Turtles don’t have a lot of white in their eyes as humans do, they have large eyes with large pupils, these large pupils allow them to see well in dim light, so, if your pet’s eyes start to look cloudy then you’d understandably start to worry.
This article looks into why this may be happening to your pet turtle
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Why are my turtle’s eyes cloudy?
Changes in your turtle’s eyes can be quite concerning, these animals use their eyes to see and navigate through the world so any issues with the animal eyes will be quite concerning
Here is why this may be happening with your pet’s eyes
Infection:
The eye is one of the places where your turtle may develop an infection, the eyes of turtles are vulnerable to bacteria and fungi, which can both cause eye infections.
Anything from an injury, poor water quality, and a compromised immune system can lead to infections in your pet’s eyes
In addition to a cloudy appearance in your pet’s eyes, other signs of an eye infection include red eyes, swollen eyes, and eye discharge.
What to do:
Just as with any other infection, medication needs to be prescribed and it needs to be prescribed by a vet.
The vet will examine the animal, run tests on it, diagnose the reptile, and give it the correct medications for its infection.
If your pet has a bacterial infection then it will be given antibiotics, if your pet has a fungal infection then it will be given antifungal eye drops or ointments
Isolating the animal, and keeping it away from healthy turtles, is recommended to keep the healthy turtles from becoming infected.
You’d also need to figure out what the root cause of the infection was and solve this, doing this will keep any further eyes infections at bay
Vitamin A infection:
What your pet turtle eats is a big factor in whether the turtle will be healthy or not, and if your pet lacks vitamin A in its diet then this can cause it to develop a white film over its eyes.
A lack of vitamin A in the animal’s diet can cause issues with the membranes of the animal’s eye and this can lead to the eyes looking cloudy. This deficiency can also lead to swelling in the animal’s eye.
What to do:
Examining your pet’s diet will likely lead to you figuring out that the animal is deficient in vitamin A.
If your pet is deficient in this vitamin then you’d need to start feeding your pet a more well-balanced diet by adding more vitamin A rich foods into the diet or adding vitamin A supplements into your pet’s diet.
Foods that are rich in vitamin A include dark leafy greens like collard greens, dandelion greens and spinach, vegetables like carrots, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, fish, liver, eggs, parsley, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and high-quality turtle pellets that are fortified with vitamin A
You may also want to take your pet to the vet to check for any underlying health conditions
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 Are My Turtle’s Eyes White?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Turning Brown?, Why Is My Turtle Shell Chipping, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Coming Off?, Why Is My Turtle Biting His Shell?, My Baby Turtle Won’t Eat, Why Is My Turtle Shell Turning Black?, Why Is My Turtles Skin Dry, Is My Turtle’s Shell Healthy?
