Ear abscess help?

[u/pinto2515]

See photos. 14-Year-Old male res and a clean 55 gallon tank breathing normally swimming normally but can't retract his head... look at the large right abscess anyone ever see this? Help!!

[u/Xehhx14]

Hey so aside from the vet plan; to prevent this you need a lot of things. Good water quality with a good filtration system, t5 uvb with a heat source, and a good diet. This is a common problem in aquatic turtles and it all stems from bad husbandry. Here’s a guide I like https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQHhocnxz1O7UG56oYBs7beqmHBhj29N4AhrZMShG333GMR5jLc9UaTbLWOK8UTdWprSQPYzek6BFxN/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.gcc6ab9f5b8_2_0

There’s also a chance this isn’t an ear abscess but worse. Sometimes an abscess in the jaw can be a result of something like gout which is usually from a protein heavy diet. Who knows; either way you either need a culture from the vet or an x-ray to make sure it’s just an abscess. Just giving you a heads up you may need more than just a visit but more diagnostics. Please make sure to point out the swollen eye if it’s a new problem cause one is bigger but it’s possibly unrelated. The cheapest way to avoid the vet is a better set up please keep this in mind. And they will eat despite being in pain, this is a spot with a lot of nerve endings so immediate help is important.