Urgent Care :: ? irritated eyes

[nadimis]

I have a 17 year-old red slider. I noticed recently that she sometimes has "bloodshot eyes". It usually goes away within a couple of hours. Also, I don't know if this is related but she tends to have a pinkish hue on her skin (especially the more fleshy part of her legs) but it gets much lighter when she is dry (when I let her walk outside of her tank for a while). This has been there for a couple of months. Her eating, basking, and swimming habits have remained unchanged. I have read up on blood poisoning but I am not too sure this is what she has. Any opinions???? Any information would ne much appreciated.

Sonia

[marisa]

Welcome. 17 years? That's wonderful. Some more info, please...Are you using tap water that's chlorinated? If so, so you use a dechlorinator in the water?

Does your turtle rub at her eyes as well? If you use a dechlorinator and if she rubs at her eyes, what's the humidity like in the tank?

Have you noticed any pattern to the bloodshot eyes? Meaning, do your turtles eyes look bloodshot after she's been sleeping or in any particular position?

As for the pinkish hue, what is your turtle being fed?

Blood poisoning also commonly entails a redness between the scutes as well as on the plastron. Do you notice this at all? From what you wrote, she doesn't sound lethargic. If the redness lightens when dry, perhaps something in the water is irritating the skin. How often do you change the water?

Out of curiosity, is there any puffiness to the limbs?

[nadimis]

Hello Marisa,

Thank you for your response. Here are answers to your questions.

I am using tap water so I believe it has some chlorine. Reptile stores had told me that it was not necessary to test the water for red ear sliders.

She may rub her eyes ince in a while, i.e. once a month but not regularly.

Her eyes are bloodshot mostly when she has been out of the tank for at least 30-40 min, i.e. when she walks around the house (maybe the house air is too dry for her????)

I feed her Reptomin pellets form Tetrafauna, romainian lettuce 1x week (when she eats it), I am now also trying carrot scraps but no success.

Her plastron is not red nor pink, it is only between the scutes. I change the water completely once a month to 6 weeks and halfway once a week or every second week depending on how it looks. I also have two filters working ( the filter which came with the tank, and a submersible....it is an 80 gallon tank).

Her limbs do not seem more puffy to me but she does seem to have a bit more skin than she should where the limbs meet her shell...there she seems puffy\fleshy but she has always been like this, i.e. she seems to have a lot of meat.

I hope this is enough information but if you need more please let me know. The day that I wrote the notice I also changed the water and I took out most of the decorations in the tank and I noticed an improvement in the pinkish hue when I let her walk yesterday ( she was not as pink as when I had written the notice) . I am hoping it is a good sign but it may be still too early to tell. I am assuming that if it would have been blood poisoning that she would have gotten worst by now ( i.e. on her plastron).

Thank you very much!!!!!! It is much appreciated!!!

[jenaero]

I am using tap water so I believe it has some chlorine. Reptile stores had told me that it was not necessary to test the water for red ear sliders.

She may rub her eyes ince in a while, i.e. once a month but not regularly.

Seems to me that they eye rubbing is happening about the same time as your water changes. Dechlorinating the water should take care of that.

Her eyes are bloodshot mostly when she has been out of the tank for at least 30-40 min, i.e. when she walks around the house (maybe the house air is too dry for her????)

Probably. There's really no need to take her out to roam anyway. More stressful than fun for her.

I feed her Reptomin pellets form Tetrafauna, romainian lettuce 1x week (when she eats it), I am now also trying carrot scraps but no success.

Try red leaf lettuce, zucchini, anacharis (aquatic plant) and other veggies too. Offer veggies every day!

Her limbs do not seem more puffy to me but she does seem to have a bit more skin than she should where the limbs meet her shell...there she seems puffy\fleshy but she has always been like this, i.e. she seems to have a lot of meat.

Unless I missed it, you didn't mention how often you were feeding the pellets. You may want to cut down to 2 or 3 times a week for that.

[marisa]

Try some dechlorinator in the water.

Humidity could very well be an issue depending where you are.

At her age Reptomin shouldn't be in her diet that much. A more varied diet would be much healthier for her.

[nadimis]

Thank You Marisa and Steve!!!

I'll try a dechlorinator and to vary her diet more.

For her feeding, I feed her pellets evry second day but I will try to incorporate more veggies everyday.

Just one last question: If she would have blood-poisoning, would she be pink first and then act differently or would she act differently first and then turn pink???? What is the sequence of events???? Besides the pink color, are there any other observable signs?

Thank you for your answers.....it is greatly appreciated as it is very hard to find someone who knows enough about turtles !!!

[marisa]

I don't know which comes first, but the seam (lines in between the scutes) would be a reddish color, and if the plastron was reddish and you pressed on it, the color would go away and then return (blood would be pooling there). She would be very lethargic and refuse to eat as well.

If you're really concerned, you could take her to a herp vet, who would know about the progression of the disease in more detail.

Some foods, if overfed, can turn the skin pinkish, shrimp being among them. (But this doesn't sound like an issue with your turtle.)