3343. A terrapin tank bought from the internet has chemical smells

Sunday Jun 16, 2019 case. THE RED-EARED SLIDER COVERED HIS EYES WITH A WHITE MEMBRANE. WHAT'S WRONG?

The owner purchased a terrapin tank online from China to provide a proper home with water filtration and ultraviolet light for his young red-eared slider. When he put him into the tank with added water, the white membranes covered the cornea. Why did this occur?

"The 3rd eyelids are the white membranes. They cannot be seen normally.  However, they spring across the eyeball to protect the eye from chemical injury.  There were chemicals released by the brown floating basking rock or other objects inside the new tank," I explained. "It is safer not to put any slider inside a new tank.  You will need to get  the tank seasoned by filling it with water daily for several days or weeks to get rid of the chemicals.  The brown floating foam and the sand should be disposed off as they may contain chemicals".

 It was fortunate that the owner was quick to seek veterinary advice. The little slider looked hyper-active and should be all right. His black spots on his shell were due to shell rot. He had not fully recovered from shell rot. The young couple will treat its shell and feed a variety of food instead of one brand of pellets.   

See video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3biKuyRYcM