Pet turtles get affected easily when it comes to their health, and this makes it more difficult to handle.Sea turtles get easily affected by eye infections. The reasons for the infection are issues with their shells, claws, and sharp breaks.Aquatic turtles are familiar with the surrounding that includes water, but in the case of pet turtles, you can’t provide such surroundings for extended durations. Aquatic turtles, even in the aquarium, are highly prone to bacterial eye infections, and swollen eyelids, and swollen eyes. The reason is that aquarium water has chlorine and other chemicals added to it. These chemicals in the aquarium can cause eye problems for your pet turtles.Eye problems and eye diseases are common to most turtles due to their constant exposure to causes of an eye infection or bacterial infection. One of the most common eye ailments that can affect turtles is swollen eyelids. The swollen eyelids can be caused by bacterial infections or any other underlying condition. So it is important to look for causes of eye infections and eye problems for the turtle’s eyes. The turtle’s eyes can be taken care of by proper observation of signs. If there are signs indicating that there are the slightest eye problems, then immediately call a vet. The vet will suggest the proper course of treatment for turtle’s eye infections. If the medication can not be administered directly, it can be given along with the food.If the issues do not subside, then the vet might opt for surgical treatment to treat the swollen eyes. Veterinary medicine and treatment will play an extremely important role in curing your turtle’s eye infections.Here is the informative guide to know how to take care of your pet turtle, and treat swollen eyes, eyelids, other swollen eye diseases or eye problems of your turtle, and how to brush up your turtle parental skills. After reading about the steps to prevent eye infections in your pet turtle, also check do turtles sleep underwater and do turtles shed?Can you treat your turtle’s swollen eyes at home?The answer is yes. There are mainly two types of reasons behind swollen eyes in turtles, vitamin A deficiency and poor quality of water. In order to treat these issues, you might not need to visit the vet.Vitamin A deficiency can be caused due to improper diet being fed to your pet turtle. It is possible to treat the vitamin A deficiency with some simple steps. Likewise, the poor quality of water can also be treated by following a proper hygiene regimen. So, no need to visit a vet for these basic symptoms as you can cure them at home.But if your turtle is showing some different symptoms along with swollen eyes then you should take your turtle to the vet as your first priority is the turtle’s health.In the case of deficiency of vitamin A in turtles, the answer is providing a balanced diet. Now the question is from where can your turtle get vitamin A? The answer is simple, veggies, fruits, frozen blood worms, are rich in vitamins and minerals. Most green vegetables are rich in vitamin A, and by eating them in adequate quantities your turtle might never face a deficiency of vitamin A. You can also directly buy vitamin A eye drops for your pet if you are sure that swollen eyes are because of vitamin A deficiency.In case of poor quality of water, you must ensure that the water is clean and is recycled regularly. It is recommended to use a canister filter which is equipped with a multi-stage filtration system.How to know if your turtle’s eyes are infected?If you observe your turtle’s eyes are swollen and they are not able to open them properly due to extra puffiness, then it is a serious situation that requires a visit to the vet.The white-colored substance near its eyes shows the presence of an eye infection and needs proper hygiene and prescribed medications.White eyes are the reason for the untidiness of water and lack of vitamin A. If your turtle is not consuming vegetables and food properly, it can lead to white eyes. But first, you should keep the water clean and bathe your turtle every day with an iodophor solution, it is a very safe disinfectant that is not harmful to turtles.Water filtration plays an important role in the turtle’s habitat. Wash the tank with bleach or other strong sanitizers such as potassium permanganate or purple salt. Rinse it afterward with lots of clean water to ensure that no chemical traces are present. Don’t try to put a big pump in the tank, unless your tank is huge. Put some green nontoxic into the turtles as these will enhance the efficiency of the filtration process significantly.Water is extremely important for the turtle, so you always try to keep it clean. After taking care of all these things, the vet will suggest you put antibiotic glue on its eyes, to help fight off any infection and to keep the turtle’s eyes healthy. Along with this, taking the medication prescribed by the vet can effectively manage the eye infection of your pet turtle. In severe cases of infections, the health condition of the turtle might deteriorate quickly. So, referring to a vet is extremely important.Do all the turtles have the same eye color?The eye color of your turtle can be yellow-brown or dark brown. Basically, the different species of turtles have slight changes in their eye color.Due to the evolution of species, we can say that the eye color of turtles can be yellowish-brown or dark brown. This color tends to remain the same throughout their life and they can’t change it within their lifespan. But in rare cases, turtles are born with intense shades which then slightly fade along with their age.In a wide range of aquatic turtles, it’s been observed that male turtles have different shades of red in their eye, whereas female turtles have common shades of yellow and brown color. There is no effective advantage of red colors in the eyes of male turtles, but it is considered that it helps attract female turtles.There are some turtle species that have blue eyes, these turtles can be found in regions across India, Spain, and Morocco. So, the eye color could vary along with different species. While the sharpness of the vision has nothing to do with the eye color, but any changes in the eye color can indicate underlying health issues.Some turtles live in the desert, some in the sea, some live both in water and on land, so we can assume that their eyes work in a slightly different way, and they are adapted to their surroundings. The turtles’ vision has more colors than we do, and this makes their vision more accurate.Do turtles lose eyesight?The turtles’ eyes are susceptible to a range of eye infections and conditions. Turtles tend to adjust their eyes according to the quantity of light in the surrounding area. If the turtle is subjected to high light exposure for extended durations, it might lead to the loss of eyesight in the turtle.While adjusting the vision, the turtle needs some amount of time. If during this process the light falls on the turtle’s eyes in the wrong way then it is likely to be harmful to the turtle’s vision.The reason behind your turtle not opening eyes could be the same. High-intensity lights can cause defects in the pupil and because of this reason, the turtle might not be able to open its eyes. The main reason could be vitamin A deficiency. The swollen eyes can also lead to the closing of eyelids, and not being able to open the eyelids properly.The reason why box turtle eyes are swollen is also lack of vitamin A. If we talk about the eyesight of turtles, we can say that they have pretty accurate and great eyesight. Turtles have great excellent eyesight under the water and they can adapt their vision to see on land. As well as being able to see in color, turtles also have the ability to see into the UV spectrum. They don’t have excellent vision at the night, but it is more accurate than humans. When it is dark, the turtles’ pupils get enlarged which allows more light to pass through them allowing for an enhanced vision. But when the turtle’s eyes are swollen and are not treated by a vet, then it can lead to serious issues and further infections.If you fear that your pet turtle is fighting a bacterial infection, then you must consult a veterinarian immediately. The veterinarian will test the eyes for any possible infections and then suggest a further course of action. In such cases, self-medication is not recommended as it might complicate the situation further.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for turtle eyes: taking the proper care for your pet then why not take a look at do turtles make noise, or do turtles have teeth?
Pet turtles get affected easily when it comes to their health, and this makes it more difficult to handle.
