How to Know If Your Turtle is Sick! Health Checks on my Turtles and Tortoises!

Today I found a box turtle with swollen closed eyes, and decided it’s a good day to share with you how I health check my turtles and tortoises
Big thanks to Aquascape, The Turtle Room, Robb Herrington, Matthew Hills, Nhi Ho, Charlie Moore, The Turtle Room and Patreon members: Jasmine C, Robert Brem, Katja Petrovic, Teiryn, Matthew, Robin Brashear, Decompression Stop, Mark Sakaarson, Davis M Benn, Zoran Vukadinovic, Leaf Mimic, and Ed H West. Thank you for your support!
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[@thesnapperkeeper]

I think you might have missed a shell issue on the rabbit 😂😂

[@Carlos-jh5tb]

i believe swollen eyes after hibernating is usually from a vitamin deficiency. vitamin A and C. ive heard soaking in fresh carrot juice helps a lot. hydrates and gives them a good boost for the immune system

[@joshuasturtlerescue.827]

Great video, thank you for teaching this, it's very important to do regular health checks.

[@danriley5848]

Great video and the Turtles and tortoises look great Greg 👌✌

[@davisbenn2179]

I appreciate you doing videos like this Greg. It’s so important that very experienced keepers like yourself and Chris at garden state tortoise share information like what’s in this video. Often times even exotic vets have little to no experience working with reptiles let alone turtles. For the most part they are just going to given a generic prescription based on what they have read online. Not any fault of the vet, they just don’t have near the experience working with these animals that keepers like you do.

[@TheAnimalguy1996]

I'm glad I do this. I noticed one of my russian tortoises has a respiratory infection three days ago since they live outdoors. I caught it early and I've been giving her soaks in 89 degree water with a drop of tee tree oil or turtle fix. She seems to be bouncing back.

[@mike2687]

Same thing happened to one of our Woodland (Eastern) Box Turtles after this past winter and used the same drops--took a bit but she came around. Soaking definitely helped to get her to open those eyes so I could get full drops in them and she's looking great now! Best of luck with yours!

[@GregsTurtleHaven]

That’s what it takes 👍🏼

[@artandmorewithrachelnicole]

Keep up the awesome videos 🙂

[@GregsTurtleHaven]

Thanks for watching 🐢✌🏼

[@artandmorewithrachelnicole]

Your welcome 😊

[@pgnmothman]

My turtle is always sick haha get it he’s cool

[@albertseanchen7929]

A very helpful and interesting 🧐 topic you could do for a future video (if you haven’t already) is feeding, especially the aquatics. What to feed (protein, plant and/or veggies), how often, how much (don’t want fat turtles, but want some weight to them) and what stage (hatchling, yearling, juvenile or adult). Particularly, I’m interested in how much and often you feed hatchling cooters and sliders without developing pyramiding on the carapace. Turtle Forum in the past has suggested not more food than can fit in the head and neck. What are your suggestions from your experience 🤔?

[@joshuaryan8104]

Used same eye drops for RES took about 2 weeks , see positive results in a week

[@judithmarks-jacoby2385]

This was an article my Vet sent me when I rescued a very neglected Musk Turtle who's eyes looked the same. Maybe it will help? Check out images of this online to compare? Zophie is a happy and healthy girl now! Vitamin A deficiency is common in pet turtles (not eating entirely free-range), and immediately after hibernation (long period without food). Vitamin A is required to develop healthy skin, mucous membranes, and ducts within the turtle’s organs.. In worst cases they can develop squamous metaplasia, which prevents the skin and organs from functioning normally, most commonly by blocking fluid flow through ducts. Vitamin A deficiency is widespread in young semi-aquatic turtles and box turtles over six months of age. Tortoises are rarely deficient in Vitamin A because their diet naturally includes vitamin-rich plants. The shortage is seldom seen under six months because the yolk typically contains enough Vitamin for a few months of nourishment. When a turtle is deficient in Vitamin A, the following symptoms may appear: Turtle eyelid swelling. Weight loss/become uninterested in meals. May develop a mouth infection. Can accompany respiratory illness. The most visible sign of a Vitamin A deficiency is swollen eyelids, but as this could also be a sign of a bacterial infection in the eyes or respiratory tract, it is best for a veterinarian to determine the root cause before starting therapy. Stomatitis, pneumonia, and otitis are only a few problems linked to a lack of Vitamin A in turtles. Treatment for these illnesses is generally ineffective until the Vitamin A deficiency is corrected. Cheers!

[@lamster06]

Hey Greg, great video. My three toed box turtles came out of hibernation and look great. The one issue I have is the eating. They only want to eat earthworms, they are very picky eaters. What’s your feeling regimen for them? I put pellets everywhere in the enclosure and even fruits they won’t eat😩

[@MrCites1]

I love Bundaberg ginger beer, I didn’t know it was available outside Australia

[@michaelthompson2782]

I'm a new subscriber and have loved turtles from as long as I remember. I've observed and caught turtles everywhere I'd go around central Florida. But where have all the chicken turtles gone?. Are they sensitive to more and more roadways? They do tend to roam on land a lot. They were always my favorite but I havent seen any around here in years.

[@mike2687]

Have you ever done a compatibility video?--it amazes me how many different species you have in that one enclosure.

[@GregsTurtleHaven]

I’ll be doing one soon. There is a lot in there, and once I complete another enclosure I’ll be breaking some of that up. It’s all about giving turtles hides, space and working with each species biology

[@mike2687]

@@GregsTurtleHaven - I look forward to that video... I have an upcoming koi pond build (16' x 18') and my boys and I would love to keep some turtles with them and the Box Turtles around the perimeter. Just want to make sure that everybody gets along.

[@haydenlucas2986]

I love how tortoises voacalize they sound like dinosaurs

[@GregsTurtleHaven]

🐢🦕

[@haydenlucas2986]

🐢🦕🦖🦜

[@brianmiller1864]

I have a turtle about 7 inches almost black shell neck and head covered speckles over green skin what bread is he or she long skinny tailbut close to shell

[@128Dar]

Hey Greg, A carrot soak would be good.

[@slowpoke4557]

I have a red eared slider that has white spots on its shell but they aren't soft like shell rot. I was thinking it might be hard water but wouldn't my snapper show it too, since I use tap water for both?

[@GregsTurtleHaven]

Snappers tend to not develop those spots as their scutes are slightly different from sliders and basking turtles

[@slowpoke4557]

So what do you think might be going on with my res? Hard water?

[@elongamingworld9563]

The waone eyes is from coldness

[@eugeniadowdey4530]

I have a question,my river coter has not been basking what do I do

[@slowpoke4557]

What do you have as far as basking light?

[@eugeniadowdey4530]

@@slowpoke4557 all in basking bulb light

[@tiffanykivett4221]

My helmeted turtle is so strange....the older he gets he doesn't like to be under water fully..... he did have r.i. and his antibiotics helped but now he still never wants to be under water 🤷‍♀️

[@mightymusc]

My 3 stripe mud turtle is 3yrs old and it’s tail is only about a quarter the size of yours, safe to say it’s probably a female even tho his/her name is Pete?😅

[@GregsTurtleHaven]

Sounds female

[@hoverbots5597]

my turtle has white spots on the top of her shell she is a african helmeted turtle

[@coyotefoxtrot2832]

No trolling or anything, just genuinely curious...why does the Florida Redbelly not have a redbelly?

[@Hewbrry496]

Not good 😔