Urgent Care :: head inside shell

[nguyen]

My turtle recently has RI. I took him to the vet and after 2 weeks of treatment all his symptoms were gone. Within those 2 weeks, he did not eat a single thing. At the end of the 2 weeks (after I stopped the antibiotic under my vet's instruction because he has gotten better) he started to eat again, first bloodworm, then he warmed up to his pellets again. But starting yesterday, he stopped eating again, even the bloodworm and the shrimp which is one of his favorite. He is less active and when he basks, he sticks his heads and 4 legs inside his shell. He never basked like that before. I read on wiki that I should not feed him dry shrimp because the shrimp shell could cause stomach injury or something like that. He hasn't poop for a while now. So is it possible that he just had indigestion because he ate too much after 2 weeks of eating nothing? If anyone has observed similar problems, then could you please tell me what's going on? Thanks.

My turtle is about 4 months old, 6 at most. He is less than 3in. Water is always at 80degree, and he has an area to dry off and bask. the tank has filter and change the water once a week.

[steve]

How long has it been since he's eaten? What's his tank like? There are additional questions in the link in my signature, can you answer some of them? Thanks.

[nguyen]

How big is your turtle? less than 3 in
How long have you had it? less than 2 months

What is the water temperature? 80
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? tank is 16gl, i filled up half so there is 8gl of water maybe.
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 90 at least
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? don't know what kind of material
Is there a UVB light? no, my vet said these light are not needed until the turtle need them, only the basking light is a must

What have you been trying to feed it? pellet, dry shrimp, dried krill, blood worm
When was the last time your turtle ate? yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 16gl
Is the tank near a window? yes, but the window is always closed
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? none other than what I described

[happycamper]

The turtle does need a UVB bulb. How did the vet explain when the turtle would "need" it? It seems to me while a turtle is growing would be an important time to make sure they are getting all the benefits UVB lights provide.

When I got my turtle the adequate lighting his behavior changed for the better, he seemed to have more energy.

8 gallons of water is a very very small living area. Even at 3 inches a turtle should have about 30 gallons of water to swim in.

Sorry I couldn't answer your specific question, but fixing the habitat will help your turtle stay healthy

[steve]

I would also try to get accurate temperature readings.. maybe things need to be a little warmer, though if he's eating and basking, that's still good.