Urgent Care :: (finally) a pic of sick turtle-HELP

[msanchez]

ok this is Leonardo and as you can see he is very sick. My brother got this turtle as a gift and the he came like THIS from the pet store of course my bro knew nothing about turtles and when I went to go see him I was just shocked and told them this turtle is sick so first they had it in the oringinal small tank leo was purchased in. I advised he NEEDED to have a better home but I didn't know what was wrong, well they change his set up and leo's eyes improved within hours, swelling went down and he was able to open one eye so that's good. The guy at the pet store said he knew what leo was like but they don't ever sell these kinds of animals. So we did see some improvement BUT his shell as you can see is in bad shape and the underside is soft and like black and rotting. Any suggestions on that?? Thanks
and thanks on directions on how to post pic.

[cam722]

That poor baby... I suggest getting him to a good herp vet ASAP. There could be so many things wrong that he might not be able to fight it off without antibiotics. Is all of his shell soft and slimey?

[marisa]

From your earlier post, you have a RES. See my response to you in your other post about applying some Vit A to the lids. Does he eat? If so, what is he being fed?

Sounds like shell rot on the bottom, he needs to be basking under a UVB light and heat light, with the temp around 90-92F. What is the temp of the water?

A herp vet would be good, but you also need to continue to improve his habitat.

[msanchez]

no, just the bottom is soft, the top is just slimy but still hard. My sis called another aquatic pet store and the reptile guy was upset of the condition of leo, and said these other guys have no idea what they are doing and shouldn't even be selling RES. they were looking for a vet so hopefully there will be a full recovery.

[marisa]

While you're looking for a herp vet, try some Vit A on the lids (look at the other post). There's a sticky near the top of the forum for locating a herp vet near you.

[msanchez]

thanks where can I get vit A?

[marisa]

Sorry, I meant plain cod liver oil (which is high in Vitamin A). You should be able to get it in the Vitamin section at supermarkets or in pharmacies, even Walmart. If you find capsules, prick one with a pin and put the oil on a q-tip.

[msanchez]

I just wanted to say thanks for all the help. When I first saw Leonardo, it broke my heart, and I couln't tell he was a RES because of his condition. I've got one that I 've had for almost 4 months his name is Thomas and I when I fist brought him home I was overwhelmed and didn't know how to care for him but I had a lot of help from everyone here. So THANKS A LOT!!

[msanchez]

will try.