How to Feed a Blind Turtle?

Blind turtles are also able to lead their life perfectly. All they need is a little bit of extra help from you. In this article, I’ll talk about how to feed a blind turtle.

When feeding a blind turtle, use a consistent feeding spot and tap the tank or use a feeding signal. Offer food with tongs or in a shallow dish to make it easy to find. Monitor to ensure the turtle eats properly.

How to feed a blind turtle

Here are the steps you should follow when feeding a blind turtle:

1. Prepare a Feeding Container: Transfer the turtle to a separate container partially filled with water. This limits their movement, making it easier for them to locate the food.

2. Choose Strong-Smelling Food: Opt for turtle pellets with a strong odor or other aromatic foods like dried worms or boiled chicken. The smell helps the turtle find its food.

3. Enhance Calcium Intake: Purchase a powdered calcium supplement from a pet store. Coat the food in calcium powder to bolster your turtle’s bone and shell strength.

4. Introduce the Food: Gently stroke the turtle’s head with a piece of food (e.g., a pellet) to signal its presence. Then, place the food near the turtle’s mouth in the water, allowing it to smell and eat it easily.

5. Water is Essential: Remember, aquatic turtles must eat in water. Always place the food in water to enable your turtle to eat.

6. Return to the Main Tank: Once feeding is complete, move the turtle back to its main habitat.

Final Note: While the process may initially require patience, with practice, your turtle will learn to find its food independently, ensuring its health and well-being.

How can you tell if a turtle is blind?

Identifying blindness in turtles involves observing their behavior and reactions to their environment. Here are key indicators that a turtle may be blind:

Lack of Response to Visual Stimuli:

A blind turtle might not react to movement or changes in light around them. While turtles may not have the keenest vision, they typically notice and respond to larger movements.

Difficulty Finding Food:

A turtle that struggles to locate its food, even when it’s in their usual feeding area, may be experiencing vision issues. Blind turtles often rely more on their sense of smell to find food.

Bumping Into Objects:

If a turtle frequently collides with objects in its environment that it previously avoided, it could indicate a loss of vision.

Unusual Timidity or Aggression:

Changes in behavior, such as becoming unusually timid or aggressive, can be a sign of blindness. The turtle may not see its surroundings well and could feel more threatened or be startled easily.

Physical Examination:

Look for any cloudiness, swelling, or discharge in the eyes that might indicate an eye condition leading to blindness. However, these symptoms can also be signs of infection or injury, not just blindness.

If you suspect your turtle is blind or experiencing vision problems, consult a veterinarian experienced with reptiles for a professional diagnosis and advice on care.

Why Turtle’s Get Blind?

Turtles can become blind due to several reasons, often related to health issues, environmental conditions, or injuries. Understanding these causes can help in prevention and treatment.

Here are some common reasons why turtles might become blind:

Vitamin A Deficiency: A common cause of blindness in turtles is a deficiency in Vitamin A, which can lead to swelling of the eyelids and the eyes themselves, eventually causing blindness if not addressed.

Infections: Bacterial, fungal, or viral infections can affect the eyes, leading to cloudiness, swelling, and potentially blindness. Infections may arise from poor water quality or unsanitary living conditions.

Injuries: Physical injuries from fights with other animals, scratches from sharp objects in their environment, or rough handling can damage the eyes and lead to blindness.

Exposure to Chemicals: Chemical burns from toxic substances in the water or environment can harm the eyes, leading to vision problems or blindness.

Ultraviolet (UV) Light Exposure: Excessive or improper exposure to UV light can cause damage to the turtle’s eyes, potentially leading to blindness.

Congenital Issues: Some turtles are born with congenital defects that affect their eyesight, leading to partial or complete blindness.

Nutritional Imbalances: Apart from Vitamin A deficiency, other nutritional imbalances can also affect eye health and lead to vision problems.

Age-related Degeneration: Just like with humans, aging can lead to degeneration of eye health in turtles, resulting in diminished vision or blindness.

Preventing blindness in turtles involves ensuring they have a balanced diet rich in essential vitamins, maintaining clean and safe living conditions, providing appropriate levels of UV lighting, and regular health check-ups with a veterinarian.

If you notice any signs of eye problems or changes in your turtle’s behavior that may indicate vision issues, it’s crucial to consult a veterinarian experienced in reptile care for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Authentic Supplements For Turtle Eye Care

Here are some authentic supplements for turtle eye care. You can apply these if you like, but it is better to consult with a vet beforehand:

Nature Zone Turtle Eye Vitamin:

It is a balanced formula to give necessary vitamins to turtles. it also consists of beta-carotene, anti-oxidants as well as minerals. It contains a large selection of nutrients that can prevent possible eye diseases.

You just need to put 2-4 drops to your turtle’s mouth. You can also put the drops on the food.

Check out it here.

Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops:

It helps to take care of your turtle’s eyes. You can also use this drop if your turtle is suffering from swollen eyes or any kind of eye infection. It helps to remove debris and dirt from your turtle eyes and keep them clearer.

Check out the eye drop here.

 Zoo Med Reptile Calcium:

As I have said earlier, calcium is very important for turtles, especially blind turtles. Zoomed reptile calcium will take care of your turtle’s calcium requirements. It contains a rich source of calcium carbonate.

This supplement doesn’t contain any impurities that can harm the turtle. Most importantly, it will provide vitamin D3 to tour turtle which is essential for almost every reptile.

Check out the supplement here.

API Turtle Water Conditioner

It’s not a supplement for your turtle, it’s more of a conditioner that helps to keep the tank water safe for your turtles. in most cases, bacteria are responsible for causing eye diseases to turtles. To keep bacteria at bay and keep the tank water safe, API turtle water conditioner can help you.

API turtle water conditioner helps to make supply water safe for turtles. It also removes harmful chemical elements from the tank water such as chloramine and chlorine.

Know more about it here.

Blind turtles should be taken care of properly. They need a little bit of extra help from the owners to lead a happy life.  We can surely do that for our beloved turtles, right?