More sick turtles...

[Nafun]

My wife came home today saying "we may end up with some turtles". One of her coworkers' boyfriend brought home two midland painted turtles that he caught at the local reservoir. She's had them for a "few" months, and now the smaller of the two (just a hatchling from the description I got) has bulging cloudy eyes.

They've only been feeding them flies they kill around the house.

I don't need you to tell me everything that was wrong with what I just said (from the illegal taking of native terrapins to ridiculous malnutrition). I'm just curious if the eyes are indicative of something specific, or just the natural result of bad environment and poor nutrition.

What I do know:

Tank has city water in it.
Fed nothing but squashed flies.
Wild caught turtles.
No special lighting.


I'm sending a jar of turtle pellets and a sepia bone with my wife tomorrow, and a list of the heat/light/food/environmental requirements the turtles have. If she can't afford to keep them, it looks like I may end up nursing turtles back to health.

[Lankyrob]

All i can say mate is Good Luck!! Hope for the turtles sake they end up with you and that you can get them back to 100%.

[shaunyboy]

your having some time of it with i'll turttles mate.i hope you get them back up to health and released back in the wild.its just crazy that people like them pluck a reptile out their natural enviroment just because they fancy keeping it till they get bored or the poor thing dies.your going to be quite the turttle expert at the end of all this mate.all tthe best with it.
cheers shaun

[citysnakes]

clouded eyes can be an indicator of many illnesses. poor water quality and nutrition are possible causes in this situation but there are so many other reasons why clouded eyes would happen. until those turtles are living in optimal conditions it is impossible to diagnose a single cause for clouded eyes.