Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently have four DHLs that I brought out of hibernation about one month ago. Three are doing perfectly fine and if you just glanced at the fourth you would think he was also perfect. He is very fat and looks in perfect healthy.
However, there is something wrong with his eyes. He is having trouble opening them. If I soak him in warm water he has been able to open them afterward and then would eat. Now, though, both eyes seem to be a little swollen and he is having more problems opening them. After soaking him for quite a while today he opened them a little, but not much.
At first I thought this might be a lighting issue, but the bulb I am using is basically new. Temp is also not a problem. Everything is exactly the same as before hibernation when they all thrived.
It could be an issue with shedding - I am not sure. Sometimes I can get a little substance off around his eyes - could be skin or could be something else.
I have tried to take pictures but I can't get a good one of his eyes.
Any ideas?

has he been drinking?

Try to stimulate him to open his eyes by lightly pinching the base of his tail.
Look into the eyes with a penlight and magnifying glass for visible injury or debris. Rinse with saline or room temp. filtered water. Follow up with turtle eye drops which contain vitamin A. You may additionally use Clear Eyes-for dry eyes containing carboxymethylcellulose sodium ( or acetate ) and glycerine, and/or an antibiotic opthalmic ointment. Use only ointments meant for eye use, and no other drops which contain ingredients other than the ones listed above ( such as polyvinyl alcohol or tetrahydrozoline ).

If this condition is not due to debris, then it could be a respiratory or other opportunistic infection that took hold while he was hibernating. Put the lizard in your hand close to your ear and listen for his breathing. If it is excessively wheezy or crackling in comparison to your other HLs, then it is likely RI. This sometimes results from aspiration of water if the soil is too wet, or respiratory irritation if they are kept too dry and not sufficiently hydrated. If his stomach is also bloated, it could be gastroenteritis possibly brought about by the GI tract not being sufficiently clear before hibernation, and/or from parasitic infestation ( especially since most DHLs are wild caught ). In any of these cases ( other than simply debris in the eyes ) he should see a vet because any of these conditions left untreated can kill, and this will require systemic antibiotic injection, vitamin A injection, and/or antiparasitic drugs to cure.

In the meantime; keep the eyes flushed and use the drops containing Vit. A, keep him well hydrated and do not force food or large prey on him, allow him a basking area that is between 105*-110*, and on the food he will eat use Bene-Bac bird/reptile probiotic to help build back up the gut flora.

I would also suggest quarantine to seperate housing until it is determined he carries nothing communicable, otherwise you risk your other lizards.
-----
"A man that should call everything by it's right name, would hardly pass the streets without being knocked down as a common enemy." The Complete Works of George Savile, First Marquess of Halifax 1912,246