Urgent Care :: Lethargic/swollen (?) RES - sick?

[norma]

We've had Norma for a few years and she's always been very active. I understand that when they show signs of excessive inactivity, it could mean they are sick.

We moved to VA from AZ about 8 months ago, and since then, she's been more active, but also basking a lot more (I think she likes the atmosphere more), etc. But has shown no signs of illness.

But...today, I noticed she'd been asleep on her rock for a 3-4 hours, which is unusual for her. I poked at her to see if she was alive, she responded. Typically when someone disturbs her basking/sleep, she might stay there for a few seconds, but almost always jumps in the water. This time she stayed there. This was about 15 minutes ago, and she is still there.

As I looked her over, I noticed the flesh by her back leg seems swollen, or fatter, it's kind of hanging out of her shell, normally it is not like that. Her eye color is good, she seems fine other than this.

Any thoughts? I have pictures if that helps.

[untsmurf]

Pictures would help. How big is she? what kind of enclosure is she in? how long have you had her?

[megcornell]

If you could post pictures that would be great.

Is this the first time you've noticed lethargic activity from her? How is her appetite and have her habits changed any?

She certainly could be ill, but without other symptoms or a continuation of the lethargy, it may just be a fluke.
If you're not seeing anything else right now, I'd keep an eye on her for other signs of illness.

Also, VA is a lot cooler than AZ- are you keeping her inside or outside?

You're right that lethargy is usually a sign of illness, so it's good that you've noticed and now you can keep track of any changes to determine what if any help she needs.

[norma]

I don't know how to post photos on here, but here are a couple of links to her photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mikehilary. ... 2162988098
http://picasaweb.google.com/mikehilary. ... 7969945074

She's about 4-5 inches long. She's in a 29 gal tank, we've had her for 2-3 years. Her eating habits haven't changed any, we feed her kale, bloodworms, fish once/week, and throw in an occasional chunk of yam or something.

The area of AZ we were in (the mountains) was actually not much different in temperature, but humidity. She is inside, though, so not sure if that makes a difference. I just took a closer look at her, she was pretty calm. I don't think she is sick, but this is something I've never noticed before.

[untsmurf]

there's the pic.

Are pellets a part of her diet? Bloodworms and fish every week is a pretty high protein diet.

Have you noticed any eggs in the tank or pieces of egg in her waste?

She looks...deflated.

[norma]

That's what I thought. (she looks deflated) When she breathed in, it filled up a bit, but still...it looks weird.

She doesn't usually get worms and fish every week. fish definitely, mostly for calcium. worms more as a treat once a month or so.

Pellets are included, mostly when I don't have the time to feed her fresh veggies (she gets hand-fed because she doesn't seem to eat much when we just leave her with it)

Pellets are about once/week.

[norma]

I rarely see her waste, so I'm not sure about the eggs. I don't see any in her tank right now.

[steve]

Reminds me of Sheba's fat bags, though she is a much older turtle. Slight weather changes can have an effect on behavior. I agree that you might just need to keep an eye out, but you might also want to see if there are any good herp vets in your new town.

[SpotsMama]

Here's a photo of Sheba's little fat bags:



Kristin said the fat bags appeared after Sheba started laying eggs.

[norma]

Thanks for your help, everyone

It has been getting cold lately, maybe she's just getting used to that. I think she's fine.

[untsmurf]

Aww Sheba fat