Urgent Care :: My hatchling is vomiting?!

[pumpkin14]

Hey guys. Moe has been vomiting (I think) for the past two days right after he eats. His mouth opens and closes, almost like a yawn, a number of times and then little bubbles appear at his mouth, which I am assuming is vomit?

How big is your turtle? 1.5"
How long have you had it? About a month and a half

What is the water temperature? 81
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? He's in a 40 gallon tank, 2/3 full.
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? I have no idea...
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? It's one of those floating turtle docks you can buy.
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? ReptoMin. He has eaten it fine until recently.
When was the last time your turtle ate? This morning - unsuccessfully.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallons
Is the tank near a window? Yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Somewhat

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yeah
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yep. I couldn't find anything related to hatchlings.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? He has recently started to eat less than he did before, but he doesn't seem any less active or anything like that.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Bubbles are not turtle vomit. Bubbles are usually a sign of a respiratory infection. They are because there is mucus present in the nose/mouth and that's what you are seeing. Vomit is actual bits of food.

Bubbles could also just be bubbles, you need to make sure there is a difference between mucus bubbles and just ate too much air while gulping down food bubbles. Have you seen the bubbles at times other than feeding time? If so, Moe may have a respiratory infection. If not, and he's still active and basking and eating, he is likely just eating too fast. I would try feeding him only one pellet for now, and then coming back a few minutes later to feed another, until you've finished feeding him. He may be getting too excited and swallowing a lot of air. Otherwise, you should keep an eye on him and if he stops eating or becomes lethargic, you should take him to a vet for antibiotics.

[pumpkin14]

Thanks for all the info. I spent a lot of time watching Moe last night and again when I fed him this morning. I noticed some sort of clear fluid coming out of his mouth while I was holding him, and I don't think it was water because he was completely dry. Then, while he was eating this morning, I noticed the fluid coming out of his nose. This could have been water, as he was obviously in the water while he was eating.

I think he has a RI, but I'm still not sure. I'll take your advice and keep an eye on him for a little while.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Also, you should start to find a herp vet. A regular vet can probably treat him in the worst case scenerio, but they'll probably need the advice over the phone of a herp vet. Sometimes RIs clear up on their own, but it's not generally the case. Also, sometimes vets won't treat turtles if they are smaller than 4" (it's hard to get dosing correct with such a small body weight), so you may have a bit more trouble finding a vet than one would think. I don't know what parts of Canada you are in, but we have a number of Canadians on here, so they may be able to help.