Vitamin A Deficiency in Captive vs. Wild Turtles Through Eyelid Observations

By: Anastasiya Vroublevski, Joe Masri, Ilan Podolski, Avery O’Connor
We researched the health of red eared slider turtles in the captive environment of the Brooklyn College Lily pond and compared it to turtles in wild habitats on iNaturalist. We concluded that turtles in captive environments are healthier because typical commercial feed contains a sufficient amount of vitamin A. We reached our conclusion by observing the state of the turtles’ eyelids, which reflects their overall health.