A change in the appearance of your pet turtle’s eyes can be alarming, but this doesn’t always mean that there is something wrong with the animal, but it sometimes can.
This article looks into why your turtle’s eyes may be white.
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Why are my turtle’s eyes white?
The eyes are used by the animal to get around and find food so if this part of the animal changes, if your turtle’s eyes start turning white, you’d understandably worry.
Here is why this may be happening with your turtle:
Third eyelid:
Not only do turtles have a top and a bottom eyelid, just as humans do, they also have a third eyelid that is called the nictitating membrane. This membrane is translucent white and may be what you’re seeing.
The animal can still see if this membrane is closed over the animal’s eye.
If you see this membrane closed then this may simply mean that the animal is relaxing for a little bit and has this membrane closed.
What to do:
This white membrane showing isn’t a bad thing, as long as the animal is still breathing, is still moving and its eyes still open and close then your pet will be fine.
If your pet doesn’t show the above signs of being alive then you may need to start to worry as the animal may be dead.
Eye infection:
Another reason why your turtle’s eyes may be white may be because the animal has an eye infection.
Turtles can develop bacterial or fungal eye infections. Some of the symptoms of an eye infection in turtles are eyes that look cloudy, filmy, and have a white appearance.
What to do:
If you suspect that your turtle has an eye infection get your pet to the vet as quickly as you can, these animals usually start to show signs of infection once the infection is quite far along
If you can’t immediately get your pet to the vet then separate the animal from the rest of the turtles, this will keep the healthy turtles from becoming infected.
Vitamin A deficiency:
Another reason why your turtle’s eye may be white may be because the animal has a vitamin deficiency, namely a vitamin A deficiency.
This deficiency can develop if the animal is being given a poor quality commercial diet, if the animal is being fed animal feed that is not intended for turtles, if it’s fed a lettuce foreword diet, or if the animal isn’t being fed a muscle meat diet.
A lack of vitamin A can cause changes to the tissue lining of the animal’s eye and this can show up as whiteness in the animal’s eye, other signs of this condition in your pet are swelling and eye closure
What to do:
If this is what’s wrong with your pet’s eye then you’d need to take a closer look at the animal’s diet.
Feeding your pet a more balanced, turtle-friendly diet, and supplementing using a multivitamin powder once a week, is also a good idea.
Your pet may also benefit from being taken to the vet for a diagnosis and treatment.
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 Cloudy?, 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?
