Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my two Res about a month ago and so far they've been really good but I noticed last night that the slightly bigger one swims with his eyes closed and he'll swim for a while and his eye would open. His/Her eyes are close mostly under water but when they surface they open their eyes. Is that a possible eye problem or is that like a sleepy or tired effect? Another thing is that the bigger one would use the front paw or claw to scratch his eye a lot. So far they're been given good amount of UV lights and daily Reptomin but I admit that I haven't been giving them Vitamn A equivalent nourishments like Carrots because I just found out yesterday about carrots.

Second of all, I am thinking about getting eye drops for my Res as a cautionary measure but how so I apply it directly in their eyes as I can barely get close enough to them without having them swim off.

Any help is appreciated for a first time turtle owner.

thanks

If it were my turtle, I'd have him checked by a vet. Eye problems can be a symptom of something more serious. Is he swimming and eating OK?

The big one with possible eye problem eats and swim and bask naturally. I feel that he eats well because I've seen him do his poopie two times in about a day timespan. I'm going to take the big guy to the vet just to check him out. I've been busy with school and work but I will definitely take it to a vet on Thurs.

Good deal. It's always good to have the checked and tested for parasites once a year anyway so if you've not done it, it's time. Hopefully you've just got a goofy turtle who likes to sweim with his eyes closed. LOL

thanks for your imput PH. Choopa (big one) and Quickie (small one) are my first two RES and first pet so I want to take care of them well. They are about 1 and a half inch and I was wondering if its okay for me to feed them Calcium via Cuttlebone provided that they have sufficient UVB light?