Urgent Care :: Someone Please Help Me ASAP

[4TurtlesILove]

Hello Everyone. This is my first time posting. My RES Deisel is very sick. He is showing all the signs of RI but my partner, Lauren, and I don't have the money to take him to the Herp Vet. She and I have just recently run into some serious financial problems and when we called and got the run down on the cost of the Herp we almost died. It's going to cost us over $300 to get him there and have him seen by the Herp, let alone the cost of the meds, etc. With that said, we need some help as far as a possible home remedy/holistic approach to getting rid of RI. We love Deisel and so do our other Turtles and we can't stand the thought of losing our dear little boy. Please HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How big is your turtle? D is 6 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches wide
How long have you had it? We've had him about 11 months

What is the water temperature? about 72
Are you using a water heater? right now yes because I read that warming up the water helps the RI but not until then did we use it.
How much water is in there? it's a size 40 breeder tank with pleanty of basking room
Are you using a water conditioner? yes Turtle Clean
Are you using any filtration? Yes an Aqua Clear 110

What is the basking temperature? not sure but it gets pretty hot
Is there a basking light? 3 lights
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes 2 pleanty for 4 Turts
What kind is it or what is it made out of? One is a plastic Log and one is a floating turtle dock that gets ancored to the glass with suction cups
Is there a UVB light? Yes 3 lamps

What have you been trying to feed it? Reptomin sticks....the teenie tiny ones
When was the last time your turtle ate? early yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? Size 40 breeder
Is the tank near a window? no but there is an air conditioning vent close by but not right next to it
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? not really

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? coughing, weakness, lethargy, lack of energy, lack of normal personality (he's usually a little tough guy hence the name Deisel but now he's kinda wimpy and he lets us touch his face and what not), mucus around his mouth, sunken in eyes, not eating at all, floating

[reptilegrrl]

Regarding the vet: have you called only one vet? $300 is VERY steep. It makes no sense. Who did you call, an emergency vet? Call around to every vet and see if one will see you for less. Also, see if some will work out a payment plan for you. MANY will.

I am sorry to tell you that your turtle MUST see a vet. He is too far along for home treatment. Once a turtle reaches his condition, he needs antibiotics, or he will die. I urge you to call many vets and get an estimate. Even a vet who is not an expert can prescribe antibiotics.

right now, I suggest you close the AC vent that is close to the tank. This is important! Drafts make turtles cold, just like they do us. Warm him up!

You mention 3 lamps, under both basking and UVB. What kind of lamps are these/ Are they fluorescent or incandescent or mercury vapor?

How long has he has symptoms? How have you tried to treat them?

These questions, and the advice to raise the heat, do not change the fact that he needs antibiotics. There is just no other way to save him. PLEASE do not hesitate.

[4TurtlesILove]

Well, we went to a local exotic pet store that has a Herp specialist on hand and he gave us Antibiotics and a sulfa block for the tank to get rid of his cold. WE left him in warm water outside (it is 87 degrees outside) but when we got back from the store he was gone. So, unfortunately our efforts to get him better were just that...efforts. I just fear at this point that the other 3 turtles in the tank are going to get sick as well. We are going to put the sulfa block in the tank with the others to prevent any of the Girls from getting sick.

BTW I'm not sure if you might know....my littlest turtle (Squirt) has the strangest twitch whenever she is basking. It's almost like a tic like she has torrets syndrome. Know anything about that? Is that a symptom of RI? She's been doing it for a while now. Thanks!

[marisa]

Sorry to hear you lost him. Have you tried looking around the area you left him? Since he's ill, he's probably weak and may be hiding... I would make an effort to find him and get him treated, not just let him wander around ill where he'd be prey for another animal...If you find him and can't care for him, consider contacting a turtle rehoming/rescue agency.

If you're concerning about the others catching what he has, do a good tank cleaning. I'm not sure how much help that sulfa block is going to be...

As for the tics your one turtle is displaying, mine do this as well when they're getting really warm on the basking area, and they'll often go back into the water to cool off.

From your info, it would be good to get a handle on your temps--check the water and basking area temps with a thermometer so you know exactly what they are.

[4TurtlesILove]

I'm sorry you misunderstood...we lost him...he's gone...because he passed away. The RI took him so quickly that we had not a chance to save him. He was perfectly healthy last night and today...passed on.
It saddens us both to lose him. He was our favorite turtle.

We are, however, treating the other Turts with the Antibiotics in order to make sure that if any of the Girls are in the beginning stages of RI that it doesn't hit them too.

We got an underwater thermometer so we know the temp of the water and a thermometer for the air temp as well so we can keep a closer eye on how warm or cold they are. We are also going to invest in a hood for the tank so as to not let in any drafts.

Thanks for your help and the information on the tics.

[marisa]

Oh, I am sorry to hear that (I thought he had gotten out somehow)! At least you tried...

It's good you're going to be able to keep track of the temps. How big is the tank that the other 3 are in?

[4TurtlesILove]

The tank is a Size 40 Breeder tank with a cut out halfway up one side to fit my filter. I have an aquaclear 110....very powerful. It really gives the Turts the feeling of a real river! It's neat. I'll send a pic of my setup!

The girls are very unhappy that Deisel is missing. Big Mama is looking all over for him. ::cry::

[steve]

Since you're out in LI, there are 2 turtle rescues out there. turtlehomes.org and turtlerescues.com - you might want to contact them to see if they can direct you to a reasonable herp vet. If you find one, let me know I was unsatisfied with the last vet I used.