Urgent Care :: FAT OR PREGNANT?

[i.love.rufus]

my turtle is starting to have some fat( i believe, not too sure) bulging out from the back of it's leg, and it's been eating a lot more lately
but the things bulging out of it's leg has just recently appeared this past two weeks
i was wondering if it's either getting fat
or is it pregnant?

but the things that bulges out doesn't seem really hard, it feels like someone had just blown it up with air

i don't know if should just keep feeding it as much as i do
or slow it down a bit becasue it's getting fat?

[SpotsMama]

Here's a link on reproduction that you should read:

http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

And here's a link on feeding:

http://www.redearslider.com/pellets.html

How big is your turtle? How is she behaving? Answers to these questions will give you clues as to whether she might be gravid (that's the term people usually use with reptiles rather than pregnant).

And how much do you feed your turtle and how often? What do you feed her? The answers to these questions will tell you if you're feeding too much or not.

[steve]

This sorta reminds me of Kristin's Sheba and her "little fat bags" http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6843

i.love.rufus, can you answer SpotsMama's questions?

[industrial_girl_2000]

but the things that bulges out doesn't seem really hard, it feels like someone had just blown it up with air

That's exactly what it feels like.....the fat should be very soft as you described. Also, if you can push your finger all the way in with no resistance (do this gently), then there are no eggs.

How old is your turtle? How big? How big is the tank you have her in? My adult (9") long RES is in a 90-gallon tank so she can swim more. If they can swim more, that helps keep the obesity down. Also, feeding more veggies helps keep obesity down in larger turtles (like romaine lettuce).

[marisa]

What you're describing could not be eggs---they are not held in the body in the back of the legs.

This excess is only at the back of the legs? The other limbs look OK?

How big is your turtle? What do you feed your turtle, how much and how often?

[i.love.rufus]

it's about 2 1/2 inches big
i'm feeding it about 2-3 pallets a day
not sure bout the age

and i havn't tried to push on it cuz i'm afraid i'm going to do something wrong and hurt it if it is anything

uh
can turtles die from being obese?

[SpotsMama]

At 2 1/2 inches your turtle is too small to lay eggs.

2 or 3 pellets a day doesn't sound like much at all. What kind of pellets are they? Do you feed your turtle anything else?

Do you know how old your turtle is? How long have you had him/her?

I don't want to tell you to cut back on the food because it sounds like you're feeding her a very small amount already. I don't want him/her to starve! Do you have a photo you could show us?

[DavidY]

A female RES won't reach sexual maturity until they are closer to 5" or 6" long (measured straight line across length of carapace w/o curve). So your little gal/guy is probably overweight. Can you post a picture? What kind of pellets are you feeding? If they're baby pellets then 2 or 3 a day is not too much. A general rule for feeding is to feed the amount of pellets that would fit inside the turtle's head if it were hollow (not including the neck). For a baby turtle, feed this amount every day. For a grown turtle, feed that amount every other day. You should also offer leafy green vegetables or aquatic plants every day. Read the Nutrition section on the website (use the links at the top of the screen). It will explain proper feeding for RES.