Prevention and Treatment Methods for White Eye Disease in the Guangxi Pond Turtle

The Guangxi pond turtle is commonly known as the stone turtle. With the development of aquaculture, diseases of the pond turtle have increased in recent years, and "white eye disease" is one of the more common and more harmful epidemics. The prevention and treatment methods for "white eye disease" are introduced below.

1. Symptoms of white eye disease: The diseased turtle's eyes become inflamed and congested, the eyes swell, the eyelids and nasal mucosa become eroded, white spots or abnormal matter appear in the eyes, and the surface of the eyes is covered by a yellow-white secretion, commonly known as "white eye disease." The diseased turtle is listless, slow to respond, and moves sluggishly, from time to time scratching at its eyes with its front limbs, and often floats at the water surface or climbs onto the edge or corner of the pond (tray), and does not feed. In severe cases, the diseased turtle has difficulty breathing, from time to time opens its mouth to breathe, and mucus flows from the corners of its mouth, and it is unwilling to enter the water. At this point the diseased turtle's body is thin and weak, the eyes are sunken, and improper handling can cause blindness. Because the diseased turtle does not feed for a long time, and because its internal organs are infected by pathogens, it finally dies of exhaustion. This disease mainly occurs in hatchling turtles weighing 12-30 grams. It begins to develop within one month after the turtle hatchlings are purchased. The disease course is relatively long, lasting about 20 days from onset to death. It is contagious, and the condition develops rapidly.

2. Prevention and treatment methods: 1. Preventive measures: ① During the first 3 days after the purchased turtle hatchlings are brought back, they should be disinfected once a day with a different drug, such as 3% salt water, 30 PPM potassium permanganate solution, 2 PPM Yu Jun Qing, 20 PPM furazolidone, 3 PPM chloramphenicol solution, etc., soaking for 20 minutes, alternating the drugs to kill pathogens, prevent infection of injured skin, and promote wound healing. ② When feeding the turtles, the feed should be chopped fine, and the feed particle size should be smaller than the mouth opening of the hatchlings, to prevent the turtles from injuring the skin at the corners of their eyes when using their front limbs to help tear food, thereby causing infection. ③ Because the early symptoms of this disease are not obvious, it is not easy to detect. After bringing the turtle hatchlings back, pay attention to observation when feeding and changing the water. Hatchlings with eye problems or not feeding, and those that frequently float at the water surface, should be promptly removed and kept isolated in a separate tray for rearing, with intensified observation of their feeding condition. Even if the eyes are not inflamed or swollen, turtles that do not feed for more than two days are all considered infected with pathogens and should be given drug treatment promptly. ④ When feeding and changing the water, the water temperature should be maintained at 29-31°C, the water temperature difference must not exceed ±2°C, and the water quality should be clean, so that the turtles remain living in good condition and their disease resistance is improved.

2. Drug treatment: Drug treatment should be based on the symptoms, using a combination of external medication and oral or injectable medication.

① External medication: When it is noticed that some hatchlings have white eye disease, the diseased turtles should be picked out and handled separately in an isolated dedicated tray; all hatchlings should be soaked and disinfected together with their container using the aforementioned drugs, to prevent the diseased hatchlings from continuing to spread the infection. For diseased turtles with eye inflammation, 1% rivanol solution, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, and other eye drops can be used to apply or flush the eyes. Do this 2-3 times a day, and after application keep them dry in a clean tray, for 3-5 consecutive days. Because the infecting pathogens differ, if the medication is found to be ineffective, the medication should be changed promptly.

② While using external medication, oral medication should also be used for prevention and treatment. Amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, etc. can be mixed with duck liver and fed for 3-5 days.

③ For turtles with more severe illness that do not feed, 0.5 mg piperacillin sodium plus glucose injection can be injected alternately at the base of the four limbs, with each hatchling injected 0.15-0.3 mL each time, once every other day, with 3-4 consecutive injections as one course of treatment. If there is no improvement, then consider changing the medication.