A turtle keeping its eyes closed is a cause for concern and a cause for curiosity, and for good reason. These animals are known for their unique behaviour but some turtle behavior may be too odd.
This article looks into the possible reasons why your pet turtles’ eyes may be closed.
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Why are my turtle’s eyes closed?
Noticing that your turtle’s eyes refuse to open can understandably be quite unsettling and concerning.
This behavior may have you worried about the animals well being, which is understandable
Here are reasons why your turtle’s eyes may stay closed:
Enjoying the bask:
If your pet is basking, and if it’s keeping its eyes closed during the bask, then the animal may just be enjoying the bask
Turles will close their eyes when they feel comfortable and this may be the case with your pet because it is enjoying the heat.
The animals will appear to be asleep but will still be alert if you make noise in the area, the noise will get the reptile to open its eyes.
What to do:
This is quite normal behavior and isn’t something to worry about, it’s common to see turtles do this.
It’s a good sign that your pet turtle is comfortable enough to take a nap on its basking spot.
If however, your turtle closes its eyes and its eyes are swollen, if there is mucus coming from the eyes, or if the animal is yawning out of the water then your pet may be sick
Eyes crusted shut:
If your pet can’t open its eyes, because the eyes are crusted shut, then this may be happening because the animal isn’t getting enough moisture
If your pet isn’t too fond of water, or if it doesn’t have access to a whole lot of water, then the animal’s eyes may dry out, if this happens then a crust may develop at the animal’s eyes shutting them
What to do:
The solution to this would be to give the animal access to more water, the crust will soak up some water and will loosen so the animal can open its eyes.
Make sure that your pet always has access to water that it can swim in to keep this from happening in the future.
Also, make sure that your pet doesn’t bask too long and its eyes don’t become dry because of this.
Respiratory infection:
Another reason why your pet turtle may have its eyes closed may be that the animal has a respiratory infection.
This condition causes a turtle’s eyes to stay shut but it also causes the animal to have a lack of appetite, it causes lopsided swimming, a lack of energy, basking more than usual, swollen eyes, mucus or discharge coming from the eyes gasping for air, wheezing and yawning.
What to do:
If you think that your pet has this condition then treating it for the infection as soon as possible is a must. Taking your pet to the vet to be treated for this condition is a must.
Taking your pet to an exotic vet is recommended over taking your vet to a vet who works with more common household animals
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtle Yawning Underwater?, Why Is My Turtle Red?, Why Is My Turtle Pink?, Why Is My Turtle Twitching, Why Is My Turtle Eating Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Restless?, Why Is My Turtle Yawning?, Why Is My Turtle Tank Foaming?, Why Is My Turtle Whistling