eye infection

Question
hi,
have a Tortoise ... its eyes are swallowed
i ve been informed it is either a bacteria or a lack of a vitamin A ... took it to the Vet, they gave me an antibiotic to be used for 5 days which i did .... the turtle became much better but a few days later .... same story ... its eyes are closed, can not open it & it is barely eating ////
Please advise

Answer
Hi Nicole,

Take him back to the vet and tell the vet the antibiotics worked for a little while.  Maybe your turtle needs a longer round of antibiotics or a combo of them.

Then double check to make sure the environment isn't too dry for the type of tortoise you have.  They need substrate to bury themselves in when they want to.

Also a trick I use on one of my turtles (she does not have an infection but becomes vitamin A deficient very easily) is to use a vitamin A ointment that is meant for dog and cats' eyes.  I just have to be careful not to put too much on because if it leaks into her water bowl she might get too much vitamin A.  I used it for awhile but her eyes have been fine for months and I haven't had to use it again.


-Amanda