diet. contrary to popular belief, their is actually very little to support that they are nutritionally sound.

Please consider checking out this site. www.happyturtlespub.org  It has TONS of aqurate information.  It is by far one of the best I have seen, and I did ALOT of searching when I first got my turtles.

Answer 2

not visene!( too risky) I am pretty sure it is an eye injury from the other turtle, either an accident, or they were fighting. It seems like your doing everything right, but i suggest you seperate the two until the wound heals. Also just fye....read all of this and see if you have this setup, it costs at least $300, and is a regular setup.

************ This is a setup for a red eared slider the most common type of turtle, they get up to 12 inches, but you will see them as babies at a store commonly, so know that they will grow very big**************

You will need to get a 50 gallon starter tank and upgrade to a 75 gallon later on when your turtle is over 6 inches...If you can not get that big of a tank right now then for now you can use a huge rubbermaid container filled up with clean warm water 5/6 of the way. The water should be 75-82F, that can be achieved by buying a water heater at the petstore, along with a water filter. Water filters that are best are canister filters, like the Rena xp3 filter which costs $200, but filters very well. Do buy a filter please, even a cheap one at $25, is better then none at all, since turtles are extremely messy and p**p-ful (haha). The bottom of the tank should be bare, no gravel because they could choke on that mistaking it for food. On top of the water you need 3 things, 1. a basking dock ( buy a large size zoomed basking dock). 2. you 100% need to buy a basking lamp+bulb, you buy them separatly, then s***w the bulb in ( 50 watts) and shine it on the basking dock over a mesh hood( cut a hole out of it and place the light there!). 3. This is very important, you need a uvb light. It is a long thin light, you need to get the actual lamp+ the long skinny bulb. Reptosun 5.0 is the best bulb( together costs $55). Shine that onto the basking dock as well. Turtles need these together because they use the uva for heat, so they stay warm ( the basking site should be 90-95F, not colder) and they need the uvb rays to metabolize calcium and vitamin d3 for a stronger shell ( like you need it for your bones!) The diet for the turtle should be reptomin pellets ( and other nutricuos pellets!) crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, shrimp, and krill. All of this is found dead at the petstore!;) They also need vegetation, get kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and collard greens. Drop all of the food in the tank once a day, and remove any leftover bits after a few hours. By the way ALL of the protien food ( dead food, that was alive once) should be dusted with a calcium supplement ( powder) and you need to get a cuttlebone found in the bird aisle of the petstore and drop it in the water for him to knaw on, keep it there for a while (month) until he eats all of it, then get another. Once all of these things are done your turtle will be pretty happy!

Answer 3

hi wait for the eye drops! the turtles proply got in a fight so keep them in seperate tanks! one probly hit the other in the eye with his claw

Answer 4

It could be an injury. Your other turtle or she could have clawed her accidentally.  i would wait for the turtle drops instead of using visine. if you want you can seperate the two but its not top priority.  since the turtle is still eating then she probably isnt feeling sick so i would say she has been clawed. but you can get a good idea if shes sick if you watch her eating habits closely, if she seems to eat less then she may be sick.  also you can put her in warm water to relieve her eye.  it sounds the brown stuff could be dried blood and warm water will help get that out of her eyes.  

hope this helps

Answer 5

Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com, for a turtle vet in your city and state

Sliders, Cooters , painted ,map and yellow bellied are require the same care and feeding..

I have had two Sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 8 yr old and a 5 yr old..

I have had them in a 150gal pond for about 6 yrs now..

**Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..even meal worms. For the lil guys you may have to cut up there food.  THEY NEED FISH to stay healthy...so important..

**Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. Males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length. Males are smaller in  size and shell length.  Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home **The tank  size for small  2” re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around  he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What they EAT. ****In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both fish, crickets, worms basically anything that moves and  plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens. The  diet for the lil guys \s should consist  of a commercial aquatic turtle pellets and small feeders guppies or goldfish or minows. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex cubed worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of  leafy greens or finely chopped mixed vegetables romaine and butter lettuce, can be offered once weekly.

Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again. Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want. They need the calcium for shell growth and a good healthy turtle. Adults diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens , romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration ***Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water real quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent pooping.  You need a  filter for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available.

*** Health Problems.  If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

“Fungal infections” are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

**Shell Rot. *** First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light. Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water. Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond or tank that has real  clean water. 1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It'll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes. Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don't clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away. . MOST important !!! TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

Respiratory Infections *****Sliders, cooter, map, painted, yellow bellied and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Many respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their EARLY  stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold. **Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

amd pay attention to my sisiter aboves comments!!

Answer 6

Just because it's only one eye doesn't mean it's not an infection, though it could be an injury.

But again - injuries are susceptible to infection.

Either way, I would recommend taking the turtle to a qualified reptile vet.  If you don't already know of an exotic/reptile vet in your area, you can contact “herpetologicalsocieties.com“ for the one nearest you.

The first link below shows common turtle illnesses.  Check it out, and see if anything looks like what is going on with your turtle.

Good luck, and I hope the little guy is better soon.

I hope this has been helpful.