Urgent Care :: Force Feeding RES??

[grooves12]

Ok... so i rescued a small RES from someone who had been improperly caring for it. She got is as a hatchling and had him for 6-8 months. She was told by the pet store that sold him to her that he was a "miniature hybrid" turtle and wouldn't get any bigger and then he told her to ONLY feed him freeze-dried krill. She had him in an enclosure with no water heater (although the weather here is mild and indoors temp controlled to about 75) and no proper UVB light.

So, fast forward to today and the little guy is underweight/undersized (1.5" shell length/13g,) his eyes are swollen, his shell is very soft, and he is not eating.

I put him in a proper environment with no improvement, and then took him to the vet who said he needed a regimen of antibiotics and calcium supplementation given orally... as well as force feeding baby food to get some calories in him until he gets his appetite back. He said normally they would install a feeding tube, but that he is much too small for that, so he needs to be forced.

He is taking the medication (which is essentially liquid.) The problem is I hear turtle need to be in water to eat... and he doesn't seem to be keeping much (if any) of the baby food down. He sort of just keeps it in his mouth until I put him back in the enclosure and then immediately goes to the water where it all dilutes and washes off.

Any suggestions??

[grooves12]

How big is your turtle? 1.5"/13g
How long have you had it? 1.5 weeks

What is the water temperature? 80F
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 10gal
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes, 2 stage filter designed for 60gal tank at lowest adjustable setting.

What is the basking temperature? 85-100F depending on location
Is there a basking light? yes, Repisun UVB 2.0 flourescent and 75w incandescent
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? zoo med commercial turtle platform
Is there a UVB light? see above

What have you been trying to feed it? yes
When was the last time your turtle ate? hasnt ate since ive had him... unnknown before that.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10gal tank
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no

[SpotsMama]

The pet store makes me angry. If they didn't know how to care for the poor turtle, they should have said so.

On the feeding, why don't you call the vet and see what he/she advises?

He does need to be in water to eat and swallow naturally. Maybe he doesn't like the baby food. Most turtles are crazy about tuna. Maybe you could mash some up until it's very soft (maybe even mix in some of the baby food). I've heard of feeding messy things like the baby food to a turtle with a small spoon. But that's when they take it voluntarily.

Another thing you can do that might help is let him soak a couple of times a day in a 50%/50% solution of water and Pedialyte. Pedialyte is a drink for sick children you can get at places like Walgreen's. It has some calories so if the turtle sits in it and drinks some he'll get a little nuitrition.

[octpusgirl8]

Pedialyte was the first thing that cam to my mind, as well. Hopefully getting some calories in him might spur him to want to swallow a little real food. I agree that you should call the vet back for some additional advice. I hope the little guy makes it, it's really great that you're trying to help him. i'd like to smack that guy from the pet store that told your friend it was a "miniature hybrid turtle". What a monster.

[grooves12]

Ok, thanks for the suggestion on the pedialyte. I'll try adding that to the regimen. I think Im gonna try watering down the baby food a bit more too, because he took the liquid medication and kept it down.

[grooves12]

With the pedialite, how long should I be keeping him in the bowl with the solution?

[SpotsMama]

15 or 20 minutes each time. Be sure he stays warm when he's soaking. We don't want him to get a chill.

[littlecakes]

Awww.... poor little guy. So nice of you to try to get him better.
We had to try to medicate our much much bigger rescue turtle orally with a syringe and was wondering if you could get a small one (no needle) and try to feed the baby food through that instead of a spoon. Does he open his mouth for you?
Ours ended up not getting enough medication/food orally and we had to switch to tube feeding. Your guy is so tiny!!!

[steve]

I can't really add any care info to the above posts, but have that store reported. It is against federal laws to sell turtles under 4". I can only imagine how the other animals are being treated.

[grooves12]

Awww.... poor little guy. So nice of you to try to get him better.
We had to try to medicate our much much bigger rescue turtle orally with a syringe and was wondering if you could get a small one (no needle) and try to feed the baby food through that instead of a spoon. Does he open his mouth for you?
Ours ended up not getting enough medication/food orally and we had to switch to tube feeding. Your guy is so tiny!!!

He won't open his mouth... and thats how the vet has me feeding/medicating him. With a very small syringe with a curve plastic tip. I have to force his beak open and stick the syringe in and give him the meds/food that way.

He usually takes most of the meds and keeps them down... and seems to be keeping down more of the food with it watered down, but he still spits a bit of the food out.

[grooves12]

Just giving any that read this an update... he passed away yesterday.

I enjoyed having him and trying to nurse him back to health... so now I am looking into getting another one and giving him the proper care from the start. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

[littlecakes]

So sorry to hear that. You definitely tried your best. I hope you'll be able to take in another rescue (a healthy one) and give it a great home.

[SpotsMama]

How sad! Sometimes when they are very ill there's just no way to save them.

I think you'll be a wonderful turtle keeper. You might think of checking into a turtle rescue organization, or even your local SPCA or Humane Society to see if they have a good turtle in need of a home. Once a turtle makes it past the hatchling stage he/she is are usually more hardy.