Urgent Care :: I can't believe this!!!

[JAS722]

Ok I just need to vent. . . I am sitting here crying so hard that I just got sick twice and I'm sure you didn't need to know that. . . but I woke up to find my male hatchling dead! I honestly feel like I did everything for them, granted I was unaware of the care they needed when I bought them but since learning I have spent so much money and time to make sure they were happy and healthy. I just don't understand what happened and I need to know if it was something I did. . . or can they be sick from birth? I really need answers or something because I can't take this and now I am extremly worried about the girl. Is she gonna die to? Please help

[chrisinva]

Was there any signs he was sick before now??

Describe how you found him??

[JAS722]

About a week and a half ago he was having eye problems (closed and a bit swollen) so I bought the turtle eye drops from petco and the problem was fixed within two days and for the past week he has been back to normal. When I turned the tank light on this morning he was lifeless laying on one of the basking rocks. I picked him up and his head just flopped to the side. I put him in a seperate small tank cause I'm not ready to bury him. His limbs have not stiffened yet.

[ScrewZoo]

Sorry, but he may have been sick from birth because the sellers don't take care of them.. He couldve had parasites before you got him.. I hope he didn't pass anything to your other turtle.. Maybe you should take your other 1 to a herp vet for a checkup just to prevent anything else from happening..

[steve]

Sorry to hear it They can certainly be sick early on and can easily hide their illnesses. You can have a vet do a necropsy to try to find the cause.

You might want to clean everything and recheck the setup.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I'm sorry, and I hate to say it, but it happens a lot, hatchlings dying. They are really not well taken care of before we (as owners) get them. And if you look at the size clutches turtles lay, nature apparently takes a lot of them as well.

Don't beat yourself up! Take care of your remaining one; like Steve said, clean the setup really, really well, and look for any unusual signs. You can ask a vet to do a necropsy or a local vet school or even maybe a good biologist at a university, but it's likely they won't find anything.

[JAS722]

Thank you for your support, I'm still very upset but I'm sure I will be for a long time. I throughly cleaned the tank and the girl seems great, eating and basking like normal. I just feel bad that she no longer has a companion. She looks lonely in the tank all by herself. . .

[TurtleLover_S&B]

I'm sorry for you loss,but on the good side some turtles are better alone.

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. It's very hard, I know. I think the advice above is right on target. Hatchlings are pretty delicate and can hide their symptoms very well. If your other turtle is eating and basking normally has lots of energy, then hopefully he/she will be fine. You sound like a very caring turtle keeper. Sometimes there's nothing anyone can do.

[xfueledbykatie]

awh sad D:
rip little turtle

[LorJ]

awe.. I'm sorry to hear you lost one of your turtles. I sure hope the other is well. Keep us posted.

[marisa]

I'm sorry to hear he didn't make it. The mortality rate of hatchlings is quite high, and he could have been ill when you got him. A turtle can be quite ill before symptoms even show up.

Since you've cleaned the tank, just keep an eye on your other one just to be safe.

[JAS722]

Thanks everyone for caring. This site is very supportive