As a red-eared slider owner, swollen eyes in your pet can be worrying. This common condition in captive turtles can range from mild irritation to a serious, potentially life-threatening infection. But with prompt treatment from a qualified reptile vet and proper husbandry at home, most cases can be resolved.
In this article, we’ll cover the key things every red-eared slider owner should know about swollen eyes:
- What causes swollen eyes in red-eared sliders
- Recognizing symptoms of swollen eyes
- Getting a vet diagnosis and care plan
- Treating swollen eyes at home
- Preventing swollen eyes through proper husbandry
What Causes Swollen Eyes in Red-Eared Sliders?
There are several potential causes of swollen eyes in red-eared sliders:
Vitamin A Deficiency
One of the most common causes of swollen eyes in captive red-eared sliders is a lack of vitamin A in their diet. Vitamin A is essential for eye health and vision in reptiles.
Young red-eared sliders tend to be more carnivorous. But they need leafy greens that are high in vitamin A as they mature. A vitamin A deficiency leads to deteriorating eye tissue and swelling around the eyes.
Bacterial or Fungal Infection
Poor water quality is another major cause of swollen eyes Red-eared sliders are messy eaters and often contaminate their tank water with food debris and waste, This allows harmful bacteria and fungi to thrive
Infections quickly spread to the eyes in aquatic turtles like red-eared sliders. A vitamin A deficiency makes them even more prone to eye infections.
Dehydration
With their large exposed eyes, red-eared sliders lose a significant amount of water through their eye tissue. Dehydration causes fluid retention and swelling around the eyes.
Physical Trauma
Direct injury to the eyes from sharp decor, tankmates, or other trauma can also lead to swelling and irritation.
Recognizing Symptoms of Swollen Eyes
In the early stages of swelling, you may notice your red-eared slider pawing at its eyes more often. One or both eyes may appear slightly puffy or irritated.
As swelling increases, your turtle may keep its eyes closed completely. Swollen eyes are often accompanied by lethargy and loss of appetite as an infection sets in.
Severely swollen eyes can lead to permanent damage or blindness if left untreated. So it’s important to get prompt veterinary care.
Getting a Vet Diagnosis and Care Plan
Never try to treat swollen eyes at home without input from an experienced reptile vet. They’ll examine your red-eared slider and determine the cause of swelling through testing.
Your vet will prescribe an appropriate treatment plan which may include:
- Antibiotic or antifungal eye medications – For bacterial or fungal infections
- Vitamin A injections – If deficiency is the cause
- Fluid therapy – For dehydration
- Dry docking – To prevent worsening of eye swelling
Follow your vet’s recommendations closely to properly treat swollen eyes.
Treating Swollen Eyes at Home
While your vet provides medical treatment, you’ll also need to make husbandry changes at home:
Thoroughly clean and disinfect the tank – To remove any bacteria or fungus present
Check water quality and filtration – Upgrade filters if needed and perform frequent water changes
Review temperatures and humidity – Ensure optimal levels for red-eared slider health
Improve diet – Increase vitamin A by feeding more greens and quality pellets
Reduce trauma risks – Remove any sharp decor and separate turtles if aggression is an issue
With vet prescribed treatment and improved husbandry, most cases of swollen eyes can be resolved. But prompt vet care is crucial.
Preventing Swollen Eyes Through Proper Husbandry
While swollen eyes are common in captivity, there are key steps red-eared slider owners can take to reduce risks:
- Feed more vitamin A-rich greens like kale, dandelion greens, collard greens
- Use a quality pellet formula with added vitamins/minerals
- Maintain excellent water quality through filtration and frequent water changes
- Clean the tank thoroughly every 1-2 weeks
- Carefully monitor temperature and humidity
- Avoid overcrowding and aggression from tankmates
- Promptly treat any signs of swelling or infection
By optimizing your turtle’s diet, environment, and health care, you can help prevent swollen eyes and other issues. But see a vet immediately if symptoms do develop so treatment can begin right away.
Swollen eyes don’t have to be an inevitable part of red-eared slider ownership. With attentive husbandry and quick medical care when needed, you can keep your turtle’s eyes happy and healthy for years to come. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Troubleshooting Turtle Eye and Health Problems
- 1 Identify problems. Healthy turtle eyes should be clear, open, and shiny. If you have a turtle whose eyes are not healthy, you should contact your vet immediately. This is extremely important as eye infections can be indicative of larger health problems. In addition, since turtles depend on their sight to find food, if they can’t see, they’ll have problems eating. Watch for eyes that are:
- Swollen.
- Half shut.
- Reddened.
- Sunken.
- Produce pus or discharge.[4]
- 2 Clean your turtle’s aquarium. A very important part of treating your turtle is making sure its aquarium is clean. Making sure you have a clean aquarium will aid in the healing process and help avoid further infections. Ultimately, the cleaner the environment, the less chance there is for bacteria to accumulate.
- Remove your turtle and put it in a temporary home.
- Remove all water, rocks, plants, and everything else.
- Clean the aquarium (if glass) with very hot water.
- Scrub the sides with a brush or something slightly abrasive. Be careful not to scratch the glass.
- If you use a cleaner, make sure that your tank is rinsed thoroughly so that no chemicals are left.
- Properly clean all fake plants, rocks, and anything else that goes in the tank.[5]
- 3 Maintain proper nutrition. A major cause of eye infections in turtle is vitamin A deficiency. As a result, make sure that your turtle has proper nutrition and has proper levels of vitamin A. In addition, proper vitamins and nutrition will help keep your turtle healthy overall and minimize infections, including eye infections.
- Feed your turtle specially formulated food pellets. These will have all of the vitamins your turtle needs.
- Avoid feeding your turtle a diet made up mostly of either iceberg lettuce, all meat, or cheap commercial food.
- Make sure you don’t give your turtle too much vitamin A. An overdose might kill your turtle.
- Contact your vet if you have questions about proper nutrition and health. [6]
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Expert Q&ASearch
- Keep your fingers away from the turtles mouth as they can bite you in this position only if given the chance. Thanks Helpful 42 Not Helpful 2
- Turtles have long, sharp claws, and may scratch you if you are not careful. If this occurs, wash the scratch out with antibacterial soap immediately following the procedure. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 0
- The turtle may urinate on you, however this is not harmful. Simply wash it off when you are done. Thanks Helpful 17 Not Helpful 3
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How to Treat Turtle Swollen Eyes and Eye Infections
FAQ
How do you treat a red-eared slider with swollen eyes?
Treatment. If your turtle has swollen eyes, first make an appointment with an experienced reptile veterinarian to get it checked out. The vet will determine the cause of the problem and an appropriate course of action, likely antibiotic ointment or injections. The turtle may need to be dry docked during recovery.
How do you get rid of swollen eyes fast?
- applying a cold compress to their eyes.
- applying cucumber slices to their eyes.
- applying tea bags to their eyes.
- using an eye roller.
- massaging the eye area.
- drinking plenty of water.
How to treat eye infection in turtles at home?
Use artificial tears or opthalmic antibiotic ointment 3 times a day for 2 to 4 weeks. With mild cases a few drops of cod liver oil added to the food twice a week should clear it up. Otherwise a vitamin A injection administered by a vet will be required.
Why is my red-eared slider swollen?
Unexpected swelling in any part of the body may be significant. Swollen tails in red-eared sliders can be caused by local trauma, inflamed cloaca (a common outlet into which the intestinal, urinary, and genital tracts open), or part of a more generalised health issue.