Swollen Eyes

[c4chaos]

Miles' eyes are swollen.
They've been like this for about a day now.
I read that this could be because of shed or it could be an infection.
A friend of mine said that they were swollen and huge. It's not to the point where he can't open them, but fairly close.
He doesn't seem like his usual self either.
I'm rather worried about this.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What type of light are you using for MIles? Do you use a UVB light & if so, what type & brand do you use?
What kind of substrate are you using for him, sand, tiles, paper towels?
Does he eat crickets, worms & a variety of greens?
What supplementation are you giving to him & how often do you give them?

Do you have any pictures of him?
This could be an infection or it could also be a liver, or heart issue, or even a nutrient deficiency also.

Tracie

 

[c4chaos]

Hi -
For the basking light I use a ZooMed 100W Repti basking spot bulb and I know this is a BIG HUGE no-no, but for the UVB bulb, I have a compact bulb. At the time, that was what was recommended to me. I'm in the process of getting a Repti-Sun tube bulb and fixture.
He's been fine up until this point
Basking temperature of 100 and cool side is 85.
He eats greens (parsley, peas, mustard greens, etc.), superworms, crickets, and dubia. Switching him over to dubia completely.
RepCal & Herptivite. RepCal 3x week. Herptivite 1x.
He's on millet seed for substrate. He hasn't eaten any and has never had impaction.

Right side pretty much stays open.

Left side is definitely worse. He chooses to keep this one shut, but I have seen him open it.
He isn't active today either. Usually he has his head up and moves around a lot. I don't know what happened. I did soak him the day before this started due to him being in shed and having some issues with some skin. But this has never happened before. He's always been fine after a soak.
Thanks for your help.
- Sarah

 

[c4chaos]

I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow.

 

[Evergreen]

Unless he's just doing the typical eye bulging that does look pretty bad. I'd recommend turning off the uv bulb you have now until you get your reptisun. I'm no expert but I think no uv for a couple days would be better then keeping under the one that could very well have caused the problem. If you live in a warm area you could just bring him outside and hold/sit with him in the sun for 10-15 minutes instead.

That's good your taking him to the vet though, hopefully its not an infection and they can help him out with the swelling.

 

[c4chaos]

He's had the UVB bulb for quite some time and it has never caused this.
The swollen eyes came so suddenly.
It's been almost 2 days and the swelling has gone down.
Saline solution or eye drops used for turtles have been suggested.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It sounds like a combination of a few things possibly.
I am glad you have ordered the Reptisun 10 tube bulb. Are you using a bright white basking light also? Go ahead and turn off the compact light though for now.
The millet, does it get dusty? I would take that out & replace it with a solid substrate such as paper towels, or tiles. Loose substrate can harbor bacteria quite easily.
The swelling could be caused by fluid retention in the body due to improper absorption of his calcium & other vitamins. The compact/coil lights do not have the correct spectrum of wavelength & they can't absorb calcium properly.

The sterile saline solution or turtle eye drops could help out the eyes right now for him.
How is his appetite doing?

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie

 

[c4chaos]

The millet doesn't have a lot of dust.
I spot clean regularly.
I'll turn off the UVB light.

 

[c4chaos]

**UPDATE**
The swelling went down drastically today. I took him to the vet and the vet said he had some condition that started with a B that I can't pronounce, let alone spell. Basically it means that the eye/area surrounding the eye was inflamed.
His one eye is still a little puffy, but today he is back to normal and his usual active self.
So - I've been told to keep an eye on it. (LOL - no pun intended)

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great his eyes have gone down considerably. I am not sure what condition that is, but did she say it was nutritional or environmental?
Something caused the eye (s) to become inflammed.
Did she give any eye drops or anything to help in case they were irritated for him?

Keep us posted on him.
I am glad that he is doing much better!

Tracie