Urgent Care :: Worried about bloated flesh just in front of hind legs

[KevinG]

How big is your turtle? 7" cpl
How long have you had it? Since it was the size of a quarter, about 7 years

What is the water temperature? 81 F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Not right now, still hot in AZ
How much water is in there? 125 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? Reptisafe
Are you using any filtration? Xp4

What is the basking temperature? I don't monitor this anymore, I used to and it was fine. I replace the reptisun 100W bulb every year.
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? I have a large Rubbermaid tub on top of the tank that the turtle can climb into.
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Mostly red leaf or green leaf lettuce. Reptomin food sticks. Occasional carrot or other item that is on the red ear slider tutorial pages.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Two days ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 125 gallon
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? The tank is in the living room. This turtle is very outgoing and never seams to be scared of people like it's sister.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? She started to be picky about what she ate 2 weeks ago; she stopped eating greens and mostly just ate reptomin sticks. Her fecal matter has changed, now it looks more like clay. She has been to a herpatologist, x-rayed, and fecal sample sent for testing. All came back ok. Herp could not feel eggs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. I have no idea why the photos are upside down! ??

[KevinG]

More photos.

[steve]

How many years is the turtle? How much does she eat?

It's somewhat normal with older turtles. There are some illnesses or conditions that might cause it, but I'm not sure what could be the problem. If how her poop looks changed during a big diet alteration, then that's to be expected as well.

Not sure about the pictures as well..i

[KevinG]

How many years is the turtle? How much does she eat?

It's somewhat normal with older turtles. There are some illnesses or conditions that might cause it, but I'm not sure what could be the problem. If how her poop looks changed during a big diet alteration, then that's to be expected as well.

Not sure about the pictures as well..i

Hi Steve. I think she is about 7 years old now. I normally feed my turtles greens that are larger than their shell size, or enough reptomin sticks to fill their head size. She used to eat red leaf lettuce all the time. Now she won't. She used to love reptomin sticks and I was amazed the other day she didn't eat them. But, she is still eating. I put carrots in yesterday and she ate them immediately. Green beans too, she munched on them a little but wasn't too interested. Maybe she got bored of the same diet for years?

Thanks for your help and dedication Steve!

[steve]

What did the herpatologist think? Maybe reduce the food or even change it up a little (no beans though).

[KevinG]

I need to check if it was a herpatologist that saw my turtle or just an exotic pet Dr. The dr said try varying diet and get the turtle outside more for "walks". X-ray didn't show anything, no egg binding. Physical inspection revealed nothing. Stool sample was tested and ok.

I've been trying to vary her diet but she is still very picky. Won't eat lettuce at all anymore. Mostly she'll eat fluckers dried insects. Yesterday I got her live rosy reds to see if they will get her more active. I haven't given her feeder fish in years though.

[steve]

Do you think the seasonal change finally caught up?

[KevinG]

That's a good idea but Arizona was still very warm when this started.

The rosy reds were all gone the next day??? I wonder if the turtle ate them or my filter did!

[steve]

Maybe the filter assisted Sounds like she'll be back to normal soon.

[KevinG]

I just completed full water changes on both my turtles tanks. Two weeks later I tested the water:

125g readings,75g readings

Ammonia 0, 0.5
Nitrate. 80,180
Nitrite. 0.5,2
Hardness. 25,75
Chlorine. 0,0
Alkalinity. 80,80
pH. 7.2,6.8


My 125g tank never clears up, the water is a little cloudy. The 75g tank is fine. Both turtles are the same size. Turtle in 75g tank is eating mostly greens. Turtle in 125g tank has been finiky (the turtle this post is about) and is mostly only eating flukers dried insects or reptomin sticks. I want to use Tetra Safe Start Plus on the 125g tank to kick the bio filtration in gear. Is this ok to use with turtles? What can we deduce from the test results?

[steve]

I'm not sure about the test results. With the Safe Start, most things safe with freshwater aquariums are safe with RES. If it's been a few weeks, I probably wouldn't bother.

[KevinG]

Steve, you were right about the safe start, it did nothing. I figured I purchased it, I might as well use it. Next I'll try a water clarifier API accu clear water clarifier. Ultimately I think the water issue stems from my turtles diet and the waste products. Or it could be that she is picky now and leaves some plant matter sitting in the tank to decay? I guess I should clean this plant matter out as often as possible?

[steve]

Are you feeding the turtle in tank only? Have you been able to scoop out any of the waste?

[boxoftali]

My turtle is a year and a half, and she looks exactly like that...

she eats dried shrimp, krill and a mix of mineral sticks. I have also noticed she has white spots on her shell, she's a rescue I've had her around 6 month...is their something wrong?

[Jeremiah]

You can cut out the shrimp and krill. What exactly do you mean by "mineral sticks"? Do they belong to a specific brand? If so, which one?

"White spots" could be anything--fungus or some other kind of infection, mineral deposits (harmless but ugly), or even shedding (although that has more of a golden color). It would really help if you could post a picture of the spots! The person who made the post above yours (Steve) has instructions on picture-posting in his signature.