Hi, I have 2 red ear slider turtles. I have had them for about 4-5 years. They were in a 50 gallon tank that they were outgrowing and I realized it did not have the proper lighting. The tank had a glass top, so the UV light was being filtered. I just bought a new 120 gallon tank and moved the turtles. They were doing just fine in the old tank, but seem to be having a problem in the new tank. Their eyes seem a bit swollen and they keep them closed most of the time. They are eating and seem ok otherwise, but I had never noticed this is the old tank. I thought maybe something was wrong with the water and took it to a store to be tested. They said the water was fine, but gave me some water conditioner to put in the tank just in case. It seems weird that this problem happened when I put them in the new tank. I thought maybe it would go away, but it has been about a week and a half and nothing has changed. The new tank now has the proper lighting without anything on the top of the tank. Is it possible that it could be because they weren't getting the proper light for so long and now it seems really bright to them? I also had read that a water temp change could cause this. I don't know what temp the old tank was, but the new tank was set to 80. I changed it down to 78 yesterday. I dont see how their eyes could have gotten infected in a week from a new tank with clean water. I suppose it is possible, but I am not sure what to do. I put them in the new tank to make things better for them and it seems I have made it worse. Do you have any ideas or suggestions.

You did the right thing by getting them the larger tank. There's nothing obvious that you have done wrong based on what you've said. If the eyes are really swollen which results in them keeping them closed (as opposed to them just keeping their eyes closed), then they are probably infected. The infection does not have to have anything to do with the water quality. Infected eyes in turtles normally involve Vitamin A deficiency or other problems with diet or lighting. It may just be coincidence that the problem is manifesting itself now. What do you feed them? Be sure they get plenty of Vitamin A. If they have full spectrum lighting now, that will help. ReptiSun makes a stronger fluorescent light that I put on my 120 gallon tank because they say most of the UV is only a foot under the light. How far up the 2 foot deep tank is the perch on which the turtles bask? If it's a foot up or more, that should be fine. I suggest having a vet look at the turtles. The best chance for a cure for infected eyes is to have a topical antibiotic that only vets have. In bad cases, injections of antibiotics may be required. Sometimes when a turtle has swollen eyes, it may also have an upper respiratory infection which is easy to cure with a vet but very dangerous if not treated. Good luck!

My section on this problem is feable but it's at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/turhealth.htm#eyes

Hi Thanks for the reply. Their basking area is about a foot under the light. Their eyes don't seem to be swollen shut, just they are keeping them shut. I was feeding them Nutrafin Max Turtle Gammarus Pellets. But the move was actually to my work and since I am not here on the weekends we got them some feeder fish. We put 20 fish in the tank about a week ago and only 2 are left right now. That is another thing - is that they used to be at my house where there wasn't much traffic and now they are here at work where people are around all the time. At first I thought it was maybe scaring them because they seem sensitive to noise and movement. Another thing I was thinking could cause the problem is that I had their basking area custom made out of Plexiglass and put rocks on the top and bottom of it. Maybe it is possible that the Plexiglass had some sort of film on it that is messing up their water. I am going to do a water change today to see if that helps. If it is a Vit A deficiency what can I give them to help? Someone suggested either a Turtle Sulfa Dip or fish Stress-Coat medicine. I am trying to avoid taking them to a vet unless I really have to. Mainly because of financial reasons...I also have a dog that has kidney disease and is costing me lots of money for treatment. BUT of course I dont want the turtles to go blind or die....I am a huge animal lover and want to take care of them the best I can. Thanks again for your help.

They may be keeping their eyes shut if they think the light intensity is too much or more than their used to. When scared, I've not found that turtles close their eyes but rather just try to get away and hide. I also feed that brand of turtle food but also many others. All they're getting is that food and goldfish? If so, I suggest introducing other things such as fruits (grapes, melons, berries, etc.), vegetables (kale, green leaf lettuce, shredded carrot, etc.), other brands of turtle pellets, mealworms, crickets (dust them in reptile vitamins), and cuttlebone (for calcium and to wear down their beaks). Vitamin A is high in animals while B-carotene (two Vitamin A's stuck together) is high in carrots, mango, and green vegetables.

Feeder fish are often diseased and could introduce pathogens to the turtles although most fish problems (parasites, bacteria, etc.) would not pass to the turtles. Some bacteria, funguses, etc. could though. I don't use feeder fish. If you do, quarantining them for a month first would be ideal to make sure they're healthy. A diet of just sick goldfish will not be well balanced and will be deficient in water soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C.

I suspect the turtles don't like all the movement around their tank. If you can move them to a more quiet area or cover part of the side of the tank with say black construction paper to provide more privacy, that could help.

Plexiglass should be safe and shouldn't be leaching anything. I had the same idea to make a basking area of plexiglass one day if I move my turtle to my 120 gallon tank. What adhesive did you use to stick the rocks to the plexiglass? Is it animal safe? If not, that could be bothering them.

The turtle sulfa dip has sulfa drugs which can knock back some bacteria and funguses. It is unclear if your turtles have that problem. Stress-Coat is good to add if you're not already adding a dechlorinator if the water source is city water with chlorine. Turtles can be bothered by chlorine in city water. Come to think of it, that might burn their eyes. Did your home water have chlorine too (city water or well water)? I also suggest adding aquarium salt at a tablespoon per 5 gallons as that deters bacteria and fungus as well.

I'm sorry about your dog. Three of my cats have medical conditions (kidney failure, hypothyrodism/asthma, and cystitis) so my vet bills are probably over $4000 a year.

Hi Robyn - I just wanted to thank you for all your help and give you a follow up. I do think part of the problem was the move and them adjusting to their new tank and environment. But I did end up taking them to a vet to have them checked out. I just couldn't wait and watch them get really sick. The vet said they didn't look too bad, but did prescribe some antibiotic shots for them. They each had five days of shots and now they seem sooo much better. It does seem they needed it because soon after they started moving around more and keeping their eyes open. I have also changed their diet - given them some vitamin supplements, blood worms, and other things. The plexiglass stand for the basking area worked out really well after all. I had a local plastics company make it, so it fits perfect in their tank. It has a base on it so I put rocks on the top of it to keep it secure and then used quartz rock on the top. My husband cut the quartz to fit the top of it perfectly and it just sits on top of the plexiglass. Since this rock is heavy and made to fit the area perfectly, I did not have to glue it down. This was originally a concern of mine, but I didn't have to worry about it after all. If you have an email address you would like to give out I could email you a picture of it. Anyway, thanks again for the help!! I understand how it is with the vet bills....but when you are an animal lover like the both of us - you do what you have to. I have to give my dog fluids through IV every day, which gets costly. I have 2 dogs, 4 cats, and 2 turtles....so it does get pricey - BUT they are all SO worth it!!

I'm so glad that you got them taken care of. Those antibiotic shots can do wonders. My e-mail is help at fishpondinfo dot com changing the at to @ and the dot to . If I spell it out, my SPAM goes up.

My old cat gets 100 mL of subcutaneous lactated ringers every night for years now, and she's not the first. Does you dog have an actual IV you use or just subcutaneous needle? Your vet is required by law to give you a prescription for fluids, lines, and needles if your dog needs them, and you want to order them from a company for a lot less (half as much) as the vet charges. After I found that out, I ordered a box of 10 but at that time, I also had a rabbit who was on fluids.