What to Do If a Turtle Gets White Eye Disease? Detailed Prevention and Treatment Methods

Turtle white eye disease is one of the most common diseases in turtle farming. It presents as inflammation and congestion of the eyes in affected turtles, with swollen eyes. The cornea and nasal mucosa become eroded due to inflammation, and the eyeballs are covered by white secretions, making it impossible to open the eyes. Now let us take a look at how to treat and prevent turtle white eye disease!

Causes of Onset

High stocking density and excessively alkaline water quality. This disease is mostly seen in red-eared sliders and turtles, with a higher incidence rate in juvenile turtles. The disease mostly occurs in spring, autumn, and early spring after overwintering.

Symptoms of Onset

The affected turtle's eyes become inflamed and congested, and the eyes swell. The cornea and nasal mucosa become eroded due to inflammation. The eyeballs are covered by white secretions and cannot be opened. The affected turtle moves sluggishly, and in severe cases must stop eating, ultimately leading to death.

Treatment Methods

For the treatment of affected turtles, antibiotic eye drops or eye ointment can be applied to the affected area 1 to 2 times per day. At the same time, penicillin injection can be used at a dosage of 40,000 to 50,000 international units per kilogram of turtle body weight, once a day, for 2 to 3 consecutive days.

1. If there are many affected turtles, one or two types of antibiotics (500,000 to 1,000,000 international units/liter) can be dissolved in water, and the turtles soaked in the solution for 30 to 60 minutes, several times a day, until recovery.

2. For turtles with mild symptoms (eyes can still open), a nitrofurazone or furazolidone solution can be used for soaking, with a solution concentration of 30 mg per liter, soaking for 40 minutes, for 3 to 5 consecutive days.

3. For turtles with severe symptoms (eyes cannot open), first remove the white matter inside the eyes and the necrotic epidermis, then immerse the affected turtle in a solution containing vitamin B and oxytetracycline medicinal liquid, placing 0.5 tablet of oxytetracycline and 2 tablets of vitamin B per 500 g of water. If treating green-haired turtles, furazolidone should be applied to the eyes, and full-body soaking should not be used.

Preventive Measures

1. Strengthen feeding management and keep the water clean. When the weather gets hot, change the water after feeding to prevent food spoilage from polluting the water quality. Regularly apply appropriate amounts of bleaching powder or quicklime to improve water quality and disinfect the water body, creating a good environment suitable for healthy growth. The containers for keeping turtles should be disinfected; for example, glass tanks should be soaked in 10% saline solution for 30 minutes, then rinsed with clean water before keeping turtles.

2. During the disease season for turtles, feed animal liver and other concentrated feed that turtles like to eat, to increase nutrition, enhance resistance, and reduce the occurrence of disease.