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My turtle's eyes are swollen shut and it won't eat. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My turtle eyes are swollen for 10 days and it can not open its eyes what to do for it and it can' eat .please help me

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on January 10th, 2017

This can be due to vitamin A deficiency, infection, poor water quality or lighting that is too intense/direct. You can address environmental concerns but you may need a vet to diagnose and treat infection or deficiency. Feeding a commercial turtle food along with fresh veggies and greens (or prey) will help balance the diet. Vitamin and mineral supplementation is also recommended. Click on the link below for more information. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 1st, 2020

    Hello, this can be caused by several conditions, the most common one is vitamin A deficiency, this is curable by injecting him a vitamin A supplement and treat him with vitamin A eye drops. this can also be caused by improper water treatment in the tank and also by an eye infection. ideally you should get him to an exotic vet specialist ASAP, if this is not possible due to the current situation i would recommend cleaning the tank, be careful with the chlorine levels and get him vitamin A eye drops from the pharmacy.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on January 14th, 2017

    Swollen eyes can be caused by infection or by vitamin deficiency. A veterinarian should be able to make this determination and prescribe the appropriate treatment. You can request a consultation to discuss this case in greater details and to discuss proper care and husbandry if needed.

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    Answered By Todd Cecil

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 7th, 2018

    Swollen eyes are not an uncommon finding in red eared sliders and a common cause is vitamin A deficiency. This deficiency allows for secondary bacterial infections in the eye, therefore swelling. Improving the diet to contain more vitamin A is important. Grated carrots or whole live fish (vitamin A is store in the liver) can be used. If you turtle remains anorexic, a reptile veterinarian will probably have injectable vitamin A and can help you get started on antibiotics.

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