The Causes of a Box Turtle Eye Infection

Box turtles are great pets with real character but they are not the easiest turtles to care for in comparison to other turtles who are much easier to look after. Although I must say all turtles need a certain level of maintenance. When taking on the responsibility of caring for a turtle you will inevitably come up against some health issues, one of them might be a box turtle eye infection.

Eastern Box Turtle by Ed from Ohio

If your turtle is showing signs of an eye infection, it's a good idea to look for other symptoms such as wheezing or gasping, a runny nose and breathing through their mouths. If a number of these symptoms have been spotted, then the signs are pointing at your turtle having a respiratory infection and you will need to take it to see a vet as soon as possible.

A box turtle with swollen eyes may be a case of your turtle being allergic to the substrate in their enclosure. Some turtles are allergic to earthly substrates and will have swelling around the eyes as a result of their allergy towards this sort of bedding. If you're using earth or soil based bedding, then try replacing the bedding with another and monitoring your turtle for a week or so to see if the swelling goes down. If the swelling still persists then you will know that your turtle does not have allergy problems and it could be because they are lacking vitamin A in their diet.

Swelling eyes can be caused by a lack of vitamin A and by simply giving your box turtle more foods rich in vitamin A the swelling can go down considerably. Carrots, parsley, kale and collard greens all have a decent amount of vitamin A and can be added to your turtle's diet to ensure your box turtle receives enough.

If nothing changes and the problems your box turtle is having remains, then it's time to see a vet. A vitamin injection might be necessary to help restore your turtle's health and fix their turtle eye infection altogether.

Author Resource: Written by David Anders
Box turtles are not the easiest turtles to look after but looking after them well has many advantages. For more useful tips and advice on box turtle care don't hesitate to visit http://www.boxturtlecare.net/

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