How long have you had it? about 2-3 weeks
What is the water temperature? almost always at exactly 80 degrees
Are you using a water heater? not yet- we're going to get one soon when temps start dropping
How much water is in there? 3/4 tank full (20 gallon tank)
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes
What is the basking temperature? how can you tell that?
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've seen it in a lot of peoples tanks on here- it has suction cups and it's a soft material that looks like a rock with a slanted ramp for him to get up
Is there a UVB light? i think so. (really new to all of this)
What have you been trying to feed it? he eats ZooMed hatchling aquatic turtle food i've tried some carrots and romaine lettuce- he seems to try to eat them but he hasn't eatten much yet- 2 mealworms so far
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning- he's a lil piggy- he always wants more (just pellets this morning)
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20gallons
Is the tank near a window? not really it's against a wall that has a pretty big window caddy cornered to it
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 i've found similar but not exact
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? he eats like a champ (no problems with that), swims fine for the most part (lopsided swimming is rare), he's shedding a bit around his tail area but that's normal right?, what's worrying me is that not his eyes but the area around his eyes is pertruding a bit, and he seems to do this motion alot where it seems like he's trying to gag something up- and at times he will gag up a big bubble under the water- he has tiny bubbles that come outta his nose and mouth sometimes but they aren't collected around there- sometimes one tiny bubble will stay on his nose area then float away a few minutes later. I'm really worried about the gagging part- but he hasn't lost his appetite, he's not lethargic, we have river rocks in his tank that are a good 3x the size of his head if not bigger, he basks regularly- superman pose is his favorite! (we were worried about the clamp being unstable and falling into the water so we put a cover on his tank and found out recently that the holes weren't big enough so we're going to get a better clamp this afternoon so we can be sure he's getting the rays), we don't have a heater at the moment but the water maintains always at 80 degrees- I check it regularly, and I've looked up herp vets in the area and i'm having a lot of trouble finding one! I'm really worried he has RI- but the symptoms I read about tell me to only take basic measures which are??? We're going to change the water tonight, like I said we're going to get a better clamp so we can make sure he's got the correct basking lighting, and the temperature is steady to what I've been told a hatchling needs! Need some advice!!
