Swollen Eyes in Red-Eared Sliders & other Semi-Aquatic Turtles

[findiviglio]

Hi All,

Swollen, inflamed eyes are commonly seen in a wide variety of captive turtles. Strangely, the hardy Red Eared Slider seems especially prone to this annoying and potentially life-threatening condition (as we’ll see, popular feeding practices may partially explain this). From childhood through my career as a herpetologist, standard wisdom has blamed the condition on a Vitamin A deficiency. Today we also know that poor water quality is responsible for many, if not most, of the eye problems seen in Sliders, Cooters, Painted Turtles and similar species. In this article we will look at the symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment of various turtle eye maladies. Read the rest of this article here Swollen Eyes in Red Eared Sliders and other Aquatic Turtles

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My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Best Regards, Frank Indiviglio

[Heatheranne]

Thanks, Frank! Our babies thank you for the great data! .

[Truffs1178]

Great article Frank.

Beautiful turtle Heather.

[Heatheranne]

Great article Frank.

Beautiful turtle Heather.

Thank you . We have two.

[findiviglio]

Much appreciated Heather...no eye problems there! You may want to remove gravel in the future..as they grow, will be very difficult to keep up on water quality. Good idea to feed outside of the tank as well. You might enjoy this article on general care, etc..please feel free to post any observations etc there also; my other readers would enjoy, Best, Frank

[Heatheranne]

Thanks so much .

They do grow fast, that's for sure. Brought them home last year at about the size of a quarter. They've grown 4 times over. I've already moved them from a 10gal to a 29, and I'm sure by next year they'll be in the 55 I have waiting for them. Maybe even sooner.

We use a canister filter. No scent in the tank but fresh water, so far. I'm sure I'll have to upgrade to a larger one as they and their tank gets bigger .

We love ours. They're so cute and silly . They wait like puppies at the front glass for dinner time. Spoiled .

Thanks again! I always enjoy your writings .