My turtle has puffy eyes, won't eat, and shell rot. What should I do?

Question

Hi I can't take my turtle to the vet since the vets near us only treat cats and dogs. My turtle is a five-year old box turtle. Last week I placed him in land habitat since he was getting shell rots from the water since the filter broke. Since then he wouldn't eat. He'd just chew the pellet then spits it out. He also developed puffy eyes, the other eye has a white bump on his lid. He would also yawn from time to time but not repeatedly. Lastly, he always rubs his face with his hand. Pet's info: Reptile | Turtle | Male | 5 years old | 1.1 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Sounds like he may have hypovitaminosis A. I suggest you read this article for suggestions on care and treatment. This is a diet and housing/lighting/temperature issue so be sure you are caring for him correctly. ( https://www.petplace.com/article/reptiles/general/vitamin-a-deficiency-hypovitaminosis-a-in-turtles/ ) ( http://www.avianandexotic.com/care-sheets/reptiles/aquatic-turtle/ ) As for the shell rot, you cannot keep an aquatic turtle on dry land 24/7. You should put him in water four one hour a day to eat and toilet then dry dock him again on land in a soft towel with a small, shallow water bowl for the remainder of the day. It is also important to get these turtles some UV light. At least twenty minutes a day in the sunshine or a set up with a UV lamp works well. It is also important the species are kept at their preferred body temperature to encourage the body to heal, a cold turtle can not mount an immune response. As a general rule around 25C suits most turtles.

My turtle has puffy eyes, won't eat, and shell rot. What should I do?

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