Urgent Care :: Turtle abuse

[jesseamoreno]

Hey everyone I rescued a abused turtle from a pet store/aquarium place. His shell is like a yellow color and his eyes are kind of puffy.

I asked the A hole owner if he would lower the price from 14.99 to 10 because the turtle was damaged so much but he said no that the
shell just changes colors.He was in about an inch of water and only had lettuce to eat. didn't have a lot of money but I still bought him.

I can't afford to take him to a vet but I put him in my aquarium with my other 2 turtles Big Rudy(about 4 inches long) and Toby about 2 inches long.
He's soaking up the light on my dock so I'm hoping that begins to heal his shell.

Sorry for the long post but is there anything else I can do to help him? He's about 5 inches long. I'm going to keep him for about 2 months then put him up
for adoption. But wheres the best place to do that? Craigslist? Also how can I report that jerk pet store owner? He has other neglected animals in there.

[steve]

I can't tell from the pics, but it looks like fungus. It is contagious to other turtles, so you might want to consider separating him when you can.

That stand doesn't look appropriate for that tank, the entire rim should be supported.

Is the store a chain or a local owner? A chain will have management and PR people that might be receptive to poor animal conditions. A local store might respond to local publications/herp groups.

Re-homing is a tricky issue since they are readily available. But schools, family and friends are a good place to start. Local rescues also love a good story, it might be worth it to share yours.

[jesseamoreno]

Really? Ok ill seperate them right away. The pet shop is a small
Independent store.

As for the dock I'm still trying to improve it. I have to have the water
Above the dock so the turtles can slide on.

The turtle has spent all morning. More then 6 hrs on the dock.
I placed him in the water and he got right back on the dock.

[steve]

I didn't mention the dock, though they should be able to dry the bottom of the shells too. I meant the entire aquarium doesn't seem to be on an appropriate stand. Is the turtle eating, active in general?

[jesseamoreno]

Yeah he's really active. He ate a lot when I first got him
I guess the pet store owner fed him lettuce mainly

I'm saving up for a bigger tank and stand.

On a side note can a pond filter work as a filter in the tank.
I just noticed how inexpensive they are at home depot.

[steve]

I'm not too familiar with them but yes they can work. I'm not sure what other accessories you will need to get though. You can also make your own canister filter and people on a budget sometimes buy those chinese-made canisters on ebay.

[jesseamoreno]

So I started using iodine tincture then using a topical antibiotic cream after. I'm dry docking him under
a heat lamp but I can't tell if its working yet.

I got this cure online but its only the 2nd day. I'm just happy he can move around and his eyes are normal.

[steve]

Is that treatment recommended for shell fungus?

[jesseamoreno]

yeah it is.